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Google Kubernetes Engine pros and cons

Vendor: Google
4.0 out of 5

Pros & Cons summary

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Prominent pros & cons

PROS

Google Kubernetes Engine significantly reduces manual tasks by automating deployments and configurations, improving efficiency in the process.
It offers high stability with minimal downtime, ensuring reliable application performance.
The platform allows easy and rapid scaling of applications to accommodate increasing loads or customer growth.
Google Kubernetes Engine supports extensive integrations with other Google services like BigQuery and VertexAI, which facilitates enhanced data analysis and machine learning capabilities.
It provides powerful security features that integrate well with multiple DevOps tools, enhancing safeguarding measures across deployments.

CONS

Security features need enhancement, particularly regarding application-level security and integration of standard security tools within the package.
Network configuration and cluster production readiness are perceived as too complex, requiring simplification and better configuration capabilities.
Documentation is often unclear and outdated, making it difficult for users to find necessary information and implement features effectively.
Pricing is considered high, and there is a desire for more competitive costs and efficient cost management notifications.
Monitoring features require improvement, as the current monitoring consoles are considered insufficient for effective observability and management.
 

Google Kubernetes Engine Pros review quotes

Patryk Golabek - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 26, 2021
The deployment of the cluster is very easy.
Patryk Golabek - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 28, 2023
The main advantage of GKE is that it is a managed service. This means that Google is responsible for managing the master node in the Kubernetes cluster system. As a result, we can focus on deploying applications to the slaves, while Google handles any updates and security patches. The fact that GKE is fully integrated into the Google ecosystem, including solutions such as BigQuery and VertexAI. This makes it easier for us to integrate these tools into our process. This integration ultimately speeds up our time to market and reduces the time and effort spent on managing infrastructure. The managed aspect of GKE allows us to simply deploy and utilize it without having to worry about the technicalities of infrastructure management.
RM
Oct 9, 2023
The initial setup is very easy. We can create our cluster using the command line, or using our console.
Learn what your peers think about Google Kubernetes Engine. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
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reviewer2313954 - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 23, 2023
On the tip of a command, you can scale in or scale out, and it offers every robust platform to implement DevOps processes for your automation solutions. The product fully supports the IaC concept.
Dinesh-Patil - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 18, 2023
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) takes care of managing Kubernetes, including the main control plane. It also offers solutions for monitoring resources and handling external traffic, which is essential for us. Being a cloud-native solution, it relieves us from worrying about these operational aspects.
VB
May 22, 2019
Before using this solution, it was a lot of manual tasks and a lot of people participated in the process.
Javad_Talebi - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 1, 2024
Stability is perfect for me.
Yossi Shmulevitch - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 19, 2023
We used automation for the initial setup. It was okay. So it wasn't too complex.
reviewer2561130 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 26, 2024
The most beneficial feature is the ability to separate each project and manage permissions more effectively.
GD
Aug 15, 2022
The feature that I like the most is the ease of use as compared to AWS. Its ease of use is very high, and I can quickly deploy clusters with a simple template.
 

Google Kubernetes Engine Cons review quotes

Patryk Golabek - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 26, 2021
Our critique is that we have to do too much work to get the cluster production-ready.
Patryk Golabek - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 28, 2023
While the GKE cluster is secure, application-level security is an essential aspect that needs to be addressed. The security provided by GKE includes the security of communication between nodes within the cluster and the basic features of Kubernetes security. However, these features may not be sufficient for the security needs of an enterprise. Additional security measures must be added to ensure adequate protection. It has become a common practice to deploy security tools within a Kubernetes cluster. It would be ideal if these tools were included as part of the package, as this is a standard requirement in the industry. Thus, application-level security should be integrated into GKE for improved security measures.
RM
Oct 9, 2023
I would like to see the ability to create multiple notebook configurations.
Learn what your peers think about Google Kubernetes Engine. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
815,690 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2313954 - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 23, 2023
The product's stability is an area of concern where improvements are required.
Dinesh-Patil - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 18, 2023
There is room for improvement in the cluster updates process. Specifically, when managing both non-production and production clusters, we need a sequential functionality.
VB
May 22, 2019
I think that security is an important point, and there should be additional features for the evaluation of data in containers that will create a more secure environment for usage in multi-parent models.
Javad_Talebi - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 1, 2024
The pricing could be more competitive. It should be cheaper.
Yossi Shmulevitch - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 19, 2023
One of the things I missed a bit is the visibility and availability of solutions. If I compare it to a different solution, it is a bit behind.
reviewer2561130 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sep 26, 2024
The primary area for improvement would be the complexity involved when working with Google Kubernetes Engine, especially when using Terraform.
GD
Aug 15, 2022
Their documentation is a little here and there. Sometimes, the information is not clear or updated. Their documentation should be a little bit better.