Kubernetes: A powerful tool, but not always the right one

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Kubernetes — the name echoes through the halls of discussions on modern software architecture. It’s become synonymous with scalability, resilience, and modernisation. It’s a powerful tool, no doubt, and a de facto standard in many backend systems. But like any powerful tool, it’s crucial to understand its purpose and, more importantly, its limitations. Kubernetes is an architectural decision, not just a deployment choice, and deserves careful consideration.

The allure of Kubernetes

We’ve all seen it. A project starts, and someone suggests, “Let’s just use Kubernetes!” The rationale often boils down to “everyone else is doing it” or “we might need to scale someday.” While these points have some merit, they often overshadow the real cost and complexity Kubernetes introduces. It’s like buying a heavy-duty construction crane when all you need is a stepladder.

Kubernetes excels at orchestrating containers at scale. It provides a robust platform for managing deployments, handling failures, and dynamically scaling resources. This makes it incredibly valuable for modernising legacy applications, building microservices…