Networking for containerization in automation

Exploring the role and performance of Container Network Interfaces

Authors

  • Amin Shahraki ABB
  • Steffen Lindner ABB
  • Dirk Schulz ABB

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17560/atp.v67i8.2791

Keywords:

CNI, networking architecture, Kubernetes

Abstract

As IT and OT systems grow closer, containerization
is becoming a key enabler for modern industrial applications. Since container technologies originate from the IT domain, enabling real-time deterministic networking in resource-constrained OT systems remains a major challenge. Kubernetes is widely used to orchestrate these
industrial workloads, yet its networking depends on Container Network Interface (CNI) plugins that vary in performance and capabilities. This study reviews major CNIs and the existing significant literature.

Published

2025-08-21

Issue

Section

Article / Peer Review