# Architecture and Technical Overview

<code class="expression">space.vars.product\_acronym</code> Kubernetes makes it easy for you to run Kubernetes your on-premises data centers. It is designed to help you make use of all the benefits of Kubernetes, while ensuring you can run large scale, production ready, multi-cluster Kubernetes deployments that meet your business SLA.

When we create a new deployment of <code class="expression">space.vars.product\_acronym</code> for you or your organization, it consists of the following key components:

* Your Kubernetes control plane along with all the Kubernetes cluster components are deployed on your infrastructure.
* A hosted **management plane** maintains connectivity to your Kubernetes clusters via agents that are installed on your Kubernetes cluster nodes.
* Any additional necessary components - such as Platform9 host agents - installed by Platform9 on your infrastructure. These enable our SaaS hosted management plane to access and manage your infrastructure remotely.

The following diagram shows PCD components:

<figure><img src="https://475788898-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F1DPJ7Uj93hjTsfup8x4F%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-c96373c0197c0cb11ab822c617ff096103bc2c7c%2Fkt2dphe44bpkkqcgx9pha8f30k1uuch2x8fzyw55gb9dwg2cobgwofra6syp5jm9.png?alt=media" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

## Components

### Private Cloud Director Management Cluster

The management cluster in Private Cloud Director hosts both the control plane (e.g. Compute, Networking, Auth API) and the Kubernetes Cluster API components, simplifying the infrastructure and cluster lifecycle management.

* Hosts Virtualization and Kubernetes control plane components (as containers)
* Manages Kubernetes clusters using Cluster API
* Provides central control over cluster lifecycle operations
* Supports multi-tenancy and manages users & RBAC
* Handles API requests, authentication, and authorization
* Provisioning: UI, CLI, and API-based cluster creation

### Managed Hosted Control Plane

Managed Hosted Control Plane is a Kubernetes Control Plane that manages multiple Kubernetes clusters using control planes as pods on a hosted on the management cluster without the need for dedicated virtual or physical machines for each control plane.

* Supports multiple clusters per tenant with isolated control planes
* Optimized for cost efficiency with control plane sharing
* Ensures high availability and fault tolerance through distributed architecture
* Automates upgrades and scaling of control plane components
* Enables fine-grained RBAC for different cluster roles

### Worker Nodes

Virtual Machines provisioned in <code class="expression">space.vars.product\_acronym</code> [Virtualized Cluster Blueprint](https://docs.platform9.com/private-cloud-director/2025.2/virtualized-clusters/virtualized-cluster-blueprint), bootstrapped as Kubernetes worker nodes.

* Support manual and automatic node scaling
* Support rolling updates with minimal downtime.

### Cluster API components

Suite of <code class="expression">space.vars.product\_acronym</code> and Cluster API services that orchestrate the deployment and management of workload clusters. These services include Cluster API controllers, PCD controllers, Cluster API provider(CAPI), Cluster API provider for OpenStack(CAPO), Infrastructure providers controllers, organisation management controllers etc.

### UI

<code class="expression">space.vars.product\_acronym</code> UI enable self service provisioning and management of Kubernetes clusters for admin and self service users of <code class="expression">space.vars.product\_acronym</code> tenants, regions, and domains . This enables easy life-cycle management of your Kubernetes and Virtualized clusters side by side in a multi-tenant fashion.