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Developer ToolsAlternative to AWS CDKAlternative to PulumiAlternative to Terraform

Crossplane

Cloud-native control plane framework to build custom cloud platforms on top of Kubernetes.

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LicenseApache-2.0
GitHub stars9.4k
Last commit1 weeks ago
Tags7 topics
KubernetesInfrastructure As CodeAwsDevopsCloud NativeGcpControl Plane
Overview

Why consider Crossplane?

Crossplane is an open-source framework that turns any Kubernetes cluster into a universal cloud control plane, allowing platform teams to compose infrastructure across AWS, GCP, and Azure using Kubernetes CRDs.

Guided learning

Learn Crossplane by building

Practical setup notes, real use cases, and copy-ready examples in one focused guide.

1 min read 3 sections
In this guide3 sections

Overview of Crossplane

Crossplane extends Kubernetes with Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) for cloud infrastructure. Instead of managing static Terraform states, Crossplane actively reconciles cloud resources (such as RDS databases, S3 buckets, and VPCs) directly from Kubernetes.

Installing Crossplane via Helm

Add the Crossplane Helm repository and install the operator:

bash
1helm repo add crossplane-stable https://charts.crossplane.io/stable
2helm repo update
3helm install crossplane crossplane-stable/crossplane --namespace crossplane-system --create-namespace

Provisioning Cloud Providers

Install the AWS or GCP provider package:

yaml
1apiVersion: pkg.crossplane.io/v1
2kind: Provider
3metadata:
4 name: provider-aws-s3
5spec:
6 package: xpkg.upbound.io/crossplane-contrib/provider-aws-s3:v1.0.0

Apply the specification using kubectl apply -f provider.yaml. Crossplane continuously reconciles desired infrastructure states.

Crossplane is a CNCF incubating project distributed under the Apache License Version 2.0.

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Crossplane FAQs

Crossplane is listed as a Developer Tools tool on TiloBox. Review the overview, features, and official documentation on this page to decide whether it solves your specific workflow.

Start with the project's GitHub repository and official website for supported installation and deployment instructions. Test the setup with representative data or a small project before rolling it out more widely.

Crossplane is listed under the Apache-2.0 license. Read the complete license text and the project's notices before using, modifying, or distributing the software.

Production readiness depends on your requirements. Review maintenance activity, security practices, documentation, backup and upgrade procedures, and compatibility with your stack; then validate it in a non-production environment.

Crossplane is listed as an alternative to AWS CDK. Compare the core workflow, deployment model, integrations, and licensing against your must-have requirements before switching.