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As of March 2025, Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) offers several types and modes of deployment for Kubernetes clusters. These can be categorized into types based on control plane management and modes based on worker node deployment strategies.
Types of EKS Deployment
- EKS Auto Mode:
- Description: Fully managed Kubernetes cluster by AWS, including worker nodes and auto-scaling.
- Best For: DevOps teams, startups, and microservices-based architectures.
- Pros: Completely managed by AWS, auto-scaling, optimized cost and security.
- Cons: Less flexibility for custom networking and node configurations.
- EKS Standard Mode:
- Description: AWS manages the control plane, but users manage worker nodes (EC2 instances).
- Best For: Enterprises needing full control over Kubernetes infrastructure, AI/ML workloads.
- Pros: More control over worker nodes and networking.
- Cons: Requires manual scaling and updates.
- EKS Fargate Mode:
- Description: Serverless Kubernetes; AWS runs pods directly without user-managed nodes.
- Best For: Serverless workloads, microservices, event-driven applications.
- Pros: No worker nodes to manage, pod-level auto-scaling.
- Cons: Limited to stateless workloads, higher costs for long-running workloads.
- EKS Anywhere:
- Description: Run Kubernetes on on-premises infrastructure using AWS-supported tooling.
- Best For: Enterprises needing hybrid cloud solutions, strict data residency laws.
- Pros: Keeps workloads on-prem for security/compliance, full control over infrastructure.
- Cons: Requires infrastructure setup and management.
Modes of EKS Worker Node Deployment
- EKS Managed Node Groups:
- Description: AWS provisions and manages EC2 worker nodes with auto-scaling and automated updates.
- Best For: Teams wanting control over instances but without heavy management.
- Pros: Simplifies scaling and security.
- Cons: Less control over instance configurations.
- EKS Self-Managed Nodes:
- Description: Users manually provision and manage EC2 instances for EKS worker nodes.
- Best For: Enterprises needing full EC2 control, AI/ML workloads requiring GPUs.
- Pros: More flexibility with EC2 instance selection.
- Cons: Requires DevOps expertise, manual scaling and patching.
- EKS Fargate Mode:
- Description: No worker nodes; AWS runs Kubernetes pods directly in a serverless fashion.
- Best For: Event-driven applications, microservices.
- Pros: No EC2 nodes to manage, pod-level auto-scaling.
- Cons: Higher costs than EC2, limited to stateless workloads.
These types and modes provide flexibility and customization options for deploying and managing Kubernetes clusters with EKS234.
Hereβs the corrected and updated comparison of EKS Standard, EKS Fargate, EKS Anywhere, and EKS Auto Mode as of March 2025:
Major Differences Between EKS Standard, EKS Fargate, EKS Anywhere, and EKS Auto Mode
| Feature | EKS Standard | EKS Fargate | EKS Anywhere | EKS Auto Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deployment Model | Managed control plane with EC2-based worker nodes | Serverless Kubernetes pods running on Fargate | Self-managed Kubernetes clusters on on-premises infrastructure | Fully managed Kubernetes cluster with simplified infrastructure setup |
| Node Management | Users provision and manage EC2 instances as worker nodes | No node management, Fargate provisions compute resources automatically | Users manage physical/virtual nodes on their own infrastructure | AWS manages the cluster, but users must provide an existing VPC |
| Control Plane | AWS-managed control plane | AWS-managed control plane | Self-managed control plane | Fully managed by AWS |
| Worker Nodes | EC2 instances (managed by users) | No worker nodes, only Fargate pods | Self-managed nodes (bare metal, VMs, cloud) | Managed by AWS, automatically optimized |
| Use Case | Workloads requiring full control over EC2-based compute and networking | Serverless Kubernetes for lightweight and auto-scaling workloads | Hybrid cloud, on-premises Kubernetes deployments | Users who want to run Kubernetes without managing infrastructure |
| Cost Model | Pay for EC2 instances + control plane separately | Pay per pod running on Fargate (no EC2 costs) | Costs depend on on-prem infrastructure; AWS charges EKS Anywhere licensing fees | Pay only for running workloads, infrastructure cost is included |
| Scaling | User-defined scaling using EC2 ASG | Autoscaling based on Fargate pods | Scaling depends on on-premises capacity and user configurations | Fully automated scaling, AWS optimizes resources dynamically |
| Networking | Requires VPC setup and security group configuration | Uses AWS VPC with automatic networking | User-managed networking based on on-premises setup | Requires an existing VPC (AWS does not create it) |
| Security & IAM | Users configure IAM roles, security groups, and network policies manually | AWS manages IAM roles per pod and provides pod-level isolation | Self-managed security, integrates with on-prem security controls | AWS manages IAM roles and security at the Kubernetes level but does not configure VPC security |
| Storage | Supports EBS, EFS, FSx, and custom storage | Integrates with AWS storage but has some limitations on persistent volumes | User-managed storage solutions | AWS auto-configures storage, but users must define storage classes |
| Maintenance & Updates | Users responsible for cluster upgrades and node patching | AWS maintains infrastructure updates, users handle Kubernetes updates | Self-managed; updates and patches controlled by users | Fully managed, AWS handles all updates and patches |
| Integration | Works with EC2, ALB, ASG, IAM, and other AWS services | Deep integration with AWS services but limited workload flexibility | Works with on-prem infrastructure and edge computing | Fully integrated with AWS services, but less customizable |
| Customizability | Highβusers choose instance types, storage, networking, etc. | LowβAWS handles everything | Highβtailored for on-premises needs | LimitedβAWS optimizes everything for ease of use |
| Operational Overhead | Mediumβusers manage EC2 nodes, networking, and updates | Lowβno node management, AWS handles infra | Highβusers handle everything (network, nodes, security) | Very LowβAWS fully manages Kubernetes and scaling |
Key Takeaways (March 2025 Updates)
- EKS Standard β Best for users needing full control over compute, networking, and security.
- EKS Fargate β Best for serverless Kubernetes, where users donβt want to manage EC2 instances.
- EKS Anywhere β Best for hybrid and on-prem Kubernetes, allowing full infrastructure control.
- EKS Auto Mode β Best for users wanting fully managed Kubernetes, but requires an existing VPC.