Best Container Orchestration Software for Kubernetes

Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) is a comprehensive container orchestration platform that is fully managed. Notable clients like Duolingo, Samsung, GE, and Cook Pad rely on ECS to operate their critical applications due to its robust security, dependability, and ability to scale. There are multiple advantages to utilizing ECS for container management. For one, users can deploy their ECS clusters using AWS Fargate, which provides serverless computing specifically designed for containerized applications. By leveraging Fargate, customers eliminate the need for server provisioning and management, allowing them to allocate costs based on their application's resource needs while enhancing security through inherent application isolation. Additionally, ECS plays a vital role in Amazon’s own infrastructure, powering essential services such as Amazon SageMaker, AWS Batch, Amazon Lex, and the recommendation system for Amazon.com, which demonstrates ECS’s extensive testing and reliability in terms of security and availability. This makes ECS not only a practical option but a proven choice for organizations looking to optimize their container operations efficiently.

Deploy sophisticated applications using a secure and managed Kubernetes platform. GKE serves as a robust solution for running both stateful and stateless containerized applications, accommodating a wide range of needs from AI and ML to various web and backend services, whether they are simple or complex. Take advantage of innovative features, such as four-way auto-scaling and streamlined management processes. Enhance your setup with optimized provisioning for GPUs and TPUs, utilize built-in developer tools, and benefit from multi-cluster support backed by site reliability engineers. Quickly initiate your projects with single-click cluster deployment. Enjoy a highly available control plane with the option for multi-zonal and regional clusters to ensure reliability. Reduce operational burdens through automatic repairs, upgrades, and managed release channels. With security as a priority, the platform includes built-in vulnerability scanning for container images and robust data encryption. Benefit from integrated Cloud Monitoring that provides insights into infrastructure, applications, and Kubernetes-specific metrics, thereby accelerating application development without compromising on security. This comprehensive solution not only enhances efficiency but also fortifies the overall integrity of your deployments.

Pliant offers a robust solution for IT Process Automation that simplifies, enhances, and secures the way teams create and implement automation. By minimizing human errors, ensuring compliance, and boosting overall efficiency, Pliant serves as an invaluable resource. Users can easily incorporate existing automation or develop new workflows through a unified orchestration interface. The platform provides reliable governance that maintains compliance through practical, built-in features. By abstracting thousands of vendor APIs, Pliant creates intelligent action blocks that empower users to simply drag and drop, eliminating the need for repetitive coding. Citizen developers can seamlessly construct effective and uniform automation across various platforms, services, and applications within minutes, thereby maximizing the value of their entire technology ecosystem from a single interface. Furthermore, with the capability to integrate new APIs in just 15 business days, Pliant ensures that any non-standard requirements will be addressed in a leading timeframe, keeping your automation capabilities up to date. This efficiency allows teams to remain agile and responsive in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

Portainer Business makes managing containers easy. It is designed to be deployed from the data centre to the edge and works with Docker, Swarm and Kubernetes. It is trusted by more than 500K users. With its super-simple GUI and its comprehensive Kube-compatible API, Portainer Business makes it easy for anyone to deploy and manage container-based applications, triage container-related issues, set up automate Git-based workflows and build CaaS environments that end users love to use. Portainer Business works with all K8s distros and can be deployed on prem and/or in the cloud. It is designed to be used in team environments where there are multiple users and multiple clusters. The product incorporates a range of security features - including RBAC, OAuth integration and logging, which makes it suitable for use in large, complex production environments. For platform managers responsible for delivering a self-service CaaS environment, Portainer includes a suite of features that help control what users can / can't do and significantly reduces the risks associated with running containers in prod. Portainer Business is fully supported and includes a comprehensive onboarding experience that ensures you get up and running.

Akamai Cloud (previously known as Linode) provides a next-generation distributed cloud platform built for performance, portability, and scalability. It allows developers to deploy and manage cloud-native applications globally through a robust suite of services including Essential Compute, Managed Databases, Kubernetes Engine, and Object Storage. Designed to lower cloud spend, Akamai offers flat pricing, predictable billing, and reduced egress costs without compromising on power or flexibility. Businesses can access GPU-accelerated instances to drive AI, ML, and media workloads with unmatched efficiency. Its edge-first infrastructure ensures ultra-low latency, enabling applications to deliver exceptional user experiences across continents. Akamai Cloud’s architecture emphasizes portability—helping organizations avoid vendor lock-in by supporting open technologies and multi-cloud interoperability. Comprehensive support and developer-focused tools simplify migration, application optimization, and scaling. Whether for startups or enterprises, Akamai Cloud delivers global reach and superior performance for modern workloads.

Our platform allows you create distributed coding and data science processes with contractors, freelancers, and developers located anywhere. They work on their own devices, while auditing your data and ensuring data security. Strong Network has created a multi-cloud platform we call Virtual Workspace Infrastructure. It allows companies to securely unify their access to their global data science and coding processes via a simple web browser. The VWI platform is an integral component of their DevSecOps process. It doesn't require integration with existing CI/CD pipelines. Process security is focused on data, code, and other critical resources. The platform automates the principles and implementation of Zero-Trust Architecture, protecting the most valuable IP assets of the company.

Platform9 Private Cloud Director turns existing servers and storage into a fully featured private cloud. It provides a fast and efficient method for organizations to migrate away from VMware, with minimal disruption. Enterprise IT teams get a familiar virtualization management experience and a true drop-in replacement for VMware vSphere features, offering all critical enterprise features out of the box: Virtual Machine (VM) High Availability, live migration (vMotion equivalent), Dynamic Resource Rebalancing (VMware DRS equivalent), VM cloning, snapshots, templates, software-defined networking, and secure multi-tenancy. Unlike other solutions that may require proprietary hyperconverged infrastructure or re-platforming to Kubernetes, Private Cloud Director works with existing environments—including servers from Dell, HPE, Lenovo, and storage systems from NetApp, Tintri, Pure Storage, and more. Private Cloud Director can be deployed as a fully self-managed solution, a SaaS-managed service, or in air-gapped environments, giving IT teams complete control over their operating model. With Platform9’s free vJailbreak tool, enterprises can perform automated migrations of entire VMware vSphere clusters to Private Cloud Director—including complex VM configurations, multiple datastores, and advanced network policies—at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional approaches. Private Cloud Director supports both VMs and container workloads on a single unified platform, enabling a gradual transition to cloud-native architecture without disrupting current operations. Private Cloud Director can be deployed flexibly as a fully self-managed solution, a SaaS-managed service, or in air-gapped environments.

Bacula Enterprise offers a single platform that provides cloud backup and recovery software for the Modern Data Center. Bacula Enterprise backup & recovery software is ideal for medium and large businesses. It offers unique innovation, modern architecture and business value benefits, as well as low cost of ownership. Bacula Enterprise corporate backup software solution uses unique technologies that increase the interoperability of Bacula Enterprise into many IT environments, such as managed service providers, software vendors, cloud providers, enterprise data centers, and cloud providers. Bacula Enterprise is used by thousands of organizations around the world in mission-critical environments such as NASA, Texas A&M University and Unicredit. Bacula offers more security features than other vendors and advanced hybrid Cloud connectivity to Amazon S3, Google, Oracle, and many others.

JFrog Pipelines enables software development teams to accelerate the delivery of updates by automating their DevOps workflows in a secure and efficient manner across all tools and teams involved. It incorporates functions such as continuous integration (CI), continuous delivery (CD), and infrastructure management, automating the entire journey from code development to production deployment. This solution is seamlessly integrated with the JFrog Platform and is offered in both cloud-based and on-premises subscription models. It can scale horizontally, providing a centralized management system capable of handling thousands of users and pipelines within a high-availability (HA) setup. With pre-built declarative steps that require no scripting, users can easily construct intricate pipelines, including those that link multiple teams together. Furthermore, it works in conjunction with a wide array of DevOps tools, and the various steps within a single pipeline can operate on diverse operating systems and architectures, thus minimizing the necessity for multiple CI/CD solutions. This versatility makes JFrog Pipelines a powerful asset for teams aiming to enhance their software delivery processes.

Harpoon is an intuitive drag-and-drop tool designed for Kubernetes that allows users to deploy software within seconds. Whether you are just starting your journey with Kubernetes or seeking an efficient way to master it, Harpoon equips you with all the necessary features for effective deployment and configuration of your applications using this leading container orchestration platform, all without writing any code. The platform's visual interface makes it accessible for anyone to launch production-ready software effortlessly. You can easily manage simple or advanced enterprise-level cloud deployments, enabling you to deploy and configure software while autoscaling Kubernetes without the need for code or configuration scripts. With a single click, you can swiftly search for and find any commercial or open-source software available and deploy it to the cloud. Moreover, before launching any applications or services, Harpoon conducts automated security scripts to safeguard your cloud provider account. You can seamlessly connect Harpoon to your source code repository from anywhere and establish an automated deployment pipeline, ensuring a smooth development workflow. This streamlined process not only saves time but also enhances productivity, making Harpoon an essential tool for developers.

Mogenius offers an all-in-one platform that integrates visibility, observability, and automation for effective Kubernetes management. By connecting and visualizing your Kubernetes clusters and workloads, it ensures that the entire team has access to crucial insights. You can easily pinpoint misconfigurations within your workloads and take corrective measures directly through the mogenius interface. The platform streamlines Kubernetes operations with features like service catalogs, enabling developer self-service, and creating ephemeral environments. This self-service capability simplifies the deployment process for developers, allowing them to work more efficiently. Additionally, mogenius helps optimize resource allocation and prevents configuration drift through the use of standardized, automated workflows. By eliminating redundant tasks and promoting the reuse of resources with service catalogs, your team can enhance productivity. Gain complete visibility into your Kubernetes infrastructure and deploy a cloud-agnostic Kubernetes operator for a holistic view of your clusters and workloads. Furthermore, developers can quickly establish local and ephemeral testing environments that replicate the production setup in just a few clicks, ensuring a seamless development experience. Ultimately, mogenius empowers teams to manage their Kubernetes environments with greater ease and efficiency.

Introducing a self-service development platform tailored for your applications, databases, and various tasks. You can begin with a single workload and effortlessly expand to manage hundreds, utilizing either compute or GPUs. Enhance every phase from code push to production with customizable self-service workflows, pipelines, templates, and GitOps practices. Safely launch preview, staging, and production environments while benefiting from built-in observability tools, backups, restoration capabilities, and rollback options. Northflank integrates flawlessly with your preferred tools, supporting any technology stack you choose. Regardless of whether you operate on Northflank’s secure infrastructure or utilize your own cloud account, you will enjoy the same outstanding developer experience, alongside complete control over your data residency, deployment regions, security measures, and cloud costs. By harnessing Kubernetes as its operating system, Northflank provides the advantages of a cloud-native environment without the associated complexities. Whether you opt for Northflank’s straightforward cloud or connect to your GKE, EKS, AKS, or even bare-metal setups, you can achieve a managed platform experience within minutes, thus optimizing your development workflow. This flexibility ensures that your projects can scale efficiently while maintaining robust performance across diverse environments.

Codiac serves as a comprehensive platform designed for large-scale infrastructure management, featuring a cohesive control plane that simplifies aspects such as container orchestration, multi-cluster management, and dynamic configuration without requiring YAML files or GitOps. Its Kubernetes-driven closed-loop system efficiently automates various processes, including workload scaling, the creation of temporary clusters, blue/green and canary deployments, and innovative “zombie mode” scheduling that optimizes costs by powering down inactive environments. Users benefit from immediate ingress, domain, and URL management alongside the effortless integration of TLS certificates through Let’s Encrypt. Each deployment not only produces immutable system snapshots and maintains versioning for instantaneous rollbacks but also ensures compliance through audit-ready features. Security is bolstered by role-based access control (RBAC), finely tuned permissions, and comprehensive audit logs that adhere to enterprise standards, while integration with CI/CD pipelines, real-time logging, and observability dashboards grants complete visibility over all resources and environments, thereby enhancing operational efficiency. All these features work together to create a seamless user experience, making Codiac an invaluable tool for modern infrastructure challenges.

IBM Cloud® Kubernetes Service offers a certified and managed Kubernetes platform designed for the deployment and management of containerized applications on IBM Cloud®. This service includes features like intelligent scheduling, self-healing capabilities, and horizontal scaling, all while ensuring secure management of the necessary resources for rapid deployment, updating, and scaling of applications. By handling the master management, IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service liberates users from the responsibilities of overseeing the host operating system, the container runtime, and the updates for the Kubernetes version. This allows developers to focus more on building and innovating their applications rather than getting bogged down by infrastructure management. Furthermore, the service’s robust architecture promotes efficient resource utilization, enhancing overall performance and reliability.

Mirantis Kubernetes Engine (formerly Docker Enterprise) gives you the power to build, run, and scale cloud native applications—the way that works for you. Increase developer efficiency and release frequency while reducing cost. Deploy Kubernetes and Swarm clusters out of the box and manage them via API, CLI, or web interface. Kubernetes, Swarm, or both Different apps—and different teams—have different container orchestration needs. Use Kubernetes, Swarm, or both depending on your specific requirements. Simplified cluster management Get up and running right out of the box—then manage clusters easily and apply updates with zero downtime using a simple web UI, CLI, or API. Integrated role-based access control (RBAC) Fine-grained security access control across your platform ensures effective separation of duties, and helps drive a security strategy built on the principle of least privilege. Identity management Easily integrate with your existing identity management solution and enable two-factor authentication to provide peace of mind that only authorized users are accessing your platform. Mirantis Kubernetes Engine works with Mirantis Container Runtime and Mirantis Secure Registry to provide security compliance.

Ridge is a flexible cloud that’s anywhere you need to be. Through one API, Ridge converts any underlying infrastructure into a cloud-native platform. Whether you need to deploy in a private data center, on-prem server, edge micro-center, or even in an multi-facility hybrid environment, Ridge expands your footprint without limits.

An entirely automated DevOps platform designed for the seamless distribution of reliable software releases from development to production. Expedite the onboarding of DevOps initiatives by managing users, resources, and permissions to enhance deployment velocity. Confidently implement updates by proactively detecting open-source vulnerabilities and ensuring compliance with licensing regulations. Maintain uninterrupted operations throughout your DevOps process with High Availability and active/active clustering tailored for enterprises. Seamlessly manage your DevOps ecosystem using pre-built native integrations and those from third-party providers. Fully equipped for enterprise use, it offers flexibility in deployment options, including on-premises, cloud, multi-cloud, or hybrid solutions that can scale alongside your organization. Enhance the speed, dependability, and security of software updates and device management for IoT applications on a large scale. Initiate new DevOps projects within minutes while easily integrating team members, managing resources, and establishing storage limits, enabling quicker coding and collaboration. This comprehensive platform empowers your team to focus on innovation without the constraints of traditional deployment challenges.

Data-driven computational pipelines. Nextflow allows for reproducible and scalable scientific workflows by using software containers. It allows adaptation of scripts written in most common scripting languages. Fluent DSL makes it easy to implement and deploy complex reactive and parallel workflows on clusters and clouds. Nextflow was built on the belief that Linux is the lingua Franca of data science. Nextflow makes it easier to create a computational pipeline that can be used to combine many tasks. You can reuse existing scripts and tools. Additionally, you don't have to learn a new language to use Nextflow. Nextflow supports Docker, Singularity and other containers technology. This, together with integration of the GitHub Code-sharing Platform, allows you write self-contained pipes, manage versions, reproduce any configuration quickly, and allow you to integrate the GitHub code-sharing portal. Nextflow acts as an abstraction layer between the logic of your pipeline and its execution layer.

It is the only Kubernetes distribution which is simple, solid, and certified. It works on any infrastructure, including bare metal, on-premises or private clouds, edge, IoT or public clouds. It's free and open source. Zero Friction – k0s dramatically reduces the complexity involved in installing and running Kubernetes. Bootstrapping new kube clusters takes only minutes. Developer friction is zero, making it easy for anyone to get started, even if they don't have any special skills. Zero Deps: k0s comes as a single binary that has no host OS dependencies other than the kernel of the host OS. It works with any OS without additional software packages. Any security vulnerabilities or performance problems can be fixed directly within the k0s Distribution. Zero Cost - K0s is free for commercial or personal use and will always be. The source code can be found on GitHub, under Apache 2 license.

Originating from the dynamic city of Rotterdam, known for its penchant for innovation, OneCloud emerged to tackle the numerous challenges developers encountered while creating web applications using conventional hosting and cloud infrastructures. Our journey was sparked by a profound ambition to transform and enhance the landscape of cloud development. At OneCloud, we are dedicated to equipping developers with an advanced Kubernetes cloud platform, which provides them with essential tools to reclaim command over their web application creation. Our mission is to remove barriers and simplify the development process, allowing developers to focus on their creativity and innovative ideas. By choosing OneCloud, you are not merely accessing a cloud platform; you are also partnering with a dependable technology ally and a supportive team that you can consistently count on. We invite you to collaborate with us as we redefine the cloud development landscape, unlocking the full potential of the Cloud and innovating the methods of constructing and launching web applications. Together, we can pave the way for a new era in development practices.

The Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), which is fully managed, simplifies the process of deploying and overseeing containerized applications. It provides serverless Kubernetes capabilities, a seamless CI/CD experience, and robust security and governance features suited for enterprises. By bringing together your development and operations teams on one platform, you can swiftly build, deliver, and expand applications with greater assurance. Additionally, it allows for elastic provisioning of extra resources without the hassle of managing the underlying infrastructure. You can implement event-driven autoscaling and triggers using KEDA. The development process is expedited through Azure Dev Spaces, which integrates with tools like Visual Studio Code, Azure DevOps, and Azure Monitor. Furthermore, it offers sophisticated identity and access management via Azure Active Directory, along with the ability to enforce dynamic rules across various clusters using Azure Policy. Notably, it is accessible in more regions than any competing cloud service provider, enabling wider reach for your applications. This comprehensive platform ensures that businesses can operate efficiently in a highly scalable environment.

Oracle's Container Engine for Kubernetes (OKE) serves as a managed container orchestration solution that significantly minimizes both the time and expenses associated with developing contemporary cloud-native applications. In a departure from many competitors, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure offers OKE as a complimentary service that operates on high-performance and cost-efficient compute shapes. DevOps teams benefit from the ability to utilize unaltered, open-source Kubernetes, enhancing application workload portability while streamlining operations through automated updates and patch management. Users can initiate the deployment of Kubernetes clusters along with essential components like virtual cloud networks, internet gateways, and NAT gateways with just a single click. Furthermore, the platform allows for the automation of Kubernetes tasks via a web-based REST API and a command-line interface (CLI), covering all aspects from cluster creation to scaling and maintenance. Notably, Oracle does not impose any fees for managing clusters, making it an attractive option for developers. Additionally, users can effortlessly and swiftly upgrade their container clusters without experiencing any downtime, ensuring they remain aligned with the latest stable Kubernetes version. This combination of features positions Oracle's offering as a robust solution for organizations looking to optimize their cloud-native development processes.

IBM Cloud Pak® for Applications facilitates the modernization of current applications, integrates enhanced security features, and enables the creation of new applications that drive digital transformation. This platform provides cloud-native development tools that swiftly generate value, coupled with adaptable licensing options designed to meet your unique requirements. Whether deployed on public clouds, on-premises, or within a private cloud, you can operate your applications in the environment that best suits your business needs. We offer resources to align them with Red Hat® OpenShift® on IBM Cloud®, a cohesive Kubernetes platform founded on open-source principles, ensuring support regardless of their deployment location. Transitioning to the cloud does not necessitate starting from scratch; rather, it allows for the modernization of legacy applications, enhancing their flexibility and scalability. Additionally, you will receive an assessment of your applications, complete with prioritized recommendations for modernization, guiding you on the path to effective transformation. By leveraging these insights, you can create a more agile and responsive IT infrastructure, ultimately driving greater business success.

Kubernetes can be run in production using the #1 Kubernetes platform. It offers persistent storage, backup, data security, capacity management, and DR. You can easily backup, restore, and migrate Kubernetes applications to any cloud or data centre. Portworx Enterprise Storage Platform provides end-to-end storage, data management, and security for all Kubernetes projects. This includes container-based CaaS and DBaaS as well as SaaS and Disaster Recovery. Container-granular storage, disaster recovery and data security will all be available to your apps. Multi-cloud migrations are also possible. You can easily solve enterprise requirements for Kubernetes data service. Your users can easily access a cloud-like DbaaS without losing control. Operational complexity is eliminated by scaling the backend data services that power your SaaS app. With a single command, add DR to any Kubernetes application. All your Kubernetes apps can be easily backed up and restored.

Manage, oversee, control, and safeguard the applications, data, and IT resources essential for your business, spanning from edge to cloud. HPE Ezmeral propels digital transformation efforts by reallocating time and resources away from IT maintenance towards innovation. Update your applications, streamline your operations, and leverage data to transition from insights to impactful actions. Accelerate your time-to-value by implementing Kubernetes at scale, complete with integrated persistent data storage for modernizing applications, whether on bare metal, virtual machines, within your data center, on any cloud, or at the edge. By operationalizing the comprehensive process of constructing data pipelines, you can extract insights more rapidly. Introduce DevOps agility into the machine learning lifecycle while delivering a cohesive data fabric. Enhance efficiency and agility in IT operations through automation and cutting-edge artificial intelligence, all while ensuring robust security and control that mitigate risks and lower expenses. The HPE Ezmeral Container Platform offers a robust, enterprise-grade solution for deploying Kubernetes at scale, accommodating a diverse array of use cases and business needs. This comprehensive approach not only maximizes operational efficiency but also positions your organization for future growth and innovation.