ArchGen

Kubernetes Cluster Architecture Template

A Kubernetes architecture diagram template with control plane, worker nodes, ingress, and networking. Also works as a block diagram or system diagram for cluster topology.

Generate system diagrams, system block diagrams, and software architecture diagrams from text.

Preview
Template: KubernetesStyle: Hand
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Kubernetes Cluster Architecture (Control Plane vs Worker Nodes + Ingress + CNI Networking) has 4 layers: External Access & Networking Edge, Control Plane (Cluster Management), Worker Nodes (Compute Plane), Observability & Cluster Services (Optional Supporting Plane).

Style gallery

Pick a style and jump straight into generation.

Clean
Best for product docs and software architecture diagrams.
DocsSpecs
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Classic
Enterprise reviews and system architecture diagram templates.
EnterpriseReview
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Dark
Low-light presentations and technical briefings.
DecksBriefing
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Hand
Workshop whiteboarding and early-stage discovery.
WorkshopIdeation
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Blueprint
Blueprint-style architecture reviews.
BlueprintReview
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Brutal
Bold internal narratives and strategic alignment.
StrategyBold
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Soft
Storytelling decks and stakeholder updates.
StoryStakeholders
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Glass
Pitch-ready visuals for demos and sales.
PitchDemo
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Terminal
Infra, ops, and observability handoffs.
OpsInfra
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Corp
Formal stakeholder updates and compliance decks.
FormalCompliance
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What you get

  • Layered architecture blocks with clear responsibilities.
  • Ready-to-edit module names and duty lists.
  • Key flows to explain system behavior quickly.
  • A block diagram of a web application architecture for quick overviews.
  • All supported styles in a single template page.
  • Shareable links for team reviews and feedback.
  • Instant export to high-resolution PNG.

How to use this template

  1. Pick a style from the gallery above.
  2. Generate your diagram and edit titles or modules.
  3. Export a PNG or share the diagram link.

Default structure

This architecture diagram template uses default layers: External Access & Networking Edge, Control Plane (Cluster Management), Worker Nodes (Compute Plane), Observability & Cluster Services (Optional Supporting Plane).

Who it's for

  • Platform engineering teams
  • SRE and infrastructure leads
  • Multi-service product groups

Who it's not for

  • Serverless-only stacks
  • Single VM deployments

Best for

  • Microservices platforms
  • Hybrid workloads
  • Multi-tenant clusters

Key layers

Show 4 layersClick to expand
  • External Access & Networking Edge: Modules include Ingress Controller, Service Networking (ClusterIP/NodePort/LoadBalancer), CNI Pod Network (Pod-to-Pod).
  • Control Plane (Cluster Management): Modules include kube-apiserver, etcd (Key-Value Store), kube-scheduler, kube-controller-manager.
  • Worker Nodes (Compute Plane): Modules include Worker Node A, Worker Node B, Worker Node C.
  • Observability & Cluster Services (Optional Supporting Plane): Modules include DNS & Service Discovery, Metrics & Logging (Optional).

Module responsibilities

Show 12 itemsClick to expand
  • External Access & Networking Edge / Ingress Controller: Manage external HTTP/HTTPS access into the cluster; Route requests to the correct Kubernetes Service; Enforce ingress policies and TLS settings
  • External Access & Networking Edge / Service Networking (ClusterIP/NodePort/LoadBalancer): Provide stable service discovery and load balancing; Abstract Pod IP churn behind a Service VIP; Enable internal east-west traffic routing
  • External Access & Networking Edge / CNI Pod Network (Pod-to-Pod): Provide flat L3 networking for Pods; Enable cross-node pod-to-pod communication; Apply network policies when configured
  • Control Plane (Cluster Management) / kube-apiserver: Expose the Kubernetes API for clients and components; Validate and persist desired state to etcd; Enforce authentication, authorization, and admission policies
  • Control Plane (Cluster Management) / etcd (Key-Value Store): Persist all cluster configuration and desired state; Provide strongly consistent reads/writes for control plane; Enable recovery via snapshot backups
  • Control Plane (Cluster Management) / kube-scheduler: Assign Pods to suitable Worker Nodes; Optimize placement based on resources and policies; Respect constraints (affinity, topology, taints)
  • Control Plane (Cluster Management) / kube-controller-manager: Reconcile actual cluster state to desired state; Perform self-healing (restart/replace); Manage lifecycle of Kubernetes resources
  • Worker Nodes (Compute Plane) / Worker Node A: Run Pods and report node/pod status; Enforce desired pod spec via kubelet; Provide service forwarding via kube-proxy
  • Worker Nodes (Compute Plane) / Worker Node B: Host scheduled workloads (Pods); Maintain node health and heartbeats; Participate in pod networking via CNI
  • Worker Nodes (Compute Plane) / Worker Node C: Execute containers and manage pod lifecycle; Attach pod network interfaces via CNI; Expose node-level metrics/logs (optional)
  • Observability & Cluster Services (Optional Supporting Plane) / DNS & Service Discovery: Resolve Service/Pod names to IPs; Enable service-to-service connectivity via DNS; Support internal discovery patterns
  • Observability & Cluster Services (Optional Supporting Plane) / Metrics & Logging (Optional): Provide cluster-wide observability; Detect and alert on failures and saturation; Support troubleshooting and capacity planning

Key flows

Show 3 flowsClick to expand
  • Control loop: users and controllers submit desired state to kube-apiserver; the API server validates requests and persists state in etcd, while kube-controller-manager continuously reconciles resources to match the desired state.
  • Scheduling and execution: kube-scheduler watches for unscheduled Pods via the API server and assigns them to Worker Nodes; kubelet on the target node pulls images via the container runtime (containerd/CRI-O) and starts containers to form Pods, reporting status back to the API server.
  • Networking and ingress: the CNI plugin configures Pod networking for pod-to-pod communication across nodes; kube-proxy programs Service forwarding rules (iptables/ipvs), and the Ingress Controller provides external access by routing north-south traffic to Services and their backing Pods.

Template prompt

Kubernetes cluster architecture diagram illustrating the distinction between the Control Plane and Worker Nodes. The Control Plane must include the API Server, etcd key-value store, Kube-Scheduler, and Controller Manager. Depict multiple Worker Nodes, each containing a Kubelet, Kube-proxy, and Container Runtime hosting multiple Pods. Show the networking layer with an Ingress Controller managing external access and a CNI plugin handling pod-to-pod communication.

Recommended tweaks

  • Add service mesh and policy enforcement
  • Expand autoscaling and node pool strategy
  • Add multi-cluster federation
  • Integrate centralized logging and metrics
  • Harden RBAC and network policies
  • Annotate it as a software/system architecture diagram for stakeholders.

FAQ

  • Managed Kubernetes or self-hosted?
    Both. Managed services handle the control plane, but topology stays similar.
  • Do I need a service mesh?
    Optional. Use it for traffic policies, mTLS, and observability.
  • How do I handle multi-cluster?
    Add federation, shared ingress, and centralized observability.
  • How do I enforce security?
    Use RBAC, network policies, and admission controls.
  • How do I manage cost?
    Use autoscaling, resource quotas, and rightsizing.
  • Where does observability live?
    Add metrics, logs, and traces in the platform layer.