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Kubernetes Cost Optimization: A Practical Guide


Kubernetes Cost Optimization


We reduced our K8s costs by 40% without sacrificing reliability. Here's how.


Right-Sizing Pods


Most pods are over-provisioned. Use:

  • VPA (Vertical Pod Autoscaler) for recommendations
  • Historical metrics to set realistic requests/limits
  • Goldilocks for optimization suggestions

    • Node Optimization


  • **Spot instances** for non-critical workloads (50-70% savings)
  • **Node groups** with different instance types
  • **Cluster autoscaler** for dynamic scaling
  • **Karpenter** for advanced provisioning

    • Resource Quotas


    Enforce quotas per namespace to prevent runaway costs.


    Storage Optimization


  • Delete unused PVCs
  • Use cheaper storage classes where appropriate
  • Enable volume expansion instead of recreating

    • Monitoring


    Tools we use:

  • Kubecost for cost attribution
  • Prometheus + Grafana for resource usage
  • Cloud provider cost explorers

    • Savings: $15K → $9K per month on our main cluster.