Reference architecture: 5GC on K8s with control/user plane clusters

Mapping 5GC to Kubernetes Namespaces

Deploying the complete 5G Core on Kubernetes requires thoughtful architectural decisions about namespace organization, network topology, and resource isolation. A common reference architecture separates NFs into functional namespaces: a control plane namespace containing AMF, SMF, AUSF, UDM, and PCF; a data plane namespace for UPF instances; a data layer namespace for UDR, UDSF, and NRF; and an operations namespace for observability and management tools. This namespace isolation enables independent RBAC policies, network policies, and resource quotas for each functional group while keeping…