Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is a managed service for deploying and managing containerized applications on Google Cloud. This guide explores the features and benefits of GKE, including scalability, security, and integration with other Google services.
Learn how GKE simplifies Kubernetes management and enhances application performance. Understanding GKE is crucial for organizations looking to leverage cloud-native technologies effectively.
What Is Kubernetes?
Before diving into Google Kubernetes Engine, let’s first understand what Kubernetes is. Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration system that automates containerized applications’ deployment, scaling, and management. It was initially developed by Google and later donated to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). Kubernetes provides a platform to manage containers across multiple hosts, providing features like load balancing, storage orchestration, automated rollouts, and more.
What is Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)?
Google Kubernetes Engine is a fully managed environment for deploying, managing and scaling containerized applications on GCP. GKE provides a container runtime environment and orchestrates containerized applications’ deployment, scaling, and management. It also integrates with other GCP services like load balancing, logging, monitoring, and more.
Features of Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)
- Automated provisioning and scaling – GKE automatically provisions the required infrastructure resources and scales them up or down based on the application’s workload.
- Multi-cluster management – GKE allows managing multiple clusters from a single interface, simplifying the management of large-scale applications.
- Integration with GCP services – GKE integrates with other GCP services like Load Balancing, Logging, Monitoring, and more.
- High availability – GKE provides high availability for containerized applications by automatically rescheduling failed containers and providing automatic horizontal scaling.
- Secure environment – GKE provides a secure environment for containerized applications with features like network isolation, access control, and automatic security updates.
How does Google Kubernetes Engine Work?
Google Kubernetes Engine uses Kubernetes to manage and orchestrate containerized applications’ deployment, scaling, and management. The following are the steps involved in deploying an application on GKE:
- Create a container image of the application and store it in a container registry like Google Container Registry (GCR).
- Create a Kubernetes deployment that specifies the desired state of the application, including the number of replicas, container image, and resource requirements.
- Deploy the Kubernetes deployment to GKE, which creates the necessary infrastructure resources like virtual machines, load balancers, and network resources.
- GKE automatically schedules the deployment on the available nodes and ensures that the desired state of the application is met.
- GKE monitors the application and automatically scales the deployment based on the application’s workload.
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Competitors
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) has become popular for businesses looking to easily manage and scale containerized applications. As with any technology, GKE has its competitors. In this section, we’ll explore the top alternatives to GKE and compare their features, benefits, and drawbacks to help you make an informed decision.
- Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) – Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is one of the most popular AKS alternatives on the market. It’s a fully-managed Kubernetes service that runs on AWS and provides users with a secure, reliable, and scalable platform for container orchestration. Like AKS, EKS simplifies the process of deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications. However, EKS is designed specifically for AWS users and may not be the best choice for those who use other cloud providers.
- Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) – Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is another leading GKE competitor. It’s a managed Kubernetes service that runs on Microsoft Azure and provides users with a powerful and easy-to-use platform for container orchestration. AKS boasts many of the same features as GKE, including automatic scaling, self-healing, and efficient resource utilization. However, AKS is explicitly designed for Azure users and may not be the best choice for those who use other cloud providers.
- Red Hat OpenShift – Red Hat OpenShift is a powerful and flexible Kubernetes platform that provides users with a complete solution for building, deploying, and managing containerized applications. OpenShift is built on top of Kubernetes and adds many additional features, including an integrated container registry, CI/CD pipeline, and more. OpenShift is an excellent choice for enterprises that need a more robust and customizable solution than AKS.
- Docker Enterprise – Docker Enterprise is a comprehensive container platform that provides users with a complete solution for building, deploying, and managing containerized applications. It includes Docker Swarm, a native clustering and orchestration solution, and Kubernetes, which can be used as an alternative orchestration platform. Docker Enterprise is an excellent choice for businesses that already use Docker and want to consolidate their container-related workflows.
- Rancher – Rancher is a complete container management platform that provides users with a user-friendly interface for managing and deploying containers across multiple cloud providers. Rancher includes built-in Kubernetes and Docker Swarm support and is an excellent choice for businesses needing a more flexible and scalable solution than AKS.
Conclusion
Google Kubernetes Engine is a powerful tool for managing containerized applications on GCP. It provides a managed environment for deploying, scaling, and managing containerized applications using Kubernetes. With features like automated provisioning and scaling, multi-cluster management, integration with GCP services, high availability, and a secure environment, GKE simplifies the management of large-scale applications. If you are looking for a platform to manage your containerized applications, GKE is a great option to consider.
Google Kubernetes Engine FAQs
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is a managed Kubernetes service that lets you deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications using Google Cloud. It automates cluster setup, updates, and scaling, so you can focus on your apps. GKE includes built-in security, load balancing, and integration with other Google Cloud services for a smoother cloud-native experience.
GKE offers a free tier with no charge for the cluster management fee on a single zonal cluster. However, you pay for the underlying compute resources—like VMs and storage—that your workloads use. Additional clusters, multi-zonal or regional deployments, and network usage might incur extra costs depending on your usage.
Kubernetes is the open-source container orchestration platform that manages container workloads. GKE is Google Cloud’s managed service that runs Kubernetes clusters for you. GKE handles infrastructure, upgrades, and scaling while exposing Kubernetes APIs, so you get full Kubernetes capabilities without having to manage the control plane yourself.
The equivalent service in AWS is Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS). Like GKE, EKS is a managed Kubernetes offering that handles cluster provisioning, control plane management, and integrations with AWS resources. Both offer automated cluster operations but differ slightly in feature sets and cloud integrations.
GKE charges a flat cluster management fee per cluster, starting after free tier limits, plus costs for underlying compute engine instances, storage, and network usage. Pricing varies by machine type, region, and usage. Many users leverage autoscaling to optimize costs by matching resources to workload demand.
Cloud Run is a serverless platform for running stateless containers that scale automatically without you managing infrastructure. GKE provides full Kubernetes clusters, offering more control and flexibility for complex workloads, stateful apps, or multi-container orchestration. Choose Cloud Run for simple, event-driven apps; GKE for scalable, complex container deployments.
GKE suits microservices architectures, scalable web apps, and batch or streaming data pipelines. It’s good for teams needing container orchestration with flexible scaling, rolling updates, and integration with CI/CD tools.
Enterprises use it for hybrid cloud deployments and managing complex workflows across multiple environments. It fits both development and production at scale.