- Home
- Auto Scaling Software
- Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service
Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service
Seattle, Washington, United States
What it is
Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is a managed Kubernetes service for building, running, and scaling applications across cloud, on-premises, and edge environments. It manages the Kubernetes control plane across three AWS Availability Zones and replaces unhealthy nodes automatically. Applications can run on Amazon EC2 or AWS Fargate. EKS Auto Mode automates compute, storage, and networking provisioning, scaling, operating-system patching, and add-on management. Hybrid Nodes, AWS Outposts, and EKS Anywhere support hybrid deployments, while Kubernetes conformance supports upstream-compatible applications and tools. Integrations include IAM role-based access control, VPC pod networking, and Application Load Balancers. EKS Capabilities provides managed Argo CD for multi-cluster GitOps. AWS describes security as shared responsibility, leaving customers responsible for guest operating systems, application software, and security-group configuration. There are no minimum fees or upfront commitments, but worker resources and related traffic are billed separately. Standard version support is $0.10 a month, billed per cluster hour.
For and against
For
- Managed control plane spans three Availability Zones
- Runs workloads on EC2 or Fargate
- Auto Mode automates infrastructure operations
- Supports cloud, on-premises, and edge deployments
- Managed Argo CD supports multi-cluster GitOps
Against
- Worker resources incur separate charges
- Customers retain security responsibilities
- Technical support is unavailable on Basic Support
- Extended Kubernetes support costs more
The verdict
EKS provides managed Kubernetes operations with AWS integrations and hybrid deployment choices. Budget for worker resources, traffic, and control-plane support, and define the security tasks your team must handle.
Who it suits
It suits organizations running Kubernetes workloads across AWS, hybrid, or edge environments. Teams needing autoscaling, multi-cluster management, and managed GitOps can use its listed capabilities.
Plans and prices
Standard Kubernetes version support
Per cluster; standard support lasts 14 months after a Kubernetes version is released
Read 30 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Extended Kubernetes version support
Per cluster; applies for the 12 months after standard support ends
Read 30 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Provisioned Control Plane XL
XL scaling tier
Read 30 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Provisioned Control Plane 2XL
2XL scaling tier
Read 30 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Provisioned Control Plane 4XL
4XL scaling tier
Read 30 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
Provisioned Control Plane 8XL
8XL scaling tier
Read 30 Sep 2026 · aws.amazon.com
On the record
- Auto Mode
- EKS Auto Mode automates compute, storage, and networking infrastructure provisioning, scaling, operating system patching, and add-on management.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- AWS integrations
- EKS integrates with AWS IAM for role-based access control, VPC for pod-level networking, and Application Load Balancers for load distribution.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Compute
- EKS supports running Kubernetes applications on Amazon EC2 and AWS Fargate.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Hybrid deployments
- EKS supports workloads across cloud, on-premises, and edge environments using Hybrid Nodes, AWS Outposts, or EKS Anywhere.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Intended workloads
- AWS describes EKS use cases including generative AI, internal development platforms, data platforms, distributed hybrid applications, and application modernization.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Kubernetes compatibility
- EKS is Kubernetes-conformant and supports applications and community tools compatible with upstream Kubernetes.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Managed control plane
- EKS manages Kubernetes control plane availability and scalability across three AWS Availability Zones and replaces unhealthy control plane nodes automatically.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Managed GitOps
- EKS Capabilities provides fully managed Argo CD for GitOps deployment and management across multiple clusters.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Pricing scope
- EKS has no minimum fees or upfront commitments, while worker-node resources such as EC2 instances, EBS volumes, public IPv4 addresses, and cross-AZ traffic are charged separately.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- Amazon EKS is a managed Kubernetes service for building, running, and scaling production-ready applications across environments.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Security and compliance
- AWS states that it supports 143 security standards and compliance certifications, including PCI-DSS, HIPAA/HITECH, FedRAMP, GDPR, FIPS 140-3, and NIST 800-171.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Shared responsibility
- AWS describes security and compliance as shared responsibility; customers manage guest operating systems, associated application software, and configuration of AWS-provided security group firewalls.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
- Support
- AWS lists technical support for service-related technical issues and says it is unavailable under the Basic Support Plan.aws.amazon.com · read 30 Sep 2026
