Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions from platform engineers and procurement teams.
Technical FAQ
Do I need to run anything besides nodes?
You run nodes (bare metal or VMs). K8S Engine runs the control plane and etcd, plus lifecycle tooling. No additional infrastructure is required on your side.
Do you support GitOps?
Yes. K8S Engine is Kubernetes-native. Use ArgoCD, Flux, or any GitOps tooling as you normally would. The control plane is fully compatible with standard Kubernetes APIs.
Can I use multiple providers in one cluster?
Yes, via Node Pools. You can create pools for different providers and use labels, taints, and affinity rules to steer workloads. Storage strategy should be defined—primary provider recommended for simplicity.
How does autoscaling work across providers?
Node Pools use Cluster API for provisioning. Each pool can have independent min/max settings. Scaling events are explainable and audited. Scale-down respects pod disruption budgets.
Is CSI really automatic?
Yes—clusters are configured with a CSI driver and a default StorageClass so PVCs work immediately. You can add additional StorageClasses for specific requirements.
What Kubernetes versions do you support?
We support the three most recent minor versions of Kubernetes. Upgrades are tested and rolled out with compatibility guardrails. You control when upgrades happen via maintenance windows.
Buyer FAQ
Is this vendor lock-in?
It reduces lock-in: your compute stays in your accounts/hardware, and workloads remain standard Kubernetes. You can migrate workloads to any Kubernetes cluster at any time.
What happens if K8S Engine is unavailable?
Your workloads keep running on nodes. Control plane operations (deployments, scaling) may be impacted. Enterprise tiers offer higher availability SLAs and priority support.
Do you charge for cloud infrastructure?
No. Nodes run in your accounts or on your hardware. You pay your infrastructure provider directly. K8S Engine pricing reflects the operational value: reliability, security, upgrades, and governance.
Can we start small?
Yes—start with one cluster on the free tier and scale as needed. Upgrade to Pro when you need production SLAs and autoscaling.
What compliance certifications do you have?
We are working toward SOC 2 Type II certification. Enterprise customers can request our security documentation and compliance reports.
Still have questions?
We're happy to answer questions about K8S Engine, discuss your use case, or help you evaluate whether it's a good fit.