---
title: What is a Kubernetes Namespace?
url: https://www.vmware.com/topics/kubernetes-namespace
description: Learn about kubernetes namespace features for organizing clusters into virtual sub-clusters, perfect for shared environments.
---

# What is a Kubernetes Namespace?

Namespaces are a way to isolate and organize groups of resources within a Kubernetes cluster. They can be helpful when many users across different teams or projects share a cluster. For example, namespaces can be used for logical separation across the software development lifecycle that may include Dev, Test, Staging, and Prod. They may be setup based on the different teams or Projects in an organization like Team A or Project A, Team B or Project B etc. Any number of namespaces are supported within a cluster, each logically separated from the others but able to communicate with one another.

Any resource that exists within Kubernetes exists either in the default namespace or a namespace that is created by the cluster operator. Nodes and Persistent Volumes (PVs) are scoped at the cluster level and exist outside of the namespace. These resources are always visible to every namespace in the cluster.

## What is the “default” namespace in Kubernetes?

Kubernetes comes with three namespaces out-of-the-box. They are:

1. **default:** As its name implies, this is the namespace that is referenced by default for every Kubernetes command, and where every Kubernetes resource is located by default. Until new namespaces are created, the entire cluster resides in ‘default’.
2. **kube-system:** Used for Kubernetes components and should be avoided.
3. **kube-public:** Used for public resources. Not recommended for use by users.

## Recommended for You

## How VMware products can help

[VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service (VKS)](https://www.vmware.com/products/cloud-infrastructure/vsphere-kubernetes-service) is the CNCF-certified Kubernetes runtime built directly into [VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF)](https://www.vmware.com/products/cloud-infrastructure/vmware-cloud-foundation) to run all apps. VKS is among the first platforms certified under the new CNCF Kubernetes AI Conformance Program. VKS enables platform engineers to easily deploy, manage, and scale [Kubernetes clusters](https://www.vmware.com/topics/kubernetes-cluster) while leveraging a comprehensive set of cloud services included in VCF, as well as all CNCF-conformant third-party services.

## Recommended for You

- [Kubernetes](https://www.vmware.com/topics/kubernetes)
- [Kubernetes Networking](https://www.vmware.com/topics/kubernetes-networking)
- [Kubernetes Cluster](https://www.vmware.com/topics/kubernetes-cluster)
- [Kubernetes Deployment](https://www.vmware.com/topics/kubernetes-deployment)

## Related Products and Solutions

- [VMware vSphere Kubernetes Service](https://www.vmware.com/products/cloud-infrastructure/vsphere-kubernetes-service)
- [VMware Cloud Foundation](https://www.vmware.com/products/cloud-infrastructure/vmware-cloud-foundation)
- [Kubernetes Ecosystem Partners](https://www.broadcom.com/how-to-buy/software-partners/kubernetes-partners)

## Also of Interest

- [What is Platform Engineering?](https://www.vmware.com/topics/platform-engineering)
- [What is a Kubernetes Deployment?](https://www.vmware.com/topics/kubernetes-deployment)
- [What are Kubernetes Services?](https://www.vmware.com/topics/kubernetes-services)