On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger 2026
Ledger
On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger 2026
DaoCloud Enterprise: On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger
DaoCloud sells DCE as a set of independently versioned modules (Karmada multicloud, KubeVirt VMs, Harbor registry, Argo CD workbench, OpenTelemetry…
Edition October 13, 20266 min read
Part of the On-Prem Kubernetes Ledger (edition 2026-10-13). How the scores work: methodology.
1. Snapshot
- Tier: Regional
- Owner: Shanghai DaoCloud Network Technology Co., Ltd., privately held, venture funded (Series D reported 2024-02-01)
- Licence model: Commercial subscription, no public price list; trial and downloads on request; open-source projects Kubean, HwameiStor, Spiderpool, Clusterpedia under Apache 2.0
- Products scored: DCE 5.0 modules: container management, multicloud, global management, workbench, insight, registry, mesh, VirtNest VMs, AI Lab and LLM Studio
- Latest release: Installer v0.44.0 (2026-08-31, default Kubernetes 1.35.5 from v0.42.0); CNCF certified for Kubernetes 1.36 on 2026-08-14
- Next signal: No roadmap published
- Archetype: Modular China platform
- Evidence grade: B. Release notes, docs repository and CNCF repositories were opened; the English docs are thin on support windows, FIPS, DRA, MCP and migration tooling, and the Chinese docs were not read.
2. Scorecard
| Dimension | Score | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Capability today | 72.2 / 100 | higher is better |
| Momentum since end of 2022 | +27.0 points | higher is better |
| Credibility | 17.0 / 25 | higher is better |
| Commercial risk | 13.5 / 25 | lower is better |
| Technical lock-in | 10.0 / 25 | lower is better |
| Integrator fit | 11.5 / 20 | higher is better |
| AI leverage | 8.5 / 20 | higher is better |
| Ledger Index | 64.5 / 100 | balanced weights |
3. Capability by domain
Scores 0 to 5 against fixed anchors; total is weighted to 100.
| Domain (weight) | 2016 | 2019 | 2022 | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Install, upgrade and lifecycle (12) | n/a | n/a | 2.5 | 3 |
| Bare metal, edge and on-prem infrastructure (10) | n/a | n/a | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| Multi-cluster and fleet management (10) | n/a | n/a | 3 | 4 |
| Networking (10) | n/a | n/a | 3 | 4 |
| Storage and data protection (10) | n/a | n/a | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| Security and compliance (12) | n/a | n/a | 2.5 | 3 |
| Developer platform (8) | n/a | n/a | 3.5 | 4 |
| Observability and day-2 operations (8) | n/a | n/a | 3.5 | 4 |
| VMs on Kubernetes (VMware exit) (10) | n/a | n/a | 0 | 3.5 |
| GPU and accelerator workloads (10) | n/a | n/a | 0 | 4 |
| Total / 100 | not released | not released | 45.2 | 72.2 |
Year by year: 2022: 45.2 · 2023: 53.4 · 2024: 68.2 · 2025: 71.2 · 2026: 72.2
What moved the score
| Year | Domain | Change | Points | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Bare metal, edge and on-prem infrastructure | 2.5 → 3 | +1.0 | Cloud-edge module v0.5.0 (2023-11); OS list across amd64 and arm64 (Red Hat, Ubuntu, Rocky, openEuler, UOS, Kylin) |
| 2023 | Multi-cluster and fleet management | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | Multicloud v0.12.0 (2023-08): cross-cluster horizontal autoscaling; propagation policies; DCE4 to DCE5 app migration |
| 2023 | Security and compliance | 2.5 → 3 | +1.2 | CIS compliance, authorization and vulnerability scans, LDAP, OIDC and OAuth2 login, audit log, Falco guide; no FIPS or SBOM |
| 2023 | Storage and data protection | 2.5 → 3 | +1.0 | HwameiStor v0.13.1 (2023-10): LVM snapshots; DRBD replication; Velero-based backup module |
| 2023 | VMs on Kubernetes (VMware exit) | 0 → 2 | +4.0 | VirtNest v0.1.0 (2023-07) and v0.2.0 (2023-10): create, console, snapshots, clone, restore |
| 2024 | Developer platform | 3.5 → 4 | +0.8 | Workbench v0.31.0 (2024-09): ApplicationSet, Argo CD UI, canary and blue-green; middleware catalogue; no developer portal |
| 2024 | GPU and accelerator workloads | 0 → 3 | +6.0 | Container management v0.32.0 (2024-09): Volcano binpack and priority; NVIDIA GPU Operator and HAMi vGPU docs; Cambricon cards (2024-10) |
| 2024 | Install, upgrade and lifecycle | 2.5 → 3 | +1.2 | Monthly installer, UI cluster upgrades, default Kubernetes raised yearly to 1.35.5 (2026-06); median lag 142 days; no rollback found |
| 2024 | Multi-cluster and fleet management | 3.5 → 4 | +1.0 | Workbench v0.32.0 (2024-10): GitOps into multicloud namespaces; no cluster-count limit or fleet compliance feature found |
| 2024 | Networking | 3 → 4 | +2.0 | SR-IOV node policies and RDMA (2024-01), Multus, EgressGateway, Ambient mesh injection (2024-09); no IPv6 or Gateway API statement |
| 2024 | Observability and day-2 operations | 3.5 → 4 | +0.8 | Insight v0.31 (2024-09): topology maps, log alerts; GPU dashboards and slow SQL analysis later; no cost reporting |
| 2024 | VMs on Kubernetes (VMware exit) | 2 → 3.5 | +3.0 | Live migration, scheduled snapshots, templates, Windows guests, vGPU, vSphere import guide (2024-07); latest v0.18.1 (2025-07-30); no bulk toolkit |
| 2025 | Bare metal, edge and on-prem infrastructure | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | Device Management v0.4.1 (2025-08): Redfish onboarding and PXE provisioning; no hypervisor providers |
| 2025 | GPU and accelerator workloads | 3 → 4 | +2.0 | GPU management v0.41.0 (2025-07), MetaX cards, third-party device plugins, MIG; AI Conformance 2025-10-31; no DRA feature found |
| 2026 | Storage and data protection | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | etcd backup to HTTPS object storage (v0.49.0, 2026-07); no array-vendor certification list found |
4. Direction, 2023 to 2026
Each item carries one theme and one driver (V vision, C customer need, M market window, U upstream, P portfolio).
| Date | Item | Theme | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07 | VirtNest v0.1.0: virtual machines on KubeVirt in the console | D10 VMs on Kubernetes | M |
| 2023-08 | Multicloud v0.12.0: cross-cluster horizontal autoscaling (FHPA) | D3 Fleet management | V |
| 2023-11 | Cloud-edge collaboration module v0.5.0 | D2 Bare metal, edge and infrastructure | M |
| 2024-04 | AI Lab v0.3.0: notebooks, training jobs, model serving, data management | D13 Accelerators | M |
| 2024-09 | Container management v0.32.0: Volcano binpack and priority scheduling for GPU jobs | D13 Accelerators | C |
| 2024-10 | Workbench v0.32.0: GitOps applications into multicloud namespaces | D3 Fleet management | C |
| 2025-07 | GPU management in container management; LLM Studio v0.7.0 | D13 Accelerators | M |
| 2025-08 | Device Management v0.4.1: Redfish onboarding and PXE provisioning | D2 Bare metal, edge and infrastructure | C |
| 2025-10 | CNCF Kubernetes AI Conformance passed for Kubernetes 1.33 | D13 Accelerators | M |
| 2026-03 | ClawOS v0.2.0: managed AI agent runtime on DCE | D6 Developer platform | M |
| 2026-06 | Installer default Kubernetes raised to 1.35.5 (v0.42.0) | D1 Install and lifecycle | U |
| 2026-08 | Installer v0.44.0: basic GitOps-mode deployment framework | D1 Install and lifecycle | V |
- Centre of gravity: Accelerators (4), Fleet management (2), Bare metal, edge and infrastructure (2)
- Driver mix: Vision 17%, Customer need 25%, Market window 50%, Upstream 8%, Portfolio 0%
5. Credibility: 17.0 / 25
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | 4.5 | Month-end release notes per module; 48 installer versions from 2022-11-30 to 2026-08-31 without a gap in the last 24 months |
| Roadmap transparency | 3 | Public docs repository with release notes and open-source projects; no roadmap or milestones |
| Say-do | 2.5 | No dated public promises found, so nothing to test; one limitation (default Kubernetes 1.24) cleared in about 7 months |
| Velocity | 4 | Many capabilities per year: VMs, AI Lab, LLM Studio, GPU management, Device Management, ClawOS; VirtNest quiet since 2025-07 |
| Lifecycle stability | 3 | No support windows published; DCE 4 to 5 needed a limited-scenario migration; product lines split into d.run lines 2026 |
Say-do record, 2023 to 2026: 0 dated promises found 2023 to 2026; nothing counted. One known limitation (default Kubernetes stuck at 1.24 in 2022-11) cleared by 2023-06-30.
6. Commercial risk: 13.5 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Price and licence volatility | 2 | No licence or price change found; product lines reorganised into d.run Token Factory, d.run AI OS and DCE |
| Purchase constraints | 3 | Quote-based subscription, free trial and download pages; no public price or minimum |
| Channel and access | 2.5 | Docs and release notes open; English coverage thin; ecosystem page, partner terms not read |
| Owner stability | 3 | Private, venture funded; Series D reported 2024-02-01; no profitability data found |
| Cost of staying supported | 3 | No published support window or extended support; monthly updates; some modules paid |
Security record of the product itself: No KEV entry. DaoCloud-sponsored components: Kubean CVE-2024-41820 (6.0, fixed 0.18.0 on 2024-08-05, same day as advisory), HwameiStor CVE-2024-36534 (8.4) and CVE-2024-45054 (2.8, fixed 0.14.6 on 2024-07-29), Spiderpool CVE-2024-33393 (6.2). No critical CVE. No DCE advisory page found. From security-record corrections.
7. Technical lock-in: 10.0 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Formats | 1.5 | CNCF certified for Kubernetes 1.24 to 1.36; lifecycle through open-source Kubean and Karmada; standard workload APIs |
| Export path | 2.5 | DCE4 to DCE5 migration guide and Velero backups; no guide for leaving DCE |
| Stack coupling | 2 | CNI and storage choices (Cilium, Calico, Spiderpool, HwameiStor, any CSI); broad OS list |
| Hardware / cloud coupling | 1.5 | Any amd64 or arm64 hardware, offline install; GPU and Cilium features need kernel 5.12 or later |
| Skills and tooling coupling | 2.5 | DCE module ecosystem and workspace model; documentation Chinese first; Kubespray-style lifecycle |
8. Integrator fit: 11.5 / 20
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Partner programme openness | 2.5 | Ecosystem page in docs hub; partner terms not read |
| Multi-tenancy and self-service | 4 | Global Management workspaces, resource groups, custom roles, LDAP, OIDC and OAuth2 login |
| API and infrastructure-as-code | 3 | Kubean, Helm app store, module OpenAPI; no Terraform or Cluster API provider found |
| Skills and certification | 2 | No certification found; open-source community around Kubean, HwameiStor and Spiderpool |
9. AI leverage: 8.5 / 20
| Strand | Today | Latest step |
|---|---|---|
| AI workload support | 3 | 2025: CNCF Kubernetes AI Conformance passed 2025-10-31; vLLM inference services in AI Lab; dataset spaces |
| AI platform stack | 4 | 2025: LLM Studio v0.7.0 and v0.8.0 (2025-07, 2025-08): model catalogue, OpenAI-compatible API, rate limits, vLLM deployment |
| AI-assisted operations | 0 | none |
| Agent openness | 1.5 | 2022: Documented OpenAPI per module and Kubernetes API; ClawOS (2026-03) runs customer agents but is not an MCP server |
AI say-do: 0 promises found; 5 AI items delivered (AI Lab, LLM Studio, AI Conformance, ClawOS, Volcano); no DCE operator assistant and no DCE MCP server found.
10. Reading
DaoCloud sells DCE as a set of independently versioned modules (Karmada multicloud, KubeVirt VMs, Harbor registry, Argo CD workbench, OpenTelemetry observability) and has moved toward GPU, AI Lab and LLM Studio since 2024. The record is steady monthly delivery and an unbroken CNCF certification line for 13 minors, but no public roadmap, no stated promises to test and a Kubernetes lag of about 142 days. A buyer gets broad coverage and open-source components; the English documentation is thin on support terms and compliance.
11. Open questions and evidence caveats
- English docs only: FIPS, DRA, MCP, support windows and VMware migration tooling may exist in Chinese docs or sales material and are scored as not found.
- The first-shipped date per Kubernetes minor is a proxy (earlier of CNCF certification and installer default).
- VirtNest has no release since 2025-07-30 in the docs; the VM score assumes it is still sold and supported.
- No pricing, no support-window policy and no Terraform or Cluster API provider were found.
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