Install velero with Homebrew, chocolatey, Nix, pacman, scoop, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• velero

Project history

Velero began as Heptio Ark, an open-source project from Heptio for backing up Kubernetes objects and persistent volumes. The older Ark documentation described the same core use cases that still define Velero: disaster recovery, pre-operation snapshots, and selective restore by object type, namespace, or labels.

After VMware acquired Heptio, the project was renamed from Heptio Ark to Velero in the v0.11.0 release line in early 2019. The migration guide documents the operational renaming: the CLI moved from `ark` to `velero`, the default namespace and service account changed, CRDs moved to the `velero.io` API group, and image names changed.

Velero has continued as a Kubernetes-native data-protection project under VMware Tanzu and later Broadcom stewardship. In 2026 Broadcom moved the project toward vendor-neutral governance by donating it to the CNCF Sandbox, with CNCF and Broadcom coverage presenting the move as a way to widen community trust and collaboration.

Adoption history

Velero became one of the default open-source answers for cluster-level Kubernetes backup because it works at the Kubernetes API layer instead of treating etcd or a storage array as the only source of truth. That let platform teams back up resource definitions, restore namespaces, clone environments, and migrate workloads across clusters.

Its ecosystem grew around cloud-provider plugins, object stores, volume snapshot integrations, Restic/Kopia-style file-system backups, and operational guides from cloud vendors. AWS, Harbor, Tanzu, and many Kubernetes tutorials describe Velero as a standard tool for protecting cluster resources and persistent volumes.

The CNCF Sandbox move in 2026 is important historically because Kubernetes backup spans vendors, clouds, and storage systems. Neutral governance makes Velero more plausible as shared infrastructure rather than a VMware/Broadcom-adjacent utility.

How it is used

Operators install the server into a Kubernetes cluster, configure backup storage and credentials, then use the `velero` CLI to create backups, schedules, restores, and plugin configuration. Common workflows include scheduled namespace backups, ad-hoc snapshots before upgrades, restoring deleted resources, cloning a production namespace into a development cluster, and seeding migrations.

Velero is strongest when users understand the boundary between Kubernetes resources and application data. It captures API resources directly, while persistent volumes depend on snapshot support, file-system backup, or data-mover integrations. That distinction is why serious Velero runbooks also document database-native backup choices and restore testing.

Why package nerds care

For package users, `velero` is the CLI half of a larger cluster service, but it is the interface people reach for during stressful incidents. Its command surface is part backup tool, part migration tool, and part Kubernetes recovery console.

Timeline

• 2018: Heptio Ark documentation describes Kubernetes object and persistent-volume backup and restore.
• December 2018: VMware acquires Heptio, bringing Ark into the VMware cloud-native portfolio.
• 2019: Ark is renamed Velero in the v0.11.0 release line.
• 2020s: Velero becomes a common open-source option for Kubernetes backup, migration, and disaster recovery across cloud and on-prem environments.
• 2026: Broadcom donates Velero to the CNCF Sandbox, shifting the project toward vendor-neutral governance.

Related projects

• Velero sits next to cloud snapshot APIs, CSI VolumeSnapshot, Restic, Kopia, Kasten, Portworx backup products, Trilio, Stash, and storage-native backup systems. Its distinguishing role is Kubernetes API-aware recovery rather than only block-storage replication.

Sources

• https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/containers/back-up-and-restore-your-amazon-eks-cluster-resources-using-velero/
• https://blogs.vmware.com/tanzu/velero-v0-11-delivers-an-open-source-tool-to-back-up-and-migrate-kubernetes-clusters/
• https://github.com/cncf/sandbox/issues/457
• https://github.com/vmware-tanzu/velero/blob/main/changelogs/CHANGELOG-0.11.md
• https://velero.io/
• https://velero.io/docs/v0.7.0/about/
• https://velero.io/docs/v1.0.0/migrating-to-velero/
• https://www.cncf.io/news/2026/04/02/the-new-stack-why-broadcom-gave-velero-to-the-cncf-sandbox-and-what-it-means-for-kubernetes-data-protection/