When to use Kubernetes
Kubernetes is recommended for deployments that meet one or more of these criteria: Scale Requirements:- Monthly Active Users (MAU) exceeding 200,000
- Peak Concurrent Connections (PCC) exceeding 20,000
- Multi-region or global deployments with active-active failover
- Dynamic autoscaling based on custom metrics (HPA/VPA)
- Service mesh for mTLS and advanced traffic management (Istio, Linkerd)
- GitOps workflows for declarative infrastructure management
- Cloud-native operators for Kafka, databases, and other components
- Sub-50ms latency targets requiring sophisticated traffic routing
- Compliance requirements demanding advanced security policies
- Integration with existing Kubernetes infrastructure
Kubernetes vs Docker Swarm
| Feature | Docker Swarm | Kubernetes |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended Scale | Up to 200k MAU | 200k+ MAU |
| Operational Complexity | Low | High |
| Learning Curve | Minimal | Steep |
| Autoscaling | Manual | Advanced (HPA/VPA) |
| Multi-region | Manual setup | Native support |
| Service Mesh | Not supported | Native integration |
| Ecosystem | Limited | Extensive |
| Best For | Mid-market, simplicity | Enterprise, scale |
Architecture highlights
Kubernetes deployment includes:- Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) for automatic scaling based on CPU, memory, or custom metrics
- Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA) for right-sizing pod resource requests
- Multi-region active-active deployments with global load balancing
- Service mesh integration (Istio, Linkerd) for mTLS, traffic management, and observability
- Cloud-native Kafka operators (Strimzi, Confluent) for automated cluster management
- Advanced security policies with Pod Security Standards and Network Policies
- GitOps workflows with ArgoCD or Flux for declarative infrastructure management
Enterprise support
Kubernetes deployments require specialized expertise and planning. Our solutions team provides: Architecture & Planning:- Custom reference architectures tailored to your requirements
- Capacity planning and sizing recommendations
- Multi-region deployment strategies
- Migration planning from Docker Swarm or other platforms
- Helm charts and Kubernetes manifests
- CI/CD pipeline integration
- Service mesh configuration
- Monitoring and observability setup
- Operational runbooks and best practices
- Scaling and performance optimization
- Disaster recovery planning
- Security hardening and compliance guidance
Contact us
To discuss Kubernetes deployment for your organization: Enterprise Sales & Solutions: For Kubernetes deployments, reference architectures, migration planning, and ongoing operational guidance, contact us. What to prepare for the consultation:- Current or projected Monthly Active Users (MAU)
- Peak Concurrent Connections (PCC) estimates
- Geographic distribution requirements
- Compliance and security requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, etc.)
- Existing infrastructure (cloud provider, Kubernetes experience)
- Timeline and deployment goals