AWS EKS Pricing: Understanding EKS Costs

Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is one of the most widely used managed Kubernetes services for running containerized applications on AWS. It enables businesses to deploy and scale applications seamlessly, while AWS handles the complex tasks of managing the Kubernetes control plane. However, understanding EKS pricing is critical for cost management, especially as cloud infrastructure costs can vary significantly based on deployment options, storage needs, and additional services.

This guide will break down the various aspects of EKS pricing, including compute options like Amazon EC2, AWS Fargate, and AWS OutPosts, and offer strategies to optimize your costs. With this understanding, you will be better equipped to choose the right pricing model and manage your Kubernetes workloads efficiently on AWS.

What is Amazon EKS?

Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is a fully managed service that simplifies the deployment and management of Kubernetes clusters on AWS. Kubernetes is a powerful container orchestration platform that automates application container deployment, scaling, and operations. With Amazon EKS, AWS runs and manages the Kubernetes control plane, freeing up developers to focus on their application workloads.

Deployment Options for EKS

EKS offers flexibility in how you deploy workloads, with three primary options:

• Amazon EC2: You can use Amazon EC2 instances as the worker nodes for your Kubernetes clusters, giving you full control over the underlying infrastructure.
• AWS Fargate: Fargate provides a serverless compute engine, allowing you to run containers without managing EC2 instances or worrying about provisioning infrastructure.
• AWS OutPosts: For businesses with hybrid cloud environments, AWS OutPosts allows you to run Kubernetes clusters on-premises while maintaining the same operational experience as in the cloud.

Each option offers different pricing models and cost structures, which will impact your overall expenses.

How Does Amazon EKS Work?

EKS Architecture

The EKS architecture consists of two main components: the Kubernetes control plane and the worker nodes. The control plane manages Kubernetes components such as the API server, etcd database, and scheduler, while the worker nodes run the containerized applications.

• Control Plane: The control plane is managed by AWS, offering high availability and automatic scaling. It runs across multiple Availability Zones to ensure resilience and uptime.
• Worker Nodes: Worker nodes can be deployed using EC2 instances, AWS Fargate, or AWS OutPosts, depending on your specific needs.

Compute Options for EKS Workloads

When deploying workloads on EKS, you have several options for managing the compute resources:

• Amazon EC2: If you choose EC2 instances, you are responsible for provisioning and managing the instances used to run your containers. This offers flexibility in selecting instance types, storage options, and network configurations.
• AWS Fargate: Fargate is a serverless compute service where AWS automatically provisions the underlying infrastructure. You do not have to manage any servers, making it a good choice for workloads with unpredictable demand.
• AWS OutPosts: For organizations that require a hybrid cloud approach, AWS OutPosts lets you run Kubernetes clusters on-premises. OutPosts provide the same AWS services, APIs, and infrastructure management as in the cloud but with the benefit of local data residency.

How Does EKS Pricing Work?

Amazon EKS pricing consists of a combination of control plane charges and infrastructure costs. Understanding these components is essential for managing your overall cloud expenditure.

Per-Cluster Hourly Charge

Amazon EKS charges $0.10 per hour for each Kubernetes cluster you run. This fee covers the cost of the Kubernetes control plane, which AWS manages across multiple Availability Zones for high availability and scalability. The control plane includes essential components like the Kubernetes API server and etcd database.

Additional Infrastructure Charges

In addition to the per-cluster hourly charge, there are infrastructure costs based on the compute and storage resources you use for your worker nodes. These costs vary depending on whether you use EC2 instances, AWS Fargate, or AWS OutPosts to run your applications. Other costs include storage, data transfer, and networking services like Elastic Load Balancers (ELBs).

• Storage Costs: If you use EBS (Elastic Block Store) for persistent storage, you will be charged based on the amount of storage you use and the performance tier.
• Networking Costs: Data transfer charges may apply if you transfer data across different AWS regions or use Elastic Load Balancers to distribute traffic to your applications.

Pricing for Amazon EKS with Amazon EC2

Amazon EC2 Pricing for EKS

The cost of using Amazon EC2 instances for your EKS worker nodes depends on the EC2 instance type and the resources you provision. EC2 offers a wide range of instance types, each suited to different workloads. Pricing for EC2-based EKS deployments includes:

1. Instance Type: The type of EC2 instance you choose affects pricing. For example, a t3.micro instance is much cheaper than a m5.large instance but may not provide the necessary CPU or memory for larger workloads.
2. EBS Storage: If you use Amazon EBS for persistent storage, you will incur additional costs based on the size of the storage volume and the performance level you select (e.g., gp2, io1).
3. Elastic Load Balancing (ELB): If you need to distribute traffic to multiple nodes, you will pay for the Elastic Load Balancer based on the volume of data processed and the number of active load balancers.

Cost Optimization with EC2 Instances

To reduce the cost of running EC2 instances, AWS offers pricing models such as:

• Reserved Instances (RIs): By committing to one or three-year terms, you can save up to 72% compared to On-Demand pricing.
• Spot Instances: Spot instances allow you to take advantage of unused EC2 capacity, offering discounts of up to 90%. This is ideal for workloads that are not time-sensitive or mission-critical.

Pricing for Amazon EKS with AWS Fargate

Serverless Compute with AWS Fargate

AWS Fargate provides a serverless compute engine for running containers without the need to manage EC2 instances. Fargate pricing is based on the amount of vCPU and memory your containers use, making it ideal for applications with fluctuating resource requirements.

Fargate Pricing Breakdown

The Fargate pricing model charges you based on the following:

• vCPU Pricing: Fargate costs $0.04048 per vCPU per hour.
• Memory Pricing: You are also charged $0.004445 per GB of memory per hour.

While Fargate can be more expensive than EC2 for large-scale applications, it is perfect for environments where server management overhead is undesirable or for applications with unpredictable workloads.

Pricing for Amazon EKS with AWS OutPosts

Hybrid Cloud with AWS OutPosts

AWS OutPosts allows businesses to extend AWS infrastructure to their on-premises data centers. This is useful for industries with compliance or data residency requirements, enabling them to run Kubernetes clusters locally while leveraging the power of AWS.

Pricing Considerations for AWS OutPosts

The pricing for AWS OutPosts includes both hardware and operational costs:

• Hardware Costs: OutPosts requires an initial investment in hardware, which is determined based on the amount of compute and storage required for your workloads.
• Additional Charges: You will also incur operational charges for services like support, maintenance, and updates to the on-premises hardware.

AWS OutPosts pricing can be higher due to the upfront hardware investment, but it provides flexibility for hybrid cloud deployments where data needs to remain on-premises.

Extended Support for Amazon Kubernetes Pricing

Extended Kubernetes Support Costs

EKS typically supports the latest three versions of Kubernetes, and AWS encourages users to upgrade their clusters regularly. Running older versions of Kubernetes can lead to additional support costs as these versions may no longer receive security patches or feature updates from AWS.

Version Maintenance Fees

Keeping older versions of Kubernetes in operation may require extended support, which can increase your operational expenses. It is recommended to upgrade to the latest stable versions of Kubernetes to avoid these additional costs and benefit from new features and security improvements.

Factors That Influence EKS Pricing

Several key factors can influence the overall cost of running workloads on Amazon EKS:

Key Influencing Factors

1. EC2 Instance Type: The instance type you choose for your EC2 worker nodes directly impacts the cost. Larger, more powerful instances will cost more than smaller, less capable instances.
2. Storage: Using Amazon EBS for persistent data storage adds to the overall cost, especially if you require high-performance SSDs.
3. Networking: If your application requires heavy data transfer between AWS regions or uses Elastic Load Balancers, you will incur additional charges for networking.
4. Cluster Size: The more worker nodes you have in your cluster, the higher the infrastructure costs will be.
5. Kubernetes Version: Running older versions of Kubernetes may incur higher support fees if extended support is required.

Understanding EKS Pricing and How to Optimize Them

Cost Optimization Strategies

There are several ways to optimize the cost of running Amazon EKS:

1. Reserved Instances (RIs): Committing to Reserved Instances for one or three years can offer significant savings compared to On-Demand pricing. This is particularly useful for workloads with predictable resource needs.
2. Spot Instances: EC2 Spot Instances allow you to run workloads at a fraction of the cost by taking advantage of unused AWS capacity. This is ideal for non-critical or flexible workloads.
3. Savings Plans: AWS Savings Plans provide flexibility in using compute resources and offer savings similar to Reserved Instances. With Savings Plans, you commit to a certain usage over a set period.

Tools for Managing EKS Costs

AWS provides several tools to help you monitor and manage your EKS costs:

• AWS Cost Explorer: This tool allows you to visualize and analyze your cost and usage patterns over time, helping you identify opportunities for cost savings.
• AWS Pricing Calculator: The EKS Pricing Calculator helps you estimate the cost of running your Kubernetes clusters based on the number of worker nodes, instance types, and other variables.
• CloudWatch: Use CloudWatch to monitor your EKS resource utilization and optimize performance by scaling resources up or down as needed.

Conclusion

Amazon EKS offers a range of pricing models depending on your compute choices, whether you opt for EC2 instances, AWS Fargate, or AWS OutPosts. By understanding the various pricing components, such as control plane costs, infrastructure usage, and support fees, you can make informed decisions to optimize your Kubernetes costs on AWS.

To further reduce costs, leverage tools like AWS Cost Explorer and consider using Reserved Instances, Spot Instances, or Savings Plans. With the right strategies, you can manage your EKS pricing efficiently and align your infrastructure costs with your business needs.