Google Kubernetes Engine
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is a managed environment for running containerized applications. It manages each cluster’s Kubernetes control plane through its life cycle, from creation to deletion. With Autopilot, Google can handle node infrastructure, provisioning, scaling, scheduling, and security features; users can instead manage nodes themselves. Autopilot also provides automatic capacity right-sizing and per-pod pricing. GKE supports GPU and TPU workloads and integrates with AI Hypercomputer for machine learning and high-performance computing. Google states that clusters can contain up to 65,000 nodes. Security features include a dashboard for cluster misconfigurations and risks, agentless scanning for critical vulnerabilities, workload isolation through GKE Sandbox, and hardware-based encryption for data in use with Confidential GKE Nodes. Fleets and Teams help organize clusters and workloads across teams. GKE supports conformant Kubernetes clusters attached to its management environment and says applications can run unmodified on on-premises hardware or public cloud. Windows Server node images and containers are unavailable in Autopilot.
Who it is for
GKE suits platform builders and enterprise developer platforms, as well as teams training or serving AI models. Autopilot may suit teams that want Google to manage nodes, while users can also manage nodes themselves.
What is good
- Manages the Kubernetes control plane life cycle
- Autopilot can automate node provisioning and scaling
- Supports GPU and TPU workloads
- Security dashboard and agentless vulnerability scanning
- Supports attached clusters and application portability
What to know first
- Windows Server node images and containers are unavailable in Autopilot
- Cluster management fee is 0.10 USD per month
Verdict
GKE offers managed Kubernetes with an Autopilot option, multi-cluster organization, and security features. Teams using Autopilot should note the Windows Server limitation; the listed cluster management fee is 0.10 USD per month per cluster per hour.
Google Kubernetes Engine plans and pricing
All plansCompared on Kubernetes backup software
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- $9/mo
- Persistent volume backup
- Yes
