Kubernetes is the industry standard for running containers at scale. But it is also complex. Many businesses don't need it – yet.
What Kubernetes does
- Runs containers across a cluster of servers
- Restarts failed containers automatically
- Scales applications up and down
- Rolls out updates without downtime
- Manages networking, configuration and secrets
When Kubernetes makes sense
- Many services and teams deploying independently
- Highly variable traffic that requires automatic scaling
- Strict availability requirements
- Multi-cloud or hybrid strategies
- An organisation with DevOps skills to operate it
When it is overkill
- A single web application or a few services
- Small teams without dedicated operations staff
- Predictable, moderate traffic
The operational effort – upgrades, security, monitoring – can outweigh the benefits.
Simpler alternatives
- Managed hosting for websites and standard applications
- Platform-as-a-Service offerings (for example Azure App Service, Google Cloud Run, Railway)
- Managed container services such as AWS ECS or Azure Container Apps
- A single server with Docker Compose for small internal applications
Managed Kubernetes
If you do need Kubernetes, use a managed service (EKS, AKS, GKE or European offerings). The provider runs the control plane; you focus on applications.
Our approach
We start with the simplest platform that meets your requirements and design applications so they can move to Kubernetes later if growth demands it.
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