Amazon EKS vs kops: What are the differences?

1. Amazon EKS: Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is a managed Kubernetes service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS). It simplifies the process of running Kubernetes on AWS by taking care of the undifferentiated heavy lifting tasks such as cluster management, scaling, and infrastructure provisioning.

2. kops: kops, short for Kubernetes Operations, is a command-line utility that helps in the creation, management, and upgrading of Kubernetes clusters. It is an open-source tool developed by the Kubernetes community and can be used on various cloud platforms or on-premises environments.

3. Managed Service vs. Self-management: The key difference between Amazon EKS and kops is the level of management provided. EKS is a managed service, which means that AWS handles the underlying infrastructure, updates, and maintenance of the Kubernetes clusters. On the other hand, kops requires manual configuration and management of the infrastructure, making it more suitable for users who prefer more control and customization.

4. Integration with AWS Services: Another important difference is the integration with other AWS services. EKS seamlessly integrates with various AWS services such as Amazon S3, Amazon RDS, and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), allowing for easy integration and utilization of these services. kops, being a more generic tool, does not have the same level of native integration, requiring manual configuration and integration efforts.

5. Ease of Deployment: EKS provides an easy deployment experience with simplified cluster creation and management through the AWS Management Console, CLI, or API. It abstracts away many of the complexities involved in setting up and managing a Kubernetes cluster. On the other hand, kops requires more manual configuration and set up, making it suitable for users who are comfortable with managing infrastructure and have specific requirements.

6. Cost Structure: The cost structure differs between EKS and kops. EKS follows the AWS pricing model, where users pay for the resources consumed by the cluster, such as EC2 instances and storage. kops, being a tool for self-management, allows users to choose their own infrastructure provider and pricing model. This can give users more flexibility and potentially cost savings, depending on their specific needs and choice of infrastructure provider.

In Summary, Amazon EKS is a managed Kubernetes service provided by AWS that simplifies cluster management and integrates with various AWS services, while kops is a self-management tool that requires more manual configuration and offers more flexibility in terms of infrastructure and cost.