Is Kubernetes Right for Me? Choosing the Best Deployment Platform for Your Business

As your business grows and software needs change, it’s important to reevaluate your tech stack to meet your current goals.

This session explores the tradeoffs between DigitalOcean’s deployment platforms: Droplets, DOKS, and App Platform. We’ll walk through choosing the right platform for your business with common use case examples, and how to know when you should consider migrating to another solution.

Key takeaways

• Start with DOKS only if you’re already comfortable with Kubernetes
• Consider App Platform even if you have experience with Kubernetes
• Consider switching from Droplets when you need more automation
• Consider switching from App Platform when you need more flexibility
• Use Droplets if you need fast storage for critical data

Slides

DigitalOcean Droplets are Linux-based virtual machines (VMs) that run on top of virtualized hardware. Each Droplet you create is a new server you can use, either standalone or as part of a larger, cloud-based infrastructure. [Docs]

DigitalOcean Managed Kubernetes (DOKS) is a managed Kubernetes service that lets you deploy Kubernetes clusters without the complexities of handling the control plane and containerized infrastructure. Clusters are compatible with standard Kubernetes toolchains and integrate natively with DigitalOcean Load Balancers and block storage volumes. [Docs]

DigitalOcean App Platform is a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offering that allows developers to publish code directly to DigitalOcean servers without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. [Docs]

Adam Wolfe Gordon is a software engineer at DigitalOcean, where he currently serves as the tech lead for managed Kubernetes and container registry. He previously worked on block storage at DigitalOcean and EMC. Adam is a regular conference speaker and a frequent attendee of and presenter at local meetups in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He likes building and debugging microservices, observability, and occasional forays into lower-level software.