Understanding the nuances between a purpose-built platform and an essential open-source tool for cloud-native backup.
Traditional VM backup tools fall short for Kubernetes. You're not just protecting volumes; you're protecting entire applications with their configuration, data, and dependencies.
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Kubernetes applications are composed of multiple components (Pods, Deployments, Services, PVCs). Backup must capture all of it.
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Containers are constantly created, scaled, and destroyed. Backup solutions need to adapt to this highly dynamic environment.
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Deploying across hybrid and multi-cloud environments demands a unified data protection strategy that transcends single-cloud limitations.
Kasten K10 is purpose-built for Kubernetes, offering comprehensive backup, disaster recovery, and application mobility with an application-centric approach.
K10
"The K8s Data Protection Platform"
Velero is a widely adopted open-source tool for backing up and restoring Kubernetes cluster resources and persistent volumes. It provides essential functionality for basic data protection within Kubernetes.
Key Characteristics:
Kasten K10 automatically discovers and maps entire Kubernetes applications—including deployments, services, volumes, and configurations—ensuring fully functional restores with minimal effort.
Velero, while capable of backing up Kubernetes resources and volumes, lacks deep application awareness, requiring significant scripting to achieve consistency across an entire application.
Kasten K10 delivers an intuitive, GUI-driven experience that empowers DevOps and IT teams to define backup and restore policies visually.
In contrast, Velero's CLI-first design increases complexity for teams not immersed in Kubernetes internals. Community-built GUIs exist but lack the polish and integration of Kasten's native interface.
Whether you're operating across AWS, Azure, GCP, or on-premises clusters, Kasten K10 provides seamless multi-cloud and hybrid cloud data protection with a single-pane-of-glass approach.
Velero supports multi-cloud, but each environment often needs to be managed in isolation, increasing operational overhead.
Kasten K10 excels in precision recovery. It offers fine-grained options—from full application restores to specific PVCs or even Kubernetes resources.
Velero supports some granularity but requires extra tools and configurations to achieve file-level recovery or application-specific rollback.
Kasten K10's policy-driven automation enables enterprises to set and forget their data protection strategies with confidence. Complex scheduling, retention, and compliance workflows are handled seamlessly.
Velero provides hooks and schedules, but building equivalent automation requires substantial effort and scripting.
Kasten K10 includes enterprise-grade encryption, RBAC, and data immutability out of the box, protecting against internal and external threats like ransomware.
Velero relies heavily on the underlying cloud provider for security, leaving key protections up to manual configuration and third-party tools.
Kasten K10 includes built-in dashboards, alerts, and compliance reports for real-time visibility and actionable insights.
Velero users must rely on logs and events or build custom integrations with Prometheus or other tools to gain equivalent observability.
A comparative look at Kasten K10 and Velero across critical cloud-native backup dimensions. Kasten builds upon and extends core Velero concepts to deliver a more comprehensive, enterprise-ready platform.
For organizations that require scalable, secure, and application-aware Kubernetes data protection, Kasten K10 is the clear winner. It goes far beyond the basics, offering a complete data management platform that's built for today's hybrid, multi-cloud reality. Velero, while valuable for simpler scenarios or dev/test environments, falls short when enterprise resilience, automation, and compliance are on the line.