Managed or unmanaged Kubernetes: A decision maker's guide

Containerized applications are more suited to the modern business landscape characterized by a constant need to innovate, iterate, perform, and better respond to failures.

However, these new-age software applications, bundled in well-developed and secured containers, need to be managed. That’s where Kubernetes come to the rescue!

Developed and used by Google, Kubernetes has evolved by leaps and bounds since it was first released in the open-source domain back in 2014.

Today, we’ll learn about this platform and how it helps build and scale containerized applications that open up the path for cloud-native development. More specifically, we’ll get to see the key differences between unmanaged and managed Kubernetes and see which one suits which use-cases.

What is Kubernetes?

Think of it as an essential foundation for the development and deployment of containerized applications. Abbreviated as "K8s", Kubernetes is an open-source platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.

Built by Google, Kubernetes essentially acts as a system to orchestrate and control containers across a cluster of servers, allowing developers to easily manage complex applications by handling tasks like deployment, scaling, and health checks automatically.

Key components of a Kubernetes cluster:

• Master node: A master node acts as the brain of a Kubernetes cluster. It’s the central control panel of the cluster and is responsible for nearly everything that happens within the Kubernetes cluster such as managing the worker nodes, scheduling pods and monitoring cluster states.
• Worker node: A worker node in a Kubernetes cluster performs a series of tasks such as running the containerized application, communicating with the master node, and managing the networking (ensuring that the traffic can flow seamlessly across the cluster.)
• Pods: Pods in Kubernetes make up the smallest unit of execution and hold one or more containers that help run the application.
• Services: A service can be defined as a logical group of pods that are assigned a name and IP address. Services allow applications to receive traffic and define how users can access them.

Unmanaged Kubernetes

Unmanaged Kubernetes is one specific form of using Kubernetes to drive your software development and deployment process.

When teams opt for an ‘Unmanaged Kubernetes’ model, they take upon themselves end-to-end responsibilities for setting up and managing a Kubernetes cluster entirely on your own infrastructure, without relying on a cloud provider's managed Kubernetes service, meaning you handle all aspects of installation, configuration, maintenance, and updates yourself, providing greater control but also requiring more technical expertise and effort compared to a managed Kubernetes solution.

Unmanaged Kubernetes set-up, as you might have guessed by now, provides your team more control over the platform which might be desirable in certain circumstances, but also involves significant investments in terms of time, resources, and efforts.

Pros of unmanaged Kubernetes

It’s imperative for IT teams to weigh in the positives and negatives of unwanted Kubernetes before committing to it. Let us share the most talked-about benefits of unmanaged Kubernetes:

• Complete control: The first and most vital advantage of opting unmanaged Kubernetes is your team will have 360-degree control over the entire process and infrastructure. When your team is in such a position, it is better equipped to customize the whole cluster to meet the very specific needs of your business.
• Greater security: Unmanaged Kubernetes sets the state for increased security in the application development, deployment, and management. It is because the in-house teams are in complete control of the tools, technologies, and platforms used and understand that security is primarily their responsibility.
• Learning opportunities: Investing in an unmanaged Kubernetes set-up can help the IT and DevOps teams learn a few, new skills, which again can satisfy their yearning for continuous learning and growth.

Cons of unmanaged Kubernetes

While unmanaged Kubernetes cluster leads to numerous benefits, it has its set of limitations as well. The main cons of an unmanaged Kubernetes cluster include the following:

• High operational overhead: Investing in an unmanaged Kubernetes entails significant investments and efforts as compared to what teams often pay for a streamlined, managed, Kubernetes service
• Complex set-up and management: Another challenge with an unmanaged Kubernetes setup is that it requires a lot of work to be done before it can be used to streamline app deployment and maintenance, such as configuring network, storage, load balancers, security groups, and more, which can be time-consuming and error-prone
• Expertise required: Managing an unmanaged cluster demands in-depth knowledge of Kubernetes architecture, best practices, and troubleshooting techniques

Managed Kubernetes

Managed Kubernetes is the complete opposite of unmanaged Kubernetes.

A managed Kubernetes service is offered by a reliable cloud platform, such as AWS and Google Cloud. And since it is a managed version of Kubernetes, the cloud service provider is responsible for all the heavy-lifting including provisions, configures, and maintains the Kubernetes cluster for you.

In other words, the cloud service provider takes care of deploying and running Kubernetes along with infrastructure provisioning, upgrades, security patching, and ongoing management.

This approach simplifies the deployment, scaling, and maintenance of Kubernetes clusters with minimal involvement from the developers. As IT teams are not required to get involved in managing the infrastructure, they focus on increased innovation and value-centric projects.

Pros of managed Kubernetes

The biggest pro or benefit of tapping into a professional and managed Kubernetes service is that your IT and DevOps teams do not have to spend a great deal of time configuring the infrastructure to suit your specific team and business needs. You will reap the benefits of faster deployment, simplified maintenance, and reduced operational costs.

• Faster deployment: With pre-configured clusters, deploying applications on managed Kubernetes is significantly faster compared to setting up a self-managed cluster
• High availability and resiliency: Managed Kubernetes often includes built-in redundancy and failover mechanisms to ensure application uptime
• Cost predictability: Managed Kubernetes can provide a more predictable cost structure compared to self-managed deployments

Cons of managed Kubernetes

Like any off-the-shelf service or solution, managed Kubernetes services introduce a set of challenges, such as:

• Reduced flexibility: Managed Kubernetes often provides a pre-configured environment with limited ability to tweak underlying components or customize settings as compared to self-managed clusters
• The learning curve still exists: Even with a managed service, a basic understanding of Kubernetes concepts and best practices is still required to effectively deploy and manage applications
• Vendor lock-in: Relying on a single cloud provider's managed Kubernetes service can lead to difficulties migrating to another platform if needed

Key differences between unmanaged and managed Kubernetes

We’ve got the gist of what we mean by unmanaged and managed Kubernetes. We are now sharing with you a table that clearly illustrates the differences:

When should you opt for unmanaged Kubernetes?

You should use unmanaged Kubernetes when you require complete control over your Kubernetes cluster configuration, need to customize components beyond what a managed service offers, or have a highly specialized infrastructure where a managed solution might not fit, usually indicating a team with deep Kubernetes expertise who can handle the full lifecycle of cluster management themselves; however, this comes with the added responsibility of installing, updating, and maintaining the entire Kubernetes environment.

Though there can be numerous use cases for implementing or opting for unmanaged Kubernetes, the top reasons include the following:

• High customization needs: When your application requires specific configurations or integrations that aren't readily available through a managed Kubernetes service
• Legacy infrastructure integration: If you need to integrate Kubernetes with existing on-premise infrastructure that might not be fully supported by a managed service
• Cost optimization: In some cases, managing your own Kubernetes cluster can be more cost-effective, especially if you have the expertise to do so efficiently
• Advanced technical knowledge: When your team has a deep understanding of Kubernetes and is comfortable managing the entire cluster lifecycle

However, teams signing up unmanaged Kubernetes must consider the following factors:

• Increased operational overhead: You will be responsible for all aspects of Kubernetes management, including patching, upgrades, and troubleshooting
• Steeper learning curve: Setting up and managing an unmanaged Kubernetes cluster requires more technical expertise than using a managed service
• Potential for configuration errors: Manual configuration can lead to mistakes if not carefully managed

When should you opt for managed Kubernetes?

You should use managed Kubernetes when you want to simplify the management of your containerized applications by offloading the responsibility of setting up, maintaining, and scaling your Kubernetes cluster to a cloud provider, allowing your team to focus on deploying and managing applications with less technical overhead, especially if you lack deep Kubernetes expertise or want to avoid the complexities of managing the underlying infrastructure

• Reduced operational burden: When you don't want to manage the complexities of patching, upgrading, and maintaining Kubernetes control plane components
• Faster time to market: Quickly deploy applications without spending significant time setting up and configuring a Kubernetes cluster
• Scalability needs: When your application requires automatic scaling based on demand, managed Kubernetes can handle the scaling operations seamlessly
• Limited DevOps expertise: If your team lacks in-depth Kubernetes knowledge, a managed service can provide a user-friendly interface to manage your applications
• Cost optimization: Managed Kubernetes can help optimize resource utilization by automatically scaling up or down based on your application needs, potentially reducing cloud costs

Closing thoughts

To build a competitive edge and drive profitability, leading-edge organizations across sectors are increasingly investing in modern technologies.

Kubernetes can help your team build more agile, responsive, and secure containerized applications. Depending on the specific challenges or goals, you can adopt managed and unmanaged Kubernetes.

However, to truly succeed in your digital transformation endeavors, most companies can benefit from expert help and guidance. At Kellton, we are committed to helping our clients in their digital endeavors whether it’s implementing Kubernetes, embracing hybrid cloud, or developing future-proof applications. We’d appreciate the opportunity to discuss how we can help you unlock new opportunities or overcome challenges that have been holding you back.