Weaveworks

Weaveworks
Name	Weaveworks
Industry	Software
Founded	2015
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Founders	Alex Ellis, helmsman, others
Products	Flagger, Cortex, Weave Net, Weave Cloud, GitOps tools

Weaveworks Weaveworks is a privately held software company focused on cloud native infrastructure, container networking, and continuous delivery for distributed systems. Founded in 2015, the company has been active in the Kubernetes ecosystem, collaborating with projects and organizations such as the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Linux Foundation, Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, and Google Cloud Platform. The company’s engineering and community efforts intersect with technologies and communities including Docker (software), Prometheus, Istio, Envoy (software), and Helm (software).

History

Weaveworks was founded in 2015 during the rapid expansion of Docker (software), Kubernetes, and the broader shift toward microservices exemplified by adopters like Spotify and Netflix. Early milestones involved participation in events such as KubeCon and collaboration with foundations like the Cloud Native Computing Foundation and Linux Foundation. The company released initial projects addressing container networking and observability amid growing enterprise interest spurred by vendors including Red Hat, Canonical (company), VMware, HashiCorp, and cloud providers Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. Subsequent rounds of engineering and partnerships aligned Weaveworks with open source projects such as Prometheus, Grafana Labs, Envoy (software), and service mesh initiatives like Istio. Strategic hires and alliances connected Weaveworks to enterprise customers in sectors served by companies like SAP SE, Siemens, HSBC, and Comcast.

Products and Technology

Weaveworks develops products for continuous delivery, GitOps workflows, and container networking which integrate with platforms such as Kubernetes, OpenShift, and cloud marketplaces from Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services. Notable outputs include tooling for progressive delivery inspired by techniques used at Google (company), Netflix, and Amazon.com. The company’s offerings interoperate with observability stacks comprised of Prometheus, Grafana Labs, Loki (software), and tracing systems from Jaeger (software) and OpenTelemetry. Security and policy integrations align with standards and tools from SPIFFE, SPIRE, HashiCorp Vault, and Open Policy Agent. Product roadmaps have referenced container networking concepts developed in conjunction with projects like Cilium, Calico (software), and Flannel (software).

Architecture and Components

Weaveworks architectures combine control-plane and data-plane elements commonly found in modern stacks such as Kubernetes clusters orchestrated by kubelet and kube-apiserver, with networking components similar to Container Network Interface plugins used by Calico (software), Cilium, and Flannel (software). The platform integrates continuous delivery patterns using Git-backed workflows akin to concepts championed by GitLab, GitHub, and Flux style controllers, while leveraging observability components like Prometheus exporters, Grafana Labs dashboards, and distributed tracing from Jaeger (software). Progressive delivery and canary analysis employ metrics and automation comparable to approaches used by Argo (software), Flagger, and Spinnaker. Persistent storage and stateful service patterns reference systems such as etcd, Rook (software), and Ceph in multi-cluster deployments.

Open Source Projects and Community

Weaveworks has contributed to a portfolio of open source projects that interact with ecosystems around Kubernetes, Docker (software), and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. Contributions and projects have been developed alongside communities represented by organizations such as GitHub, GitLab, Apache Software Foundation, and foundations like Linux Foundation. Community engagement includes participation in conferences such as KubeCon, CloudNativeCon, and regional meetups supported by vendors including Red Hat, Canonical (company), and VMware. Collaborative initiatives have produced tools that interoperate with Prometheus, Grafana Labs, Envoy (software), Istio, and security tools from Open Policy Agent and HashiCorp.

Business Model and Customers

Weaveworks operates a commercial model combining open source software, managed services, and enterprise support aimed at organizations deploying Kubernetes and cloud native platforms on providers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and private infrastructures used by corporations such as Deutsche Telekom, BT Group, and Siemens. Revenue streams include subscriptions, professional services, and support agreements similar to models followed by companies like Red Hat, SUSE, and HashiCorp. Strategic partnerships with cloud vendors, system integrators such as Accenture, Deloitte, and Capgemini, and alliances with software vendors like VMware and Palo Alto Networks have driven customer adoption in finance, telecommunications, and technology sectors including HSBC, Comcast, and Siemens.

Governance and Security Practices

Weaveworks participates in governance and best-practice activities alongside bodies such as the Cloud Native Computing Foundation and Linux Foundation and aligns security practices with standards promoted by organizations like OWASP, CISA, and NIST. The company’s security posture incorporates tooling and procedures that integrate with Open Policy Agent, SPIFFE, SPIRE, HashiCorp Vault, and supply-chain initiatives influenced by in-toto and SLSA. Compliance and audit processes reference frameworks used by enterprises working with standards from ISO/IEC families and guidance from regulators and industry groups including European Union authorities and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission-related controls.

Category:Software companies