Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is a managed Kubernetes service that simplifies the deployment and management of containerized applications on AWS. Our guide explores the key features and benefits of EKS, including its ability to provide highly available and secure Kubernetes clusters, integrate with other AWS services, and offer flexible scaling options.
Learn how EKS can help you streamline your container orchestration, reduce operational overhead, and ensure high availability for your cloud-native applications. Stay ahead of the curve and unlock the full potential of EKS with our expert insights.
What is Kubernetes?
Before diving into Elastic Kubernetes Service, 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 Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)?
Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is a fully managed Kubernetes service that runs on AWS. With EKS, AWS manages the deployment, scaling, and operation of Kubernetes clusters, so you can focus on running your applications.
EKS is designed to be highly available, scalable, and secure. It provides all the benefits of Kubernetes, including automatic scaling, self-healing, and rolling updates, without the operational overhead of managing a Kubernetes cluster yourself.
How Does EKS Work?
EKS is a highly resilient and efficient Elastic Kubernetes Service. Among its many laudable features, it shines with its ability to run multiple Kubernetes control plane instances across various availability zones. This functionality guarantees a superior degree of high availability and unmatched resiliency.
When you create an EKS cluster, you trust AWS to automatically handle and manage the Kubernetes control plane on your behalf. The integration with Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instances and AWS Fargate allows you to easily add worker nodes to the cluster, granting you the flexibility to tailor the deployment according to your specific needs.
EKS is inherently compatible with various other AWS services, such as Amazon Elastic File System (EFS), Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS), and Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3). Seamlessly integrating these services into the entire deployment process results in a cohesive and highly efficient experience for managing and deploying your containerized applications.
Learn more about how SentinelOne’s Singularity Cloud security solution works in conjunction with EKS to keep your organization secure.
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Read GuideBenefits of EKS
There are several benefits to using EKS for your containerized applications:
1. Fully Managed Kubernetes Service
With EKS, AWS manages the deployment, scaling, and operation of Kubernetes clusters for you. This eliminates the operational overhead of managing a Kubernetes cluster, allowing you to focus on running your applications.
2. High Availability & Scalability
EKS is designed to be highly available and scalable. It runs Kubernetes control plane instances across multiple availability zones, ensuring resiliency and reducing the risk of downtime. EKS also allows you to scale your applications horizontally and vertically as needed.
3. Security
EKS is designed with security in mind. It provides several security features, including VPC isolation, IAM roles for Kubernetes service accounts, and AWS Key Management Service (KMS) integration for encrypting secrets.
4. Ease of Use
EKS is easy to use, even if you’re new to Kubernetes. It provides a simple interface for deploying and managing your containerized applications and integrates seamlessly with other AWS services.
5. Cost Effectiveness
EKS is a cost-effective solution for running your containerized applications. You only pay for the resources you use, and there are no upfront costs or long-term commitments.
Use Cases for EKS
EKS is suitable for a wide range of use cases, including:
1. Web Applications
EKS is an excellent choice for deploying and managing web applications at scale. It allows you to easily scale your application up or down based on traffic demands without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.
2. Microservices
As an architectural style, microservices entail the decomposition of monolithic applications into smaller, self-contained services that can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently. The challenge lies in managing the complex network of these services, but with EKS, this task has become a breeze.
EKS provides a powerful platform for microservices management by allowing each service to run in its container, thus facilitating ease of updates, scaling, and management. EKS seamlessly integrates with popular microservices tools such as Istio, enabling enhanced traffic management and service mesh capabilities.
3. Machine Learning
EKS can be used for deploying and managing machine learning workloads at scale. You can use Kubernetes to deploy machine learning models and use AWS services, such as Amazon SageMaker, to build, train, and deploy your models.
4. Gaming Applications
EKS is a suitable choice for running gaming applications, which require high availability and scalability to handle sudden spikes in traffic. EKS can be used to deploy and manage game servers, as well as manage game state data.
5. DevOps
EKS can be part of a DevOps pipeline, providing a platform for continuously deploying and delivering containerized applications. With EKS, you can quickly deploy, update, and roll back your applications using Kubernetes tools and AWS services.
EKS is only one component in keeping your organization secure. Explore how SentinelOne’s Singularity Cloud Security platform can help protect your organization from ever evolving cyberattacks.
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Get a DemoElastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) Competitors
Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) has become popular for businesses looking to manage and scale containerized applications easily. As with any technology, EKS 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.
- 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.
- Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) – Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is another leading AKS competitor. It’s a managed Kubernetes service that runs on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and provides users with a powerful and easy-to-use platform for container orchestration. GKE boasts many of the same features as AKS, including automatic scaling, self-healing, and efficient resource utilization. However, GKE is explicitly designed for GCP 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 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
Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is a fully managed Kubernetes service that runs on AWS. EKS simplifies the deployment and management of containerized applications, allowing you to focus on running your applications rather than managing the infrastructure.
EKS provides several benefits, including fully managed Kubernetes service, high availability and scalability, security, ease of use, and cost-effectiveness. EKS is suitable for various use cases, including web applications, microservices, machine learning, gaming applications, and DevOps.
While EKS offers numerous benefits for managing containerized applications, security should always be a top concern for businesses. With the increasing frequency and severity of cyberattacks, a security solution like Singularity Cloud can help businesses stay protected against modern threats.
Singularity Cloud offers advanced endpoint protection and real-time threat prevention, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to detect and respond to threats in real time. This helps businesses prevent data breaches, avoid costly downtime, and ensure compliance with various regulations and standards.
By incorporating SentinelOne Cloud into their Kubernetes environments, businesses can add an extra layer of security to their containerized applications and protect themselves from cyber threats. As a result, customers can rest assured that their applications and data are safe and secure, allowing them to focus on achieving their business objectives without worrying about cybersecurity issues. Request a demo to know more.
Elastic Kubernetes Service FAQs
Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is Amazon’s fully managed Kubernetes offering. You spin up a cluster, and AWS handles the control plane—master nodes, API servers, and etcd—across multiple availability zones. You still launch worker nodes in EC2 or Fargate, but you don’t install or patch Kubernetes itself.
EKS gives you standard Kubernetes APIs and lets you run pods without wrestling with the orchestration layer.
With EKS, you get Kubernetes without the operational burden. AWS manages high-availability control planes, patches, and upgrades so you can focus on your apps. It hooks into IAM for authentication, VPC networking, load balancers, and CloudWatch logging.
Clusters auto-scale and span multiple zones, ensuring resilience. You also tap into AWS services—Fargate for serverless pods, ECR for image storage, and KMS for secrets—while using familiar Kubernetes tooling.
EKS shines when you need to run containerized workloads at scale or in hybrid setups. It’s ideal for microservices backends, web applications behind load balancers, and CI/CD pipelines. Machine learning training or inference on GPU-enabled nodes works too.
You can automate batch jobs with Spot instances for cost savings, deploy on-premises via EKS Anywhere, or burst into the cloud from self-managed data centers. EKS fits any workload needing Kubernetes consistency.
Securing EKS means guarding both control plane and data plane. Misconfigured IAM roles or overly broad Kubernetes RBAC can let attackers pivot. Public API endpoints or open worker nodes raise risk. Container image supply-chain flaws can sneak in malware. Network policies must isolate namespaces.
You need to patch node OS and Kubernetes versions regularly. Without proper logging, you miss suspicious pod execs or privilege escalations. EKS follows a shared model—AWS secures the control plane, you own the rest.
SentinelOne’s Singularity Cloud Workload Security brings real-time, AI-driven protection to EKS clusters. You deploy a lightweight agent as a DaemonSet on worker nodes or Fargate. It uses eBPF to watch container behavior, block ransomware or cryptomining, and roll back threats at machine speed.
Integration with AWS Marketplace and the EKS control plane gives you one console for EDR, CWPP, and threat hunting across EC2, ECS, and EKS workloads.