Download Harvester HCI

Harvester HCI is a revolutionary open-source hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solution that simplifies enterprise virtualization by combining compute, storage, and networking into a single, unified platform. Built on Kubernetes and designed for modern cloud-native workloads, Harvester delivers enterprise-grade performance with the flexibility of open-source technology.

What is Harvester HCI?

Harvester HCI is an open-source alternative to traditional hyperconverged infrastructure solutions like VMware vSAN or Nutanix. It provides a complete virtualization stack that integrates seamlessly with Kubernetes environments while offering familiar VM management capabilities. Developed by SUSE, Harvester combines the power of KubeVirt, Longhorn storage, and Kubernetes orchestration.

Key Features

Virtualization Platform

KubeVirt-based virtual machine management
Support for both Linux and Windows VMs
Live migration capabilities
VM template management and cloning
Snapshot and backup functionality

Storage Management

Longhorn distributed block storage
Automated storage provisioning and management
Built-in data replication and high availability
Storage classes for different performance tiers
Backup and disaster recovery integration

Networking

Software-defined networking (SDN)
VLAN support for network segmentation
Load balancing and traffic management
Network policies and security groups
Multi-cluster networking capabilities

Management & Operations

Web-based management interface
REST API for automation and integration
Monitoring and alerting with Prometheus
Centralized logging and troubleshooting
Role-based access control (RBAC)

Cloud-Native Integration

Native Kubernetes integration
Rancher management platform compatibility
GitOps workflow support
CI/CD pipeline integration
Helm chart deployments

Architecture Overview

Harvester HCI operates on a three-tier architecture:

Management Layer: Web UI, API, and orchestration services Compute Layer: KubeVirt for VM workloads and Kubernetes for containers Storage Layer: Longhorn for distributed storage with automatic replication

This architecture ensures high availability, scalability, and simplified management across your entire infrastructure.