I recently came across a tweet suggesting that using a managed Kubernetes service from a cloud provider could be cheaper and require fewer engineers compared to self-hosting Kubernetes on bare metal. Since I'm new to bare metal setups, I'm curious if this is really the case. Can anyone provide insights or experiences on this topic?
5 Answers
Having a strong team can make bare metal setups affordable and scalable. But you'll likely need a dedicated crew. Depending on your company size, it can be cheaper than public cloud options. However, if you need to scale quickly or need externally available services, the cloud might be the better choice due to ease of scaling. Also, keep in mind that managed Kubernetes can mean giving access to your data, which brings up some security considerations depending on where you are.
In my case, we deploy software on clients' premises using bare metal. We often end up using k3s on systems running RHEL or Ubuntu. Once it’s set up, it tends to run smoothly, and we handle patching for just the applications while the client’s staff manages the underlying systems.
Cost can vary based on your specific workloads, but it’s generally true that a smaller team can handle managed Kubernetes. Cloud providers take care of the control plane and simplify upgrades, plus many offer features that let them manage more of the cluster for you, which lightens the load for your engineers.
I've used both EKS and GKE, and honestly, they’re pretty user-friendly. Our small team manages multiple clients without much hassle.
In terms of pure cost, bare metal often looks better. But remember, there’s substantial effort and complexity in managing physical servers on-prem. Sometimes, the overhead of managing your own infrastructure can outweigh the initial savings.
I totally understand that! I'm pretty used to the ease of EKS and GKE, and the management overhead is my main concern.
For most businesses that aren't handling highly sensitive operations, I'd suggest sticking with managed solutions. They spare your ops team from late-night emergencies and are generally more straightforward. You can still switch to a more hands-on approach later if you need to.
Absolutely! Managed services feel more relaxing even if they cost a bit more.
That sounds like a solid approach! But it makes me nervous not having redundancy with availability zones. I guess these clients just need to be prepared for occasional downtimes.