Overview

Choosing the right deployment option for the Kinetic Platform depends on your technical expertise, infrastructure preferences, and operational goals. This guide provides an in-depth look at the two available deployment options: Bring Your Own Kubernetes Cluster and Provided Kubernetes Installer, helping you determine the best fit for your needs.

Deployment Options

1. Bring Your Own Kubernetes Cluster

This option allows you to deploy the Kinetic Platform on your existing Kubernetes infrastructure, providing full control over configuration and customization.

Key Features:

Full Control: You manage the Kubernetes cluster, networking, storage, and can choose to bring your own ingress controller or use the nginx ingress controller provided with the Kinetic Platform installation.
Customization: Suitable for teams that need fine-grained control over Kubernetes resources.
Scalability: Ideal for organizations with large-scale production workloads requiring tailored optimizations.
Security & Compliance: Ideal for organizations who need their Kubernetes cluster to adhere to more strict security and compliance requirements.

Requirements:

Kubernetes cluster meeting the minimum requirements.
Must configure Kubernetes networking to be compatible with the Kinetic Platform.
Ensure Ingress controller setup is compatible with the Kinetic Platform if not using the provided one.
Storage must support mounted volumes and NFS, with a default storage class.

Best For:

Organizations with dedicated DevOps teams.
Companies with specific security and compliance requirements.
Companies already running Kubernetes environments.

2. Provided Kubernetes Installer

This option offers a pre-configured Kubernetes installation bundled with the Kinetic Platform, simplifying deployment.

Key Features:

Ease of Deployment: Includes an automated Kubernetes setup, requiring minimal expertise.
Pre-configured Kubernetes Networking: Ensures seamless compatibility with the Kinetic Platform.
Managed Storage: Comes with pre-configured storage to support mounted volumes.
Built-in Ingress Controller: No additional configuration needed for ingress management.

Requirements:

Server infrastructure that meets the minimum hardware and software requirements. See Detailed Requirements here.
Basic understanding of Kubernetes operations (optional but beneficial).

Best For:

Teams looking for a quick, hassle-free deployment.
Organizations without extensive Kubernetes expertise.
Startups and small businesses needing a cost-effective and efficient solution.
Proof-of-concept (PoC) and development environments.

Choosing the Right Deployment Option

The following table summarizes the key considerations of each deployment option:

Feature	Bring Your Own Kubernetes	Provided Kubernetes Install
Control	Full control over the Kubernetes setup	Pre-configured Kubernetes deployment
Ease of Use	Requires Kubernetes expertise	Easier, but limited customization
Kubernetes Network Setup	Must configure Kubernetes networking, ensuring compatibility with the Kinetic Platform installation	Preconfigured Kubernetes networking optimized for the Kinetic Platform
Ingress Controller	Ensure compatibility if using a custom ingress controller	Provided and managed by the installer
Storage	Requires support for mounted volumes and NFS, with a defined default storage class	Comes pre-configured for volume mounting
Recommended For	Advanced users, custom infra needs	Standardized deployments, faster setup, cost-efficient, PoC and development environments

Conclusion

Selecting the appropriate deployment method depends on your operational needs, expertise, and infrastructure capabilities. If you require complete control and have an existing Kubernetes setup, Bring Your Own Kubernetes is the right choice. However, if you prefer a hassle-free, pre-configured deployment, the Provided Kubernetes Installer is the recommended option.

For further details, refer to the specific deployment guides:

Bring Your Own Kubernetes - Detailed Guide

Provided Kubernetes Installer - Detailed Guide