What is CNI?
The CNI (Container Network Interface) specification provides a common interface between container runtimes and network plugins, aiming to standardize container network configuration.
The CNI specification comprises several core components:
- Network configuration format: Defines how administrators define network configurations.
- Request protocol: Describes how container runtimes send network configuration or cleanup requests to network plugins.
- Plugin execution process: Details how plugins execute network setup or cleanup based on the provided configuration.
- Plugin delegation: Allows plugins to delegate specific functionalities to other plugins.
- Result return: Defines the data format for returning results to the runtime after plugin execution.
By defining these core components, the CNI specification ensures that different container runtimes and network plugins can interact in a consistent manner, enabling automation and standardization of network configuration.