Bare metal K8s gives full control and avoids noisy neighbors; you manage the control plane and upgrades. Managed K8s (EKS, GKE, etc.) reduces ops. Choose based on team size and need for customization.
Bare metal K8s
- Full control: You choose OS, Kubernetes version, and add-ons. No provider lock-in for the control plane.
- Performance: No hypervisor overhead; predictable latency and I/O. Good for heavy or stateful workloads.
- You operate: Control plane (API server, etcd, scheduler), upgrades, and security patches. Need in-house or contracted K8s skills.
Managed K8s
- Less ops: Provider runs control plane, upgrades, and often node provisioning. You run workloads.
- Faster start: Create a cluster in minutes; focus on apps and manifests.
- Trade-offs: Cost, possible lock-in, and less control over control-plane config and version cadence.
When to choose which
- Bare metal: Strong K8s team, need for customization or cost control at scale, compliance or data locality requirements.
- Managed: Smaller team, want to focus on applications, need multi-region or elasticity without building it.
Summary
Bare metal K8s = full control and performance, more ops. Managed K8s = less ops, faster start, less control. Choose by team size, customization needs, and cost.
