Spot Instances are one of the most powerful levers we have for cutting cloud costs. They’re also one of the riskiest to use if not done right. The reason is simple: Spot capacity can vanish at any time. When AWS needs the capacity back, your nodes get interrupted, and if Read more…
The Kubernetes Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) automatically adjusts the number of pods in a workload according to demand, based on observed resource usage, such as CPU, memory, or custom metrics. While it is a powerful mechanism, the typical configuration observed in the wild often reacts too slowly to steep load Read more…
Resizing pods in Kubernetes has always been tricky. Adjusting CPU or memory involves restarting pods, triggering rollouts, and hoping the cluster has enough capacity because visibility is normally limited. That’s far from ideal, especially stateful workloads, where a restart often involves downtime unless clustered correctly. InPlacePodResize changes that, allowing you Read more…
One Kubernetes challenge developers often face is the impact of image sizes on scaling speeds. The larger your container images, the longer it takes to pull them from the registry, leading to delays in scaling applications. As we scale up and down to meet demand, this delay can drastically impact Read more…
For DevOps engineers and developers, Kubernetes is great for abstracting infrastructure. It lets us focus on building and shipping applications without worrying whether it’s an m6i.large or a t3.medium that’s currently running under the hood. Out of sight, out of mind. But as of 2025, most companies consider K8s costs Read more…
Kubernetes has emerged as the leading orchestration platform for deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications. However, as environments grow more complex, effective cluster management becomes critical. Kubernetes Cluster Management involves coordinating and maintaining all the individual nodes that run containerized workloads. This includes handling node provisioning, scaling, monitoring, networking, and ensuring the overall health and performance of the cluster.
Kubernetes has emerged as the leading orchestration platform for deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications. However, as environments grow more complex, effective cluster management becomes critical. Kubernetes Cluster Management involves coordinating and maintaining all the individual nodes that run containerized workloads. This includes handling node provisioning, scaling, monitoring, networking, and ensuring the overall health and performance of the cluster.
When it comes to optimizing Kubernetes clusters, Karpenter has emerged as a robust, flexible solution for autoscaling. However, one critical aspect of effectively leveraging Karpenter is mastering the use of NodePools. NodePools allow you to logically group your nodes based on various criteria—such as application type, namespace, or a default pool for catch-all scenarios. This strategic grouping not only simplifies management but also boosts performance and cost efficiency.
You’ve probably used the Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) before. It’s great — until you want to scale based on queue length, Kafka lag, or custom metrics from Prometheus.
That’s where KEDA steps in.
Over the past 10 years, I’ve deployed enough workloads on Kubernetes to know that “it runs” doesn’t mean “it’s ready.” A production-ready setup is something you build carefully. It’s what separates a weekend side project from a system that powers customer-facing services at scale. This guide walks through the key Read more…
Ever thought about running your own cloud services, blog, or game server at home? Kubernetes – an open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications – isn’t just for big tech companies. It can also power your personal projects in a homelab. In this article, we’ll explore Read more…
As more teams adopt Kubernetes to orchestrate their containerized applications, they’re discovering an uncomfortable truth: while Kubernetes excels at abstracting infrastructure complexity, it doesn’t reduce cost. If anything, it can make cloud spending even harder to understand—and control. It’s not uncommon to see companies rack up tens of thousands of Read more…
Traffic spikes are a headache every Kubernetes (K8s) practitioner dreads – from clogging up your pod deployment to throwing off your scheduling, messing with your resource allocation, or even knocking your services offline. Knowing how disruptive these issues can be, we created a guide of practical strategies to help you Read more…
If you’ve ever looked at your cloud bill and muttered “this can’t be right,” you’ve probably considered Spot Instances. On paper, it’s a no-brainer—why pay full price when you can get the same compute at up to 90% off?
Scaling Kubernetes infrastructure efficiently is one of the biggest challenges DevOps teams face. You don’t want to overprovision and waste money on idle resources, but underprovisioning can bring your apps to a grinding halt. That’s where EKS Cluster Autoscaler (CA) automatically adds or removes nodes to match the demands of Read more…
If you’ve been around Kubernetes long enough, you’ve probably heard people discuss KEDA vs. Karpenter like it’s some kind of showdown. But here’s the truth from someone who’s spent way too much time battling scaling issues in production: It’s not KEDA vs Karpenter. It’s KEDA and Karpenter. They do completely Read more…
Why Testing in EKS Can Drain Your Budget If you’ve managed a testing environment in Amazon EKS, you already know how easily costs are adding up. I’ve been there—clusters spun up for a quick test and then left running overnight, oversized nodes consuming way more CPU and memory than needed, Read more…
Because Kubernetes (K8s) infrastructures are inherently complex, businesses may find themselves in a never-ending race to optimize their environments in an effort to keep their costs in check while operating at maximum efficiency. But in their constant pursuit of high-impact optimization techniques and tools, many DevOps engineers and developers overlook Read more…
Kubernetes has become the backbone of modern cloud-native applications. Its flexibility, scalability, and automation capabilities make it the preferred choice for managing containerized workloads. But with great power comes great responsibility—especially when it comes to cost. That’s why strategies and tools for Kubernetes cost monitoring and analysis are increasingly necessary. Read more…
When I first started working with Kubernetes, the scheduler felt like a black box. I’d deploy something, and it would just end up… somewhere. Sometimes it worked perfectly; other times, critical workloads would land on overloaded nodes while others sat idle. I’ve seen applications slow to a crawl because they Read more…
Kubernetes is incredibly powerful but equally unforgiving. Small missteps can quickly turn into bigger problems—ranging from runaway costs to security vulnerabilities and outages. Misconfigurations are a leading cause of inefficiencies and downtime in Kubernetes environments. Based on my own lessons learned managing clusters and debugging countless issues, I want to Read more…
In 2025, Kubernetes is evolving at a rapid pace to meet the growing demands of modern cloud environments. While foundational tools remain essential for day-to-day operations, new and innovative tools are emerging to tackle specific challenges, such as cost optimization, dynamic scaling, and enhanced security. This guide highlights the most Read more…
Ephemeral storage in Kubernetes is like a helpful but temperamental assistant. It’s great for handling temporary, transient data that some applications rely on, but it can cause chaos if it’s not managed properly. Think of a node running out of disk space or a critical pod getting evicted mid-task because Read more…
In Kubernetes delays in scaling can be a major headache, especially when your workloads face sudden spikes in demand. These delays occur because Kubernetes takes time to allocate new resources, such as nodes or pods, to handle the increased workload. While Kubernetes provides powerful scaling capabilities, minimizing lag requires fine-tuning Read more…
In Kubernetes, running out of storage can disrupt your workloads, lead to application downtime, or force you into time-consuming manual interventions like migrating data or recreating volumes. Thankfully, Kubernetes offers a practical solution: PersistentVolume resizing, which lets you expand your storage dynamically to keep your applications running smoothly. Whether you’re Read more…
AWS Spot Instances can significantly reduce cloud costs, offering up to 90% discounts compared to On-Demand pricing. For Kubernetes clusters, they provide a particularly attractive way to run workloads cost-effectively, especially for scalable, non-critical, or bursty applications. However, these instances come with a critical operational challenge: AWS provides only a Read more…
If you’re running applications in Kubernetes, you’ve likely experienced the frustration of slow pod boot times. When traffic surges and scaling is critical, those seconds—or even minutes—of waiting for new pods to start can feel like an eternity. Slow pod initialization doesn’t just harm user experience; it can lead to Read more…
Running applications in Kubernetes is incredibly powerful, but let’s be honest: optimizing costs can be a challenge. Between scaling pods, handling storage, and managing complex workloads, expenses can quickly spiral out of control if we’re not careful. The good news? Kubernetes also provides several built-in tools and techniques to help Read more…
When we talk about stabilizing a Kubernetes cluster, the advice tends to stick to well-known basics like “monitor your cluster” or “implement autoscaling.” And while those are essential, seasoned cluster admins know the real stability challenges go deeper. Complex issues around scaling storage, handling failed deployments, and fine-tuning deployment processes Read more…
Running a staging environment in Kubernetes is essential for testing changes before they hit production. While keeping it running 24/7 can add up, staging environments often require a continuous operation to monitor pre-production versions and catch bugs that only surface over time. Cost-saving tactics may be more suitable for additional Read more…
Considering a cross-region Kubernetes cluster? It’s a big step, with clear appeal: global reach, improved disaster recovery, and enhanced resilience. But is it the right move for your workload? Cross-region clusters offer notable benefits but introduce a layer of complexity that can impact both cost and performance. Let’s explore the Read more…
Node overhead can be a significant cost factor in Kubernetes, depending on the scale and configuration of your cluster. Node overhead refers to the resources (CPU, memory, and storage) consumed by the system processes and daemons that are required to run Kubernetes itself, as well as other essential services on Read more…
Managing and updating large workloads in Kubernetes can be complex, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With Kubernetes’ native capabilities and the right strategy, you can ensure that updates roll out smoothly without compromising performance or uptime. Below are the essential considerations you need to account for when updating Read more…
Optimizing container resources in Kubernetes (K8s) is essential for ensuring efficient workload performance while minimizing unnecessary costs. By properly configuring resource requests and limits, you can ensure your containers are neither over-provisioned nor starved for resources, which could lead to degraded performance or even crashes. In this article, we’ll walk Read more…
Kubernetes is the go-to platform for container orchestration, but while it offers scalability, flexibility, and efficiency, it’s essential to be aware of the hidden costs that can arise when you first start a Kubernetes cluster. Without proper planning and optimization, expenses can quickly spiral out of control. In this article, Read more…
As Kubernetes clusters grow, keeping nodes correctly sized becomes increasingly important. Over-provisioning leads to unnecessary costs, while under-provisioning impacts performance and reliability. The challenge is clear: how do you rightsize your cluster nodes to meet workload demands without disrupting production? Fortunately, there’s a solution that allows you to balance efficiency Read more…
Why Storage Elasticity is a Challenge in Kubernetes Kubernetes (K8s) is renowned for its scalability when it comes to applications, but storage is often left behind in the equation. The challenge lies in the fact that most traditional storage volumes in Kubernetes are static and need manual resizing. As your Read more…
Learn how Kubernetes, the smart manager of your cloud servers, simplifies application management, scaling, and deployment.
