---
title: "What is cloudSwXtch?"
slug: "what-is-cloudswxtch"
updated: 2025-12-19T19:58:37Z
published: 2025-12-19T19:58:37Z
canonical: "docs.swxtch.io/what-is-cloudswxtch"
stale: true
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.swxtch.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What is cloudSwXtch?

> [!NOTE]
> WHAT TO EXPECT
> 
> In this article, users will get a deeper understanding of **cloudSwXtch** and how it can improve their networking capabilities. This article also gives users a preliminary introduction to the main features available when using cloudSwXtch.

## Meet cloudSwXtch

cloudSwXtch creates a virtual overlay network that lets users add high-performance networking to their cloud or edge applications with the touch of a button, requiring no code changes!

**cloudSwXtch is available on AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, and private networks. It can be instantiated via their respective Marketplaces or with a cloud-agnostic install script. cloudSwXtch is also available as a BYOL software install.**

Supported Environments

- Microsoft’s [Azure](https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com/)
- Amazon's [AWS](https://us-west-1.console.aws.amazon.com/console/home?region=us-west-1#)
- Google's [GCP](/v2/docs/cloudswxtch-on-gcp)
- Oracle's [OCI](/v2/docs/cloudswxtch-on-oci)
- Cloud Agnostic [Cloud agnostic cloudSwXtch Install](/v2/docs/cloud-agnostic-cloudswxtch-vm-install)
- On-Premises with [swXtchBridge](/v2/docs/installing-cloudswxtch-bridge)

### What is a Virtual Overlay Network?

*swXtch.io* provides an application that implements a ***Cloud-Based Virtual Switch: cloudSwXtch*.** It consists of a software-based network switch and a virtual NIC service (*xNIC*). Together, these components create an overlay network on top of the standard cloud network. Optionally, users can connect their on-prem network to the cloudSwXtch and agents using a swXtchBridge.

This overlay network adds many valuable, high-performance network features that aren't traditionally available in the cloud, one of which is a **seamless IP multicast** experience.

![cloudSwXtch Hybrid Network diagram](https://cdn.document360.io/84c5db44-f675-4f33-a980-5d3fc63073ca/Images/Documentation/image-1756825866332.png)

cloudSwXtch Instance

A cloudSwXtch instance running on a user's virtual machine will provide extremely low latency (<3μs), high determinism, and elastic scalability. A user can build a 1,000-port switch or create a cloudSwXtch cluster of switches to optimize network reliability.

With *cloudSwXtch*, existing user applications and services that expect standards-based IP [multicast](/v2/docs/multicast) will work in the cloud **without requiring any code changes.** This enables performance to approach that of bare metal.

### Benefits of cloudSwXtch

- **Unblock Cloud Migrations** – Migrate critical workloads that couldn’t be moved to the cloud because of missing network features or performance limitations.
- **Extend On-Prem Networks to the Cloud** – Create a single data plane across private networks and the cloud, traversing virtual networks, availability zones, and regions.
- **Massive Scale** – Extended networks with unlimited endpoints share identical features and sub-millisecond performance.
- **Enhanced Packet Monitoring** – The cloudSwXtch architecture provides a unique view into low-level network traffic across the entire extended network.
- **Simplified and Flexible Network Configuration** – Add and remove endpoints dynamically from global networks as conditions dictate. Eliminate the need to reconfigure individual workloads.

A software-based network switch with a virtual NIC service known as xNIC. Together these components create an overlay network on top of the standard cloud network. This overlay network adds many valuable network features, one of which is a seamless IP multicast experience.

Bring your own license

A software service that creates a fully virtualized Network Interface Controller within the Virtual Machine's (VM) operating system. This provides users with wXcked fast network connectivity and allows for the sending and receiving of IP multicast by applications running on the VM.

This is the form of multicast that cloudSwXtch implements. It uses IP/UDP packets for transport and is described in detail in RFC 1112.

A single software-defined switch that is created within a virtual machine (VM). The switch is formed from a collection of cloud components acting in tandem.

A client that sends and receives IP multicast traffic.