---
title: "Networking"
description: "Calico Cloud networking covers BGP, overlay encapsulation, IPAM, egress gateways, ingress gateways, and per-cluster training across connected clusters."
product: "Calico Cloud"
version: "v23.0.1"
section: "Networking"
canonical_url: "https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/"
---

# Networking

The Calico Cloud network plugins provide a range of networking options to fit your implementation and maximize performance.

## Getting started

##### [Networking overview](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/training/about-networking.md)

[Reference primer for networking fundamentals — OSI layers, packet anatomy, MTU, IP addressing, routing, overlays, DNS, and NAT — that underpin Calico Cloud.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/training/about-networking.md)

##### [Kubernetes network model](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/training/about-kubernetes-networking.md)

[Reference primer for Kubernetes networking concepts that help when operating Calico Cloud — pod IPs, services, DNS, NAT outgoing, and dual stack.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/training/about-kubernetes-networking.md)

## Configuring networking

##### [Configure BGP peering](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/bgp.md)

[Set up BGP peering for Calico Cloud connected clusters — full mesh, per-node peers, top-of-rack switches, and route reflectors — with BGPPeer and BGPConfiguration resources.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/bgp.md)

##### [Deploy a dual ToR cluster](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/dual-tor.md)

[Deploy a dual ToR cluster connected to Calico Cloud so two independent connectivity planes provide redundancy between racks for on-premises clusters.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/dual-tor.md)

##### [Configure multiple Calico Cloud networks on a pod](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/multiple-networks.md)

[Add extra Calico Cloud networks to each pod in a connected cluster with the Multus-CNI plugin, then control access with tiered network policy on every interface.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/multiple-networks.md)

##### [Overlay networking](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/vxlan-ipip.md)

[Choose VXLAN or IP-in-IP overlay encapsulation in a Calico Cloud connected cluster so pod traffic crosses underlay networks that don't route pod CIDRs natively.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/vxlan-ipip.md)

##### [Advertise Kubernetes service IP addresses](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/advertise-service-ips.md)

[Advertise Kubernetes service cluster IPs and external IPs out of a Calico Cloud connected cluster over BGP so upstream routers can reach them directly.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/advertise-service-ips.md)

##### [Configure MTU to maximize network performance](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/mtu.md)

[Tune the Calico Cloud MTU on the Installation resource so pod traffic matches the underlay, accounting for VXLAN, IP-in-IP, and WireGuard overhead.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/mtu.md)

##### [Custom BGP Configuration](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/custom-bgp-config.md)

[Override the default BIRD BGP templates in a Calico Cloud connected cluster to access advanced BIRD features for proof-of-concept and special-case routing.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/custom-bgp-config.md)

##### [Configure outgoing NAT](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/workloads-outside-cluster.md)

[Configure NAT outgoing on Calico Cloud IP pools in a connected cluster so pod traffic destined outside the cluster is source-NATed to the node IP.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/workloads-outside-cluster.md)

##### [Use a specific MAC address for a pod](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/pod-mac-address.md)

[Pin a chosen MAC address on a Kubernetes pod interface in a Calico Cloud connected cluster with the CNI plugin, for cases such as MAC-bound software licenses.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/pod-mac-address.md)

##### [Use NodeLocal DNSCache in your cluster](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/node-local-dns-cache.md)

[Run NodeLocal DNSCache alongside Calico Cloud in a connected cluster and write the network policy that lets pod DNS traffic reach the per-node cache.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/node-local-dns-cache.md)

## IP address management

##### [Configure BGP peering](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/bgp.md)

[Set up BGP peering for Calico Cloud connected clusters — full mesh, per-node peers, top-of-rack switches, and route reflectors — with BGPPeer and BGPConfiguration resources.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/bgp.md)

##### [Deploy a dual ToR cluster](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/dual-tor.md)

[Deploy a dual ToR cluster connected to Calico Cloud so two independent connectivity planes provide redundancy between racks for on-premises clusters.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/dual-tor.md)

##### [Configure multiple Calico Cloud networks on a pod](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/multiple-networks.md)

[Add extra Calico Cloud networks to each pod in a connected cluster with the Multus-CNI plugin, then control access with tiered network policy on every interface.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/multiple-networks.md)

##### [Overlay networking](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/vxlan-ipip.md)

[Choose VXLAN or IP-in-IP overlay encapsulation in a Calico Cloud connected cluster so pod traffic crosses underlay networks that don't route pod CIDRs natively.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/vxlan-ipip.md)

##### [Advertise Kubernetes service IP addresses](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/advertise-service-ips.md)

[Advertise Kubernetes service cluster IPs and external IPs out of a Calico Cloud connected cluster over BGP so upstream routers can reach them directly.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/advertise-service-ips.md)

##### [Configure MTU to maximize network performance](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/mtu.md)

[Tune the Calico Cloud MTU on the Installation resource so pod traffic matches the underlay, accounting for VXLAN, IP-in-IP, and WireGuard overhead.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/mtu.md)

##### [Custom BGP Configuration](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/custom-bgp-config.md)

[Override the default BIRD BGP templates in a Calico Cloud connected cluster to access advanced BIRD features for proof-of-concept and special-case routing.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/custom-bgp-config.md)

##### [Configure outgoing NAT](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/workloads-outside-cluster.md)

[Configure NAT outgoing on Calico Cloud IP pools in a connected cluster so pod traffic destined outside the cluster is source-NATed to the node IP.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/workloads-outside-cluster.md)

##### [Use a specific MAC address for a pod](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/pod-mac-address.md)

[Pin a chosen MAC address on a Kubernetes pod interface in a Calico Cloud connected cluster with the CNI plugin, for cases such as MAC-bound software licenses.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/pod-mac-address.md)

##### [Use NodeLocal DNSCache in your cluster](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/node-local-dns-cache.md)

[Run NodeLocal DNSCache alongside Calico Cloud in a connected cluster and write the network policy that lets pod DNS traffic reach the per-node cache.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/configuring/node-local-dns-cache.md)

##### [LoadBalancer IP address management](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/ipam/service-loadbalancer.md)

[Use the Calico Cloud LoadBalancer controller to allocate IPs to Kubernetes Service type LoadBalancer from configured IPPool resources in a connected cluster.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/ipam/service-loadbalancer.md)

## Egress gateways

##### [Configure egress gateways, on-premises](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/egress-gateway-on-prem.md)

[Send selected application traffic through Calico Cloud egress gateways on-premises so external firewalls see a predictable source IP for cluster workloads.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/egress-gateway-on-prem.md)

##### [Configure egress gateways, Azure](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/egress-gateway-azure.md)

[Route selected application traffic out of a Calico Cloud connected cluster through egress gateways with native Azure VNet IPs.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/egress-gateway-azure.md)

##### [Configure egress gateways, AWS](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/egress-gateway-aws.md)

[Route selected application traffic out of a Calico Cloud connected cluster through egress gateways with native AWS VPC subnet IPs.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/egress-gateway-aws.md)

##### [Optimize egress networking for workloads with long-lived TCP connections](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/egress-gateway-maintenance.md)

[Reduce egress gateway downtime impact on long-lived TCP sessions in Calico Cloud connected clusters by reading termination annotations and draining gracefully.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/egress-gateway-maintenance.md)

##### [Configure egress traffic to multiple external networks](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/external-network.md)

[Direct Calico Cloud egress gateway traffic onto multiple external networks with potentially overlapping IPs by associating gateways with named ExternalNetworks.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/external-network.md)

##### [Troubleshoot egress gateways](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/troubleshoot.md)

[Troubleshooting guide for Calico Cloud egress gateways covering connection failures, source IP mismatches, BGP route propagation, and required pod metadata.](https://docs.tigera.io/calico-cloud/networking/egress/troubleshoot.md)