List of the Top 20 On-Prem Container Orchestration Software in 2025

Kasm Workspaces enables you to access your work environment seamlessly through your web browser, regardless of the device or location you are in. This innovative platform is transforming the delivery of digital workspaces for organizations by utilizing open-source, web-native container streaming technology, which allows for a contemporary approach to Desktop as a Service, application streaming, and secure browser isolation. Beyond just a service, Kasm functions as a versatile platform equipped with a powerful API that can be tailored to suit your specific requirements, accommodating any scale of operation. Workspaces can be implemented wherever necessary, whether on-premise—including in Air-Gapped Networks—within cloud environments (both public and private), or through a hybrid approach that combines elements of both. Additionally, Kasm's flexibility ensures that it can adapt to the evolving needs of modern businesses.

Kubernetes, often abbreviated as K8s, is an influential open-source framework aimed at automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. By grouping containers into manageable units, it streamlines the tasks associated with application management and discovery. With over 15 years of expertise gained from managing production workloads at Google, Kubernetes integrates the best practices and innovative concepts from the broader community. It is built on the same core principles that allow Google to proficiently handle billions of containers on a weekly basis, facilitating scaling without a corresponding rise in the need for operational staff. Whether you're working on local development or running a large enterprise, Kubernetes is adaptable to various requirements, ensuring dependable and smooth application delivery no matter the complexity involved. Additionally, as an open-source solution, Kubernetes provides the freedom to utilize on-premises, hybrid, or public cloud environments, making it easier to migrate workloads to the most appropriate infrastructure. This level of adaptability not only boosts operational efficiency but also equips organizations to respond rapidly to evolving demands within their environments. As a result, Kubernetes stands out as a vital tool for modern application management, enabling businesses to thrive in a fast-paced digital landscape.

Appvia Wayfinder offers an innovative solution for managing your cloud infrastructure efficiently. It empowers developers with self-service capabilities, enabling them to seamlessly manage and provision cloud resources. At the heart of Wayfinder lies a security-first approach, founded on the principles of least privilege and isolation, ensuring that your resources remain protected. Platform teams will appreciate the centralized control, which allows for guidance and adherence to organizational standards. Moreover, Wayfinder enhances visibility by providing a unified view of your clusters, applications, and resources across all three major cloud providers. By adopting Appvia Wayfinder, you can join the ranks of top engineering teams around the globe that trust it for their cloud deployments. Don't fall behind your competitors; harness the power of Wayfinder and witness a significant boost in your team's efficiency and productivity. With its comprehensive features, Wayfinder is not just a tool; it’s a game changer for cloud management.

Portainer Business simplifies the management of containers across various environments, from data centers to edge locations, and is compatible with Docker, Swarm, and Kubernetes, earning the trust of over 500,000 users. Its user-friendly graphical interface and robust Kube-compatible API empower anyone to easily deploy and manage containerized applications, troubleshoot container issues, establish automated Git workflows, and create user-friendly CaaS environments. The platform is compatible with all Kubernetes distributions and can be deployed either on-premises or in the cloud, making it ideal for collaborative settings with multiple users and clusters. Designed with a suite of security features, including RBAC, OAuth integration, and comprehensive logging, it is well-suited for large-scale, complex production environments. For platform managers aiming to provide a self-service CaaS environment, Portainer offers a range of tools to regulate user permissions effectively and mitigate risks associated with container deployment in production. Additionally, Portainer Business comes with full support and a detailed onboarding process that ensures seamless implementation and fast-tracks your operational readiness. This commitment to user experience and security makes it a preferred choice for organizations looking to streamline their container management.

SaltStack serves as an advanced IT automation platform capable of managing, securing, and enhancing infrastructure across various environments, whether on-premises, in the cloud, or at the edge. It operates on an event-driven automation engine that intelligently identifies and reacts to system changes, which proves invaluable in handling intricate settings. This robust framework is especially useful in addressing the complexities of modern IT landscapes. The latest addition to SaltStack's offerings is its SecOps suite, designed to identify security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations within systems. With this advanced automation, issues can be promptly detected and rectified, ensuring that your infrastructure remains secure, compliant, and continuously updated. Within the SecOps suite, the components Comply and Protect play crucial roles. Comply is responsible for checking compliance against standards such as CIS, DISA, STIG, NIST, and PCI. Additionally, it assesses operating systems for vulnerabilities and facilitates the updating of patches to bolster security measures effectively. This comprehensive approach not only enhances security but also simplifies the management of compliance requirements.

Ambassador Edge Stack serves as a Kubernetes-native API Gateway that delivers ease of use, robust security, and the capability to scale for extensive Kubernetes environments globally. It simplifies the process of securing microservices by offering a comprehensive suite of security features, which encompass automatic TLS, authentication, and rate limiting, along with optional WAF integration. Additionally, it facilitates fine-grained access control, allowing for precise management of user permissions. This API Gateway functions as an ingress controller based on Kubernetes, and it accommodates an extensive array of protocols, such as gRPC, gRPC Web, and TLS termination, while also providing traffic management controls that help maintain resource availability and optimize performance. Overall, Ambassador Edge Stack is designed to meet the complex needs of modern cloud-native applications.

You have the option to utilize your preferred debugging software to address issues with your Kubernetes services on a local level. Telepresence, an open-source solution, facilitates the execution of a single service locally while maintaining a connection to a remote Kubernetes cluster. Originally created by Ambassador Labs, known for their open-source development tools like Ambassador and Forge, Telepresence encourages community participation through issue submissions, pull requests, and bug reporting. Engaging in our vibrant Slack community is a great way to ask questions or explore available paid support options. The development of Telepresence is ongoing, and by registering, you can stay informed about updates and announcements. This tool enables you to debug locally without the delays associated with building, pushing, or deploying containers. Additionally, it allows users to leverage their preferred local tools such as debuggers and integrated development environments (IDEs), while also supporting the execution of large-scale applications that may not be feasible to run locally. Furthermore, the ability to connect a local environment to a remote cluster significantly enhances the debugging process and overall development workflow.

JFrog Pipelines empowers software development teams to speed up the update delivery process by automating their DevOps workflows in a secure and efficient way across all involved tools and teams. It encompasses key functionalities such as continuous integration (CI), continuous delivery (CD), and infrastructure management, effectively automating the complete journey from code creation to production deployment. This solution is tightly integrated with the JFrog Platform and is available through both cloud-based and on-premises subscription options. It boasts horizontal scalability, offering a centralized management system that can support thousands of users and pipelines within a high-availability (HA) framework. Users can easily build complex pipelines with pre-built declarative steps that eliminate the need for scripting, enabling the connection of multiple teams in the process. Additionally, it collaborates with a broad spectrum of DevOps tools, allowing different steps within the same pipeline to function across various operating systems and architectures, thereby reducing the need for multiple CI/CD solutions. This adaptability positions JFrog Pipelines as an invaluable tool for teams looking to optimize their software delivery workflows while ensuring seamless integration across different platforms. Its ability to handle diverse environments makes it a pivotal resource for modern software development.

Harpoon is an easy-to-use drag-and-drop application tailored for Kubernetes, enabling rapid software deployment in mere seconds. Whether you're new to Kubernetes or looking for a streamlined method to enhance your skills, Harpoon provides all the essential tools needed for the successful deployment and configuration of applications on this top-tier container orchestration platform, eliminating the necessity of writing any code. Its user-friendly visual interface allows anyone to effortlessly launch software that is ready for production. You can manage anything from simple applications to complex enterprise-level cloud deployments, facilitating software deployment and configuration while enabling autoscaling in Kubernetes without requiring code or configuration scripts. With just one click, you can quickly search for and deploy any available commercial or open-source software to the cloud. Furthermore, Harpoon prioritizes security by running automated security scripts prior to the launch of any applications or services, ensuring the safety of your cloud provider account. Additionally, you can easily connect Harpoon to your source code repository from virtually any location, establishing an automated deployment pipeline that guarantees a seamless development process. This efficient methodology not only conserves time but also boosts productivity, making Harpoon an indispensable resource for developers aiming to optimize their workflow. As a result, developers can focus more on innovation rather than being bogged down by tedious setup processes.

D2iQ's Enterprise Kubernetes Platform (DKP) is designed to facilitate the deployment of Kubernetes workloads at scale, making it easier for organizations to adopt and manage advanced applications across various infrastructures, including on-premises, cloud, air-gapped settings, and edge environments. By addressing the most significant challenges faced in enterprise Kubernetes deployment, DKP offers a unified management interface that streamlines the journey to production while ensuring robust control over applications in any environment. Key features include out-of-the-box Day 2 readiness without vendor lock-in, simplified Kubernetes adoption processes, and guarantees of consistency, security, and performance across distributed systems. Furthermore, DKP empowers organizations to swiftly deploy machine learning applications and fast data pipelines, all while tapping into cloud-native expertise to maximize operational efficiency. This platform not only enhances existing capabilities but also paves the way for future growth and innovation in cloud-native environments.

IBM Cloud® Kubernetes Service provides a certified and managed platform for Kubernetes, specifically aimed at facilitating the deployment and oversight of containerized applications on the IBM Cloud®. It boasts features such as intelligent scheduling, self-healing mechanisms, and horizontal scaling, all while maintaining secure management of resources essential for the quick deployment, updating, and scaling of applications. By managing the master node, IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service frees users from the tasks associated with overseeing the host operating system, container runtime, and Kubernetes version updates. This enables developers to concentrate on the development and innovation of their applications rather than becoming mired in infrastructure management. Additionally, the service's robust architecture not only enhances resource utilization but also significantly boosts performance and reliability, making it an ideal choice for businesses looking to streamline their application deployment processes. This comprehensive approach allows organizations to remain agile and responsive in a fast-paced digital landscape.

An adaptable and user-friendly workload orchestrator, this tool is crafted to deploy and manage both containerized and non-containerized applications effortlessly across large-scale on-premises and cloud settings. Weighing in at just 35MB, it is a compact binary that integrates seamlessly into your current infrastructure. Offering a straightforward operational experience in both environments, it maintains low overhead, ensuring efficient performance. This orchestrator is not confined to merely handling containers; rather, it excels in supporting a wide array of applications, including Docker, Windows, Java, VMs, and beyond. By leveraging orchestration capabilities, it significantly enhances the performance of existing services. Users can enjoy the benefits of zero downtime deployments, higher resilience, and better resource use, all without the necessity of containerization. A simple command empowers multi-region and multi-cloud federation, allowing for global application deployment in any desired region through Nomad, which acts as a unified control plane. This approach simplifies workflows when deploying applications to both bare metal and cloud infrastructures. Furthermore, Nomad encourages the development of multi-cloud applications with exceptional ease, working in harmony with Terraform, Consul, and Vault to provide effective provisioning, service networking, and secrets management, thus establishing itself as an essential tool for contemporary application management. In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, having a comprehensive solution like this can significantly streamline the deployment and management processes.

Ridge offers a versatile cloud solution that adapts to your location requirements. By utilizing a single API, Ridge transforms any foundational infrastructure into a cloud-native environment. This means you can deploy your services in a private data center, on an on-premises server, at an edge micro-center, or across multiple facilities in a hybrid setup, thereby allowing Ridge to significantly enhance your operational capabilities without constraints. This flexibility ensures that your cloud deployment meets the unique demands of your business.

k0s stands out as the only Kubernetes distribution that is straightforward, reliable, and officially certified, functioning seamlessly across various infrastructures such as bare metal, on-premises setups, private clouds, edge devices, IoT environments, and public cloud services. It is available without any cost and adheres to open-source principles. The installation and operation of Kubernetes with k0s is remarkably uncomplicated, significantly minimizing the complexities typically associated with setting up and managing Kubernetes environments. New kube clusters can be bootstrapped in just a few minutes, ensuring that even those without specialized skills can begin their development journey without encountering any obstacles. k0s operates as a singular binary, possessing no dependencies on the host operating system aside from its kernel, which allows it to run on any OS without the need for additional software installations. This design ensures that any security vulnerabilities or performance issues can be promptly addressed directly within the k0s distribution. Furthermore, k0s is entirely free for both commercial and personal use, with a commitment to remaining so indefinitely. The complete source code is accessible on GitHub, distributed under the Apache 2 license, fostering a collaborative environment for developers. This commitment to openness not only enhances innovation but also builds a strong community around k0s, making it an attractive option for developers everywhere.

Emerging from the vibrant city of Rotterdam, celebrated for its spirit of innovation, OneCloud was created to address the various obstacles that developers face when building web applications with traditional hosting and cloud services. Our inception was driven by a strong desire to revolutionize and improve the cloud development environment. At OneCloud, we focus on providing developers with a sophisticated Kubernetes cloud platform that offers the vital resources needed to regain control over their web application development process. Our goal is to eliminate obstacles and streamline the development experience, enabling developers to concentrate on their creative visions and groundbreaking concepts. Choosing OneCloud means you are not just utilizing a cloud platform; you are forging a partnership with a reliable technology ally and a team that is always there to support you. We encourage collaboration as we work together to reshape the cloud development space, unleashing the full power of the Cloud and innovating the ways web applications are built and deployed. By joining forces, we can usher in a new era of development methodologies that prioritize both efficiency and creativity.

Joyent provides a Single Tenant Public Cloud that merges the high-level security, cost-effectiveness, and management features typical of a private cloud. This solution is fully overseen by Joyent, granting users total control over their private cloud setup, along with thorough installation, onboarding, and support services. Clients have the choice of receiving either open-source or commercial support for their user-managed private clouds on-premises. The infrastructure is adept at efficiently delivering virtual machines, containers, and bare metal resources, capable of managing workloads at an exabyte scale. Joyent’s engineering team offers considerable support for modern application frameworks, which include microservices, APIs, development tools, and practices tailored for container-native DevOps. Triton stands out as a hybrid, contemporary, and open framework specifically fine-tuned for hosting large cloud-native applications. With Joyent, users can anticipate not only state-of-the-art technology but also a committed partnership that fosters their ongoing growth and innovation, ensuring they have the resources and support necessary to scale effectively. This holistic approach positions Joyent as a leader in providing cloud solutions tailored to evolving business needs.

IBM Cloud Pak® for Applications streamlines the modernization of existing applications, incorporates advanced security features, and allows for the development of new applications that facilitate digital transformation. This platform is equipped with cloud-native development tools that rapidly deliver value, along with flexible licensing options tailored to your specific needs. Whether you choose to deploy on public clouds, on-premises, or in a private cloud, your applications can function in the setting that optimally serves your business requirements. Resources are available to help integrate your applications with Red Hat® OpenShift® on IBM Cloud®, a unified Kubernetes platform built on open-source foundations, ensuring comprehensive support regardless of where they are deployed. Moving to the cloud doesn't require a complete overhaul; instead, it promotes the modernization of legacy applications, thereby improving their adaptability and scalability. Furthermore, you will receive a thorough evaluation of your applications, accompanied by prioritized recommendations for modernization, which will steer you towards successful transformation. By utilizing these assessments, you can cultivate a more nimble and responsive IT infrastructure, ultimately leading to enhanced business performance and innovation. Embracing this approach not only enhances efficiency but also positions your organization to better respond to evolving market demands.

The leading platform for Kubernetes allows for its deployment in production environments. This platform ensures persistent storage, data security, backup management, capacity oversight, and disaster recovery solutions. It facilitates the seamless backup, restoration, and migration of Kubernetes applications across various cloud environments or data centers. With Portworx Enterprise Storage Platform, users gain comprehensive storage, data management, and security for their Kubernetes initiatives. This solution accommodates container-based services such as CaaS and DBaaS, along with SaaS and disaster recovery functionalities. Applications benefit from container-specific storage options, robust disaster recovery capabilities, and enhanced data protection. Additionally, the platform supports multi-cloud migrations, making it easier to address enterprise-level demands for Kubernetes data services. Users can enjoy cloud-like DBaaS accessibility without relinquishing control over their data. By simplifying operational complexities, it scales the backend data services that underpin your SaaS applications. Disaster recovery can be integrated into any Kubernetes application with a single command, ensuring that all Kubernetes applications are readily backed up and restorable whenever necessary. This efficiency empowers organizations to maintain control while leveraging the advantages of cloud technologies.

UbiOps is a comprehensive AI infrastructure platform that empowers teams to efficiently deploy their AI and machine learning workloads as secure microservices, seamlessly integrating into existing workflows. In a matter of minutes, UbiOps allows for an effortless incorporation into your data science ecosystem, removing the burdensome need to set up and manage expensive cloud infrastructures. Whether you are a startup looking to create an AI product or part of a larger organization's data science department, UbiOps offers a reliable backbone for any AI or ML application you wish to pursue. The platform is designed to scale your AI workloads based on usage trends, ensuring that you only incur costs for the resources you actively utilize, rather than paying for idle time. It also speeds up both model training and inference by providing on-demand access to high-performance GPUs, along with serverless, multi-cloud workload distribution that optimizes operational efficiency. By adopting UbiOps, teams can concentrate on driving innovation and developing cutting-edge AI solutions, rather than getting bogged down in infrastructure management. This shift not only enhances productivity but also catalyzes progress in the field of artificial intelligence.

Kubernetes-as-a-Service delivers a streamlined experience across various environments, including multi-cloud, on-premises, and edge configurations. It merges the ease of public cloud options with the adaptability of self-managed setups, all supported by a team of fully Certified Kubernetes Administrators. This service effectively tackles the issue of talent shortages while guaranteeing a solid 99.9% uptime, along with automatic upgrades and scaling features, made possible through expert oversight. By choosing this solution, you can fortify your cloud-native journey with ready-made integrations for edge computing, multi-cloud scenarios, and data centers, enhanced by auto-provisioning capabilities. The deployment of Kubernetes clusters is completed in just minutes, aided by a vast selection of pre-built cloud-native services and infrastructure plugins. Furthermore, you benefit from the expertise of Cloud Architects who assist with design, onboarding, and integration tasks. PMK operates as a SaaS managed service that effortlessly weaves into your existing infrastructure, allowing for the rapid creation of Kubernetes clusters. Each cluster comes pre-loaded with monitoring and log aggregation features, ensuring smooth compatibility with all your current tools, enabling you to focus exclusively on application development and innovation. This method not only streamlines operations but also significantly boosts overall productivity and agility in your development workflows, making it an invaluable asset for modern businesses. Ultimately, the integration of such a service can lead to accelerated time-to-market for applications and improved resource management.