HowToBuildDevOps · Platform
Kubernetes
A system for automating deployment and operation of containerized applications.
- License
- Apache-2.0
- Cost
- Open Source
- Self-host
- Yes
Overview
Kubernetes provides a common control plane for scheduling, networking, configuration, and resilience across clusters.
Why it is interesting
Why pay attention
It remains the central interoperability layer for teams that genuinely need a programmable container platform.
Editorial status
Included for comparison and context.
Best for
- Multi-service platforms with dedicated operations capacity
- Workloads requiring portable orchestration
Not ideal for
- Small products without staff to operate a cluster
Open source & pricing
Open Source
The software is free; cluster infrastructure and managed services carry costs.
GitHub momentum
★ 128,823
- Last 7 days
- +128
- Last 30 days
- +656
- Evidence
- 10/3/2026–11/2/2026 · complete window
Sources checked
Canonical project facts and open-source licensemaintainer · Sep 4, 2026