7 Managed Kubernetes Services To Consider

Updated November 2026. This was first published on 16 August 2022. The idea is the same. Any number below is what the original piece said then. It is not a new count.

Key takeaways

Kubernetes came first in 2015 and has now achieved mainstream adoption in IT companies.
Working with Kubernetes makes container handling smooth, but without proper skill and effort, it’s almost impossible for companies to handle Kubernetes independently.
But, companies can consider any managed Kubernetes service to overcome the struggle with cluster management at a meagre cost.

Kubernetes came first in 2015 and has now achieved mainstream adoption in IT companies. Working with Kubernetes makes container handling smooth, but without proper skill and effort, it’s almost impossible for companies to handle Kubernetes independently.

But, companies can consider any managed Kubernetes service to overcome the struggle with cluster management at a meagre cost. Well, before we move directly towards these managed Kubernetes services, let’s first have a look at-.

How Does a Kubernetes Environment Work? #

Kubernetes is one of the most popular open-source platforms to maintain containers across clusters of nodes and make deployment easy. In a Kubernetes cluster, there’s a Kubernetes master, which is crucial for pod creation and scheduling.

In a Kubernetes Environment, Pods are the smallest unit deployed and run containers on a host node. The control plane is separate from worker nodes as they majorly provide system configuration and management functions. To host one or more than one pod nodes contain IT resources and also including the services.

You can run, deploy and operate Kubernetes clusters using managed Kubernetes services. Many companies now have started using these services to test and create new enterprise applications and then deploy them as per requirement. But, it can be challenging to choose services as they vary in the specialization.

But, to make service selection easy, we have a list of.

7 Best Managed Kubernetes Services- #

Google Kubernetes Engine #

Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is one of the most popular Kubernetes services from the Google cloud. Google not only developed Kubernetes but also was the first major vendor that offered Kubernetes as a managed service. GKE helps teams and companies by creating, updating, resizing, debugging and upgrading container clusters.

Running multiple pods simultaneously is possible because GKE provides a replication controller. Moreover, GKE can attach multiple nodes to a cluster, control configurations, build applications with attached persistent storage, and isolate containers in sandbox environments. It also allows admins to set resource limits when required.

GKE works with Google Cloud CLI and Google Cloud; thus, it runs smooth on Google’s managed infrastructure.

Depending on an company’s cluster usage and size, the overall pricing varies, But the autopilot clusters start at $0.10 per hour.

Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes #

Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes is a specially designed Kubernetes service that scales, deploy and effectively manages containerized applications. OKE allows admins to work with clusters through kubectl, Kubernetes dashboard, and Kubernetes API.

OKE supports clusters on bare metal, VMs or on both at a time because it works with applications smooth running on the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. Clusters can span multiple availability zones as OKE provides self-healing clusters what it does. OKE can even integrate with CI/CD tools or Oracle Container Pipeline for lifecycle management if required.

Also, OKE can also integrate with different Oracle Cloud Infrastructure’s persistent volume services and load balancers.

The best part is- Oracle provides OKE as a free service with no hidden charges. But, you need to pay $0.0980 per hour for general-purpose VMs in Cloud infrastructure.

Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service #

Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is among the most popular managed container orchestration services for Kubernetes. AKS not only provides automation but helps in reducing container management and deployment complexity. Being a public Kubernetes service, it is available on the Azure public cloud.

The main initiative behind these managed services is to build scalable operations with Docker and Kubernetes within the Microsoft Azure architecture. AKS allows admins to create clusters with the management console Azure Portal with the Azure CLI or with Azure PowerShell.

Moreover, to widen the deployment options, AKS provides Azure Resource Manager templates for admins to create their templates.

But, you can request prices for the networking resources, VMs and associated storage.

Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service #

Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is a fully managed, cloud-based service to build, secure and maintain Kubernetes with AWS.

AWS handles all the management tasks for the Kubernetes control plane. This includes all security configurations, upgrades and patches. Because it is an Amazon service, EKS integrates with Elastic Load Balancing, AWS Identity and Access Management, AWS CloudTrail and Amazon Virtual Private Cloud.

Also to Amazon services, admins can move pods to non-AWS environments without application code changes. This is because EKS uses many open source tools, such as Kubernetes and Docker.

Amazon EKS costs $0.10 per hour per cluster. Pricing varies if teams use Amazon EC2, as you pay for the AWS resources necessary to run Kubernetes worker nodes.

Platform9 #

Platform9 monitors and repairs clusters and offers an interactive GUI to deploy nodes and clusters.

Platform9 provides auto-provisioning to bare-metal servers and a built-in virtualization layer for node deployments. Also, the system automatically sets up the event monitoring tool Prometheus and data visualization tool Grafana during cluster deployments to monitor metrics.

Platform9 integrates with existing infrastructure and supports hybrid clouds, edge locations and on-premises server infrastructure.

Platform9 is free for companies looking to try Kubernetes but only provides up to two clusters and eight nodes. For larger-scale operations, pricing varies by hosting location.

DigitalOcean #

DigitalOcean is again a popular managed Kubernetes service that provides resources required for support and management. What’s unique in DigitalOcean is that it includes managed support services and provides fully automated upgrades and configuration guidance.

DigitalOcean also helps admins by providing them with a setup process to create a Kubernetes environment smooth. The tool uses the kubectl and doctl command utilities to access and interact with clusters through Kubernetes APIs. Clusters can integrate with DigitalOcean load balancers, and the tool adjusts and automatically updates the number of nodes in a cluster.

DigitalOcean’s managed Kubernetes starts at $10 per month, and the cost depends on the number of node hours used during a billing period. The service includes the control plane for free, but high availability features cost $40 per month.

Questions and answers #

What is the main point? #

Kubernetes came first in 2015 and has now achieved mainstream adoption in IT companies.

What else did the original piece say? #

Working with Kubernetes makes container handling smooth, but without proper skill and effort, it’s almost impossible for companies to handle Kubernetes independently.