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Volcengine Kubernetes Engine

Integrating with VCI

Using VCI in VPC-CNI clusters

A VKE cluster uses Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instances for pod scheduling by default. Also, it supports using Volcano Engine Container Instance (VCI) or a hybrid of VCI and ECS for pod scheduling. By using virtual nodes, you can schedule pods to VCI for running, eliminating the need for capacity planning and node O&M and enabling flexible, on-demand pod scheduling.

Usage instructions

VCI is based on the Virtual Kubelet technology from the Kubernetes community and connects to Kubernetes through virtual nodes.

Each pod running on a virtual node maps to a VCI.

Serverless capabilities

VKE has integrated VCI support to provide a more serverless Kubernetes experience.

VKE provides a managed, maintenance-free vci-virtual-kubelet add-on and automated creation of virtual nodes. This enables seamless integration with VCI. For details, see Virtual Kubelet and virtual nodes.

VKE allows you to create a Kubernetes cluster without worker nodes. In this case, the system automatically creates virtual nodes and deploys components in the cluster by using VCI.

Usage process:

Step 1: Create a VPC-CNI cluster

In the top navigation bar, select the region closest to your business.

In the left navigation bar, click Cluster.

On the Cluster page, click Create cluster.

In the Create cluster dialog box, click Create now in the Custom managed clusters section.

On the Create cluster page, configure the cluster according to the prompts on the page. You need to specify some parameters based on the following descriptions. For detailed configuration instructions for other parameters, see Creating managed clusters.

Cluster configuration

Parameter
Description
Networking

Network model
Configure pod networking (CNI) solution for the cluster. In VCI scenarios, you must select VPC-CNI.

After the configuration is complete, click Next: Node pool configuration in the lower-right corner of the page.

Node pool configuration (Optional)

Specify configurations based on your business requirements. No hard limits exist for VCI scenarios. After the configuration is complete, click Next: Addon configuration in the lower-right corner of the page.

Add-on configuration

You need to install the vci-virtual-kubelet add-on. Configure other add-ons based on your business requirements. After the configuration is complete, click Next: Configuration confirmation in the lower-right corner of the page.

After confirming the cluster configuration information and reading the terms of service, scroll to the bottom of the page, select I have read and agree to Volcengine Kubernetes Engine Specific Terms of Service, and click Confirm in the lower-right corner of the page to create the cluster.

It will take 15 to 20 minutes to create a cluster. You can click Cluster list to proceed with other configurations, or stay on this page to view the creation progress.

Step 2: Use VCI for workload or pod deployment

In the VPC-CNI cluster that is created in the previous step, use VCI to deploy workloads or Pods. For details, see Creating VCIs.

Extending capabilities

When you create a Pod, you can add a Pod annotation to use more VCI capabilities. For a detailed description, see Pod annotations.

Last updated: 2026.07.24 16:18:02

Parameter	Description
Networking
Network model	Configure pod networking (CNI) solution for the cluster. In VCI scenarios, you must select VPC-CNI.