Kubernetes APIs as the Universal Control Plane: How VMware Cloud Foundation 9 Leads the Way

The Kubernetes declarative API model has already transformed the way organizations build and operate modern applications. But in recent years, a clear industry trend has emerged: the same Kubernetes model is being extended beyond containerized workloads into the world of infrastructure itself.

What started with kubectl apply for Pods and Deployments has evolved into using Kubernetes APIs to provision and manage virtual machines, K8s clusters, networking, storage, load balancers, and even databases.

In other words, Kubernetes is no longer “just the platform for cloud-native apps.” It’s steadily becoming the universal control plane for both applications and infrastructure.

Why This Matters

Traditionally, teams used one set of tools for applications (Helm, Argo CD, etc.) and another set of tools for infrastructure ( Terraform, Ansible, or vendor-specific APIs). This separation created friction:

• Different teams spoke different “API languages.”
• Automation was fragmented, often stitched together by pipelines and scripts.
• GitOps worked well for apps, but infrastructure provisioning often lagged behind.

By extending the Kubernetes declarative model to infrastructure, organizations get:

• Consistency: A single control surface for apps and infra.
• GitOps Everywhere: Infrastructure can now be managed with the same commit/push/apply workflows as applications.
• Self-Service at Scale: Developers and platform teams can consume VMs, databases, and clusters with the same simplicity as requesting a Pod.
• Ecosystem Leverage: Existing Kubernetes tooling, RBAC, and operators apply equally to infrastructure.

VMware Cloud Foundation 9: Aligned With the Shift

VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) 9 is VMware’s answer to this shift. With VCF 9 and VCF Automation (VCFA) 9, VMware extends the declarative Kubernetes model across infrastructure consumption.

Here’s how:

• Cluster API Integration
  Kubernetes lifecycle management is unified under Cluster API, the de facto standard for declarative cluster provisioning.
• Declarative APIs for Infrastructure
  VMs, networks, databases, and services are now exposed as Kubernetes resources via Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs).
• GitOps for Infrastructure
  Customers can adopt GitOps workflows not just for app deployments, but for infrastructure as well—infra as CRDs that can be version-controlled and reconciled.
• Fleet-Scale Operations
  Manage entire workload domains at scale declaratively, without juggling multiple automation frameworks.

The result? One API model (Kubernetes + CRDs) for apps and infra, instead of two parallel stacks.

What It Means for Customers

• New Consumption Path (Supervisor Control Plane)
  With VCFA 9 and the use of the All Apps Organization type, customers can directly consume infrastructure through Kubernetes-style APIs, without needing tools like Terraform—although Terraform remains supported for those who prefer it.
• No Disruption for Existing Automation Customers
  Current Aria Automation customers on 8.18.x can continue to consume infrastructure in the traditional way (blueprints, catalog items and policies). After upgrade to VCF Automation 9 and within the VM Apps Organization that you ll be placed in after the upgrade, these experiences remain fully supported. In fact, both approaches can run side by side.
• Flexibility of Choice
  Customers can choose when and how to adopt Kubernetes-style infrastructure APIs. Early adopters can start consuming VCF Automation – All Apps organization as well through GitOps and declarative pipelines (e.g. ArgoCD ), while others can continue with the VM Apps Organization and its established models until ready.
• Hard tenancy boundaries ensure service provider requirements are met.

The Bigger Trend

VMware is not alone in recognizing Kubernetes as the universal control plane. Across the industry:

• Crossplane and AWS Controllers for Kubernetes (ACK): Declarative APIs expose AWS services as Kubernetes CRDs.
• Azure Service Operator: Azure services provisioned declaratively through Kubernetes.
• Google Config Connector: GCP resources managed as Kubernetes objects.
• Red Hat OpenShift GitOps: Extending GitOps practices into infra automation.

VCF 9 places VMware squarely in this same movement—ensuring private cloud operations benefit from the same modern, declarative, and GitOps-driven practices already standard in the public cloud.

Summary

• Kubernetes APIs are expanding from applications into infrastructure.
• This shift enables consistency, GitOps, and fleet-scale declarative management.
• VMware Cloud Foundation 9 embraces this by unifying apps and infra under Kubernetes + CRDs.
• Customers can adopt this model gradually, while continuing existing automation workflows side by side.
• VMware’s approach ensures private cloud stays aligned with modern industry practices without forcing disruptive change.

Ready to see it in action? Start testing VCF Automation 9 within VMware Cloud Foundation 9 with the All Apps organization type and explore how Kubernetes-style APIs can transform how you consume private cloud infrastructure.