😬 Disadvantages of Using Kubernetes
😬 Disadvantages of Using Kubernetes 관련
Like everything in tech, Kubernetes isn’t all rainbows and rockets 🚀. Just like any other tool, it has its pros and its cons. And it's super important for startup founders, product managers, or even CEOs to know when Kubernetes is the right fit – and when it’s just overkill.
Let’s break down the main disadvantages in a simple, honest way:
👨🔧 1. You’ll Likely Need a DevOps Engineer or Team
Kubernetes is powerful, yes. But that power comes with great responsibility 😅.
In simple terms:
- You don't just "click a button" and your app is magically running.
- Kubernetes needs someone who understands how to set it up, keep it running, and fix issues when they pop up. This person (or team) is usually called a DevOps Engineer, SIte Relability Engineer or Cloud Engineer.
Here’s what they’ll typically handle:
- Creating the cluster (the environment where your apps will run)
- Defining how your app containers should behave (how many should run, how much memory they need, when they should restart, and so on)
- Monitoring the apps and making sure they’re healthy
- Ensuring security rules are followed
- Handling automated scaling, deployment rollouts, backups, and so on.
In short
You’ll need someone skilled to manage this tool. If you’re a solo founder or a small team with no DevOps experience, Kubernetes might be too much upfront.
💰 2. Kubernetes Can Be Expensive (If Used Prematurely)
Kubernetes saves money at scale – but can cost more if you adopt it too early or for the wrong use case.
Here's why:
- Kubernetes is meant for managing multiple applications or microservices. If your business only has one small app, you’re using a rocket to deliver a pizza 🍕 – it’s just not necessary.
- Kubernetes is also best when you have high or unpredictable traffic. It can automatically scale up your services when traffic spikes...but if your traffic is steady and small, you won’t benefit much from that power.
Let’s say:
- You have one app with moderate traffic.
- You deploy it on Kubernetes (which requires at least 1–2 VMs + setup).
- You hire a DevOps engineer to manage it.
- You pay for cloud compute + storage + monitoring.
You could end up spending $300–$800/month or more... for something that could’ve been hosted on a simple service like Render, Heroku, or a basic VM for a fraction of the cost.
So when should you consider Kubernetes?
- When your platform is made up of multiple services (For example, separate services for user auth, payments, analytics, notifications, and so on)
- When you’re expecting traffic spikes (for example, launching in new countries, going viral, seasonal demand like black Friday)
- When you want flexibility in managing your infrastructure across cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure) or even on-premises