The New Stack Podcast

The Kro Project: Giving Kubernetes Users What They Want

Apr 15, 2025

Guests Jesse Butler, Principal Product Manager at AWS, and Nic Slattery, Product Manager at Google Cloud, discuss the exciting new Kro project born from customer demand. This open-source tool aims to simplify Kubernetes resource orchestration across cloud providers, reducing complexity for developers. They share insights on the unique collaboration among Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, driven by community needs rather than top-down decisions. The project has quickly gained traction, attracting numerous contributors as it prepares for a production-ready release.

21:51

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Episode guests

Nic Slattery

Jesse Butler

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Kro, developed through collaboration by Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, addresses user demand for a simplified, cloud-agnostic Kubernetes resource orchestration tool.

The project emphasizes a community-driven approach that fosters engagement and aligns development with user needs, enhancing its relevance in managing Kubernetes complexities.

Deep dives

The Rise of Kubernetes and Open Source Collaboration

Kubernetes has become a key technology for companies building open source software and cloud-native solutions. As more organizations adopt Kubernetes, the complexities of managing resources within it have increased, creating a demand for improved orchestration tools. Both AWS and Google are responding to this need by collaborating on innovative projects like Crow, aimed at simplifying Kubernetes resource management for users. This collaboration demonstrates how shared experiences among developers can pave the way for successful open-source initiatives.

Intro

2min

Navigating the Open-Source Landscape with Kubernetes

8min

Organic Role Division in Open Source Communities

3min

Navigating Kubernetes Complexity

6min

Roadmap and Community Engagement in Kubernetes Development

3min

In a rare show of collaboration, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have joined forces on Kro — the Kubernetes Resource Orchestrator — an open source, cloud-agnostic tool designed to simplify custom resource orchestration in Kubernetes. Announced during KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe, Kro was born from strong customer demand for a Kubernetes-native solution that works across cloud providers without vendor lock-in. Nic Slattery, Product Manager at Google and Jesse Butler, Principal Product Manager, AWS shared with The New Stack that unlike many enterprise products, Kro didn’t stem from top-down strategy but from consistent customer "pull" experienced by all three companies. It aims to reduce complexity by allowing platform teams to offer simplified interfaces to developers, enabling resource requests without needing deep service-specific knowledge. Kro also represents a unique cross-company collaboration, driven by a shared mission and open source values. Though still in its alpha stage, the project has already attracted 57 contributors in just seven months. The team is now focused on refining core features and preparing for a production-ready release — all while maintaining a narrowly scoped, community-first approach.

Learn more from The New Stack about KRO:

One Mighty kro; One Giant Leap for Kubernetes Resource Orchestration

Kubernetes Gets a New Resource Orchestrator in the Form of Kro

Orchestrate Cloud Native Workloads With Kro and Kubernetes

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