Kubernetes has become the go-to platform for container orchestration, and cloud providers like AWS and GCP offer managed Kubernetes services to simplify deployment and management. However, choosing between Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) often comes down to cost.
In this blog, we’ll break down the costs of running Kubernetes on AWS vs. GCP, covering compute, networking, storage, and additional services. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of which platform might be more cost-effective for your use case.
Key Factors to Consider in Kubernetes Cost Comparison
When comparing AWS EKS and GCP GKE, consider the following cost components:
- Compute Costs: The cost of running worker nodes (EC2 instances on AWS, GCE VMs on GCP).
- Control Plane Costs: The cost of the Kubernetes control plane (managed by AWS or GCP).
- Networking Costs: Data transfer, load balancers, and ingress/egress fees.
- Storage Costs: Persistent volumes and object storage.
- Additional Services: Managed databases, monitoring, and logging.
1. Compute Costs
AWS EKS
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Worker Nodes: EKS itself is free, but you pay for the EC2 instances running your worker nodes.
- Example: An m5.large instance (2 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM) costs $0.096/hour (on-demand).
- Spot Instances can reduce costs by up to 90%.
-
Fargate: For serverless workloads, Fargate charges based on vCPU and memory usage.
- Example: 0.04048pervCPU/hour ∗∗ and ∗∗ 0.04048pervCPU/hour ∗∗ and ∗∗ 0.004445 per GB/hour.
GCP GKE
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Worker Nodes: GKE charges for the underlying Compute Engine VMs.
- Example: An n2-standard-2 instance (2 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM) costs $0.097/hour (on-demand).
- Preemptible VMs can reduce costs by up to 80%.
-
Autopilot: GKE Autopilot abstracts node management and charges based on resource requests.
- Example: 0.10pervCPU/hour∗∗and∗∗0.10pervCPU/hour∗∗and∗∗0.011 per GB/hour.
Verdict:
- AWS is slightly cheaper for on-demand instances, but GCP offers better discounts with preemptible VMs.
- GKE Autopilot simplifies cost management but may be more expensive for resource-intensive workloads.
2. Control Plane Costs
AWS EKS
- 0.10perhour∗∗percluster(approximately∗∗0.10perhour∗∗percluster(approximately∗∗73/month).
GCP GKE
- Free for standard clusters.
- Zonal clusters are free, while regional clusters (for high availability) cost $0.10 per hour per cluster.
Verdict:
- GCP is more cost-effective for standard clusters, while AWS and GCP are comparable for high-availability setups.
3. Networking Costs
AWS EKS
-
Load Balancers:
- Classic Load Balancer (CLB): 0.025/hour∗∗+∗∗0.025/hour∗∗+∗∗0.008 per GB processed.
- Network Load Balancer (NLB): 0.0225/hour∗∗+∗∗0.0225/hour∗∗+∗∗0.006 per GB processed.
-
Data Transfer:
- Ingress: Free.
- Egress: $0.09 per GB (to the internet).
GCP GKE
-
Load Balancers:
- HTTP(S) Load Balancer: 0.025/hour∗∗+∗∗0.025/h __o_ u_r∗∗+∗∗0.008 per GB processed.
-
Data Transfer:
- Ingress: Free.
- Egress: $0.12 per GB (to the internet).
Verdict:
- AWS is cheaper for egress traffic, while load balancer costs are comparable.
4. Storage Costs
AWS EKS
-
EBS Volumes:
- General Purpose SSD (gp3): $0.08 per GB/month.
- Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2): $0.125 per GB/month.
- S3 Object Storage: $0.023 per GB/month.
GCP GKE
-
Persistent Disks:
- Standard Persistent Disk: $0.04 per GB/month.
- SSD Persistent Disk: $0.17 per GB/month.
- Cloud Storage: $0.02 per GB/month.
Verdict:
- GCP is cheaper for standard storage, while AWS offers more flexibility with EBS volume types.
5. Additional Services
AWS EKS
- RDS (Managed Databases): Starts at $0.018/hour for a db.t3.micro instance.
- CloudWatch (Monitoring): $0.30 per GB of log data ingested.
GCP GKE
- Cloud SQL (Managed Databases): Starts at $0.015/hour for a db-f1-micro instance.
- Cloud Operations Suite (Monitoring): Free tier includes 50 GB/month of logs.
Verdict:
- GCP is slightly cheaper for managed databases and offers a more generous free tier for monitoring.
Total Cost Comparison
Let’s compare the total cost of running a small Kubernetes cluster (3 nodes, 2 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM each) for a month:
AWS EKS
- Compute: 3 x m5.large x 730 hours = $210.24.
- Control Plane: $73.
- Load Balancer: 1 x NLB x 730 hours = $16.43.
- Storage: 100 GB gp3 EBS = $8.
- Total: $307.67.
GCP GKE
- Compute: 3 x n2-standard-2 x 730 hours = $212.43.
- Control Plane: $0 (standard cluster).
- Load Balancer: 1 x HTTP(S) LB x 730 hours = $18.25.
- Storage: 100 GB Standard Persistent Disk = $4.
- Total: $234.68.
Verdict:
- GCP GKE is cheaper for this example, primarily due to the free control plane and lower storage costs.
When to Choose AWS EKS
- You need advanced networking features (e.g., AWS VPC, Transit Gateway).
- You’re already using other AWS services (e.g., RDS, S3).
- You want to leverage Spot Instances for significant cost savings.
When to Choose GCP GKE
- You want a simpler, more cost-effective control plane.
- You’re using GCP’s AI/ML services (e.g., TPUs, Vertex AI).
- You prefer preemptible VMs for cost savings.
Conclusion
Both AWS EKS and GCP GKE offer robust managed Kubernetes services, but the cost difference depends on your workload and usage patterns. GCP GKE tends to be more cost-effective for small to medium workloads, while AWS EKS offers greater flexibility and integration with AWS services.
Before making a decision, evaluate your specific requirements, such as compute needs, storage usage, and networking patterns. Use the cloud provider’s pricing calculators to estimate costs accurately.
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