# [[How to implement Kubernetes]] [[Kubernetes]] is often thought of as running on the cloud, but that doesn't have to be the case. Kubernetes is a method for deployment by [[Containerization]]; it does not require an application to be deployed on the cloud. Below are different ways to implement Kubernetes. ## Self-hosted k8s can be deployed on-premise, such as in data centres or physical servers controlled by a company. However, such a setup includes significant complexity. Aside from the benefits of cloud deployments, the lack of a managed services means there are a lot of things that you'll need to do on your own to get Kubernetes properly deployed, such as: - Provisioning control plane nodes - Setting up certificates - Encrypting data - Installing [[etcd]] - Installing k8s controller manager - Provisioning worker nodes (one or more baremetal machines) - Installing container runtime, kubelet, kube-proxy - Setting up networking and DNS - Automating all this! [^rightforyou] Managing your own control plane is incredibly complicated, so unless you have people on your team that really know what they're doing, consider the other options below instead! ## [[Managed Kubernetes Services]] Managed Kubernetes services implement [[Kubernetes]] as a platform, making it a significantly simpler option for deploying Kubernetes than the self-hosted version. ## [[Serverless Kubernetes Services]] These are built on top of managed Kubernetes services, but offer you the ability to run workloads on clusters without you needing to set up and manage the nodes that they're running on. ## Which should I do? - Most people should go with the managed Kubernetes services or higher levels of abstraction. - If you will use all of the features and need the complexity and sophistication of full Kubernetes, use a managed cluster. Otherwise, use the higher levels of abstraction. [^palas] [^palas]: Palas, S. (2022). _Should you self-host Kubernetes?_ Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk0xrN4crqg [^rightforyou]: Palas, S. (2022). _Is Kubernetes right for you?_ Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLygD4A-Mco