Container Network Interface plugins power Kubernetes networking. Several names come from biology or Latin — learn the correct pronunciation for each.
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How do you pronounce Calico (Kubernetes networking and security)?
Calico is pronounced 'KAL-ih-koh' (/ˈkælɪkoʊ/), three syllables with stress on the first. The name comes from Calicut (now Kozhikode) in India, where the cotton fabric 'calico' originated. The Kubernetes CNI plugin chose this name for its multi-coloured, flexible nature — like calico fabric. The city name gives us the short 'a': KAL-ih-koh.
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How do you pronounce Cilium (eBPF-based Kubernetes networking)?
Cilium is pronounced 'SIL-ee-um' (/ˈsɪliəm/), three syllables with stress on the first. In biology, cilia are the tiny hair-like structures on cells that enable movement and filtering — a perfect metaphor for network packet filtering at the kernel level using eBPF. The 'C' is soft as in 'city': SIL-ee-um.
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How do you pronounce Flannel (simple Kubernetes overlay network)?
Flannel is pronounced 'FLAN-ul' (/ˈflænəl/), two syllables with stress on the first. The word refers to the soft, loosely woven fabric — chosen by CoreOS to suggest a lightweight, comfortable networking layer that wraps around Kubernetes pods. The double 'n' and final 'el' become a schwa in natural speech: FLAN-ul.
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How do you pronounce Antrea (VMware's Kubernetes CNI plugin)?
Antrea is pronounced 'an-TRAY-uh' (/ænˈtreɪə/), three syllables with stress on the second. VMware's CNI plugin for Kubernetes uses Open vSwitch for networking. The name may evoke 'antler' or simply be a coined tech word. The stress on the second syllable — 'TRAY' — is the key: an-TRAY-uh, not AN-tree-uh.
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How do you pronounce Multus (Kubernetes multi-network CNI plugin)?
Multus is pronounced 'MUL-tus' (/ˈmʌltəs/), two syllables with stress on the first. The word comes from Latin 'multus' meaning 'many' — appropriate for a meta-CNI plugin that allows pods to have multiple network interfaces simultaneously. Latin pronunciation puts stress on the first syllable in two-syllable words: MUL-tus.