What is STACKIT Edge Cloud?
STACKIT Edge Cloud is a managed solution for centralized Kubernetes cluster management on any customer-owned hardware and at any location. Customers bring their own hardware to the edge location; STACKIT provides the control plane, the APIs, and Talos Linux and Kubernetes images used to boot the hardware and integrate it into cluster management. This makes it possible to run Kubernetes securely and compliantly at the edge while integrating seamlessly with existing infrastructure.
Core Features
- Bring your own hardware: Run Kubernetes on physical hardware directly at the edge location
- Central control: Manage EdgeCluster resources from the STACKIT Cloud via a unified API
- Talos Linux: A lean, security-focused operating system for the cluster nodes
- Vanilla Kubernetes: A standards-compliant Kubernetes distribution without proprietary extensions
- Shared responsibility model: Clear separation between platform operations (STACKIT) and hardware/workload responsibility (customer)
Typical Use Cases
Industrial manufacturing: Production facilities require real-time data processing on-site. STACKIT Edge Cloud enables Kubernetes workloads directly in the factory on customer-owned hardware, centrally managed from the STACKIT Cloud.
Retail and branch networks: Retailers run local applications such as self-checkout or inventory systems on edge hardware in stores, with central management through the STACKIT platform.
Benefits
- GDPR-compliant, with the control plane hosted in German infrastructure
- Data processing directly at the source for low latency
- Central management of many distributed locations through a single platform
- Standards-compliant Kubernetes clusters without proprietary dependencies
Integration with innFactory
As an official STACKIT partner, innFactory supports edge cloud architectures: from site and hardware planning to cluster configuration and deployment automation for hybrid environments.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is STACKIT Edge Cloud?
A managed solution that lets customers run Kubernetes clusters on their own hardware at any location and manage them centrally from the STACKIT Cloud. Talos Linux is used as the operating system for the nodes.
Do I need to bring my own hardware?
Yes. STACKIT Edge Cloud follows a bring-your-own-hardware model: the customer provides and operates the physical hardware at the edge location, while STACKIT delivers the control plane, the Kubernetes platform, and images for booting the nodes.
How is responsibility split between STACKIT and the customer?
STACKIT provides and maintains the Edge Cloud platform, the APIs, and the associated Talos and Kubernetes images. The customer is responsible for the physical hardware and its security, installing security updates, and operating their own workloads on the clusters.
What does STACKIT Edge Cloud cost?
STACKIT does not publish fixed prices; quotes are provided on request, since the scope and number of edge locations vary significantly per customer.
Note: All product information on this page has been compiled with care, but is provided without guarantee and may be outdated or incomplete. Cloud services evolve rapidly — features, pricing, SLAs, and availability change frequently. Authoritative and up-to-date information can only be found on the official product page of STACKIT (official documentation). This page does not represent an offer by STACKIT.
