This page provides an overview of Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). GKEis a managed implementation of theKubernetes opensource container orchestration platform. Kubernetes was developed by Google,drawing on years of experience operating production workloads at scale onBorg, Google's in-house clustermanagement system. With GKE, you can deploy and operate your owncontainerized applications at scale usingGoogle Cloud's infrastructure.

This page is for Operators and Developers who arelooking for a scalable, automated, managed Kubernetes solution. To learn more aboutcommon roles, seeCommon GKE user roles and tasks.

Get started with GKE

You can start exploring GKE in minutes.You can use GKE'sfree tier,which lets you get started with Kubernetes without incurring costs for clustermanagement.

1. Get started in Google Cloud console

2. Try thequickstart to deploy acontainerized web application.
3. Read theAutopilot overview,which has guidance and resources for planning and operating your platform.

When to use GKE

GKE is ideal if you need a platform that lets you configure theinfrastructure that runs your containerized apps, such as networking, scaling,hardware, and security. GKE provides the operational power ofKubernetes while managing many of the underlying components, such as thecontrol plane and nodes, for you.

Benefits of GKE

The following table describes some of the benefits of using GKEas your managed Kubernetes platform:

GKE benefits
Platform management	Fully-managed nodes in GKEAutopilot mode with built-in hardening and best practice configurations automatically applied. Managed upgrade experience withrelease channels to improve security, reliability, and compliance. Flexiblemaintenance windows and exclusions that let you configure upgrade type and scope to meet business needs and architecture constraints. In GKE Standard mode, flexiblenode upgrade strategies to optimize availability and manage disruptions. Automatic scaling of nodes based on the number of Pods in the cluster with Autopilot mode or with node auto-provisioning in Standard mode. Node auto-repair to maintain node health and availability. Fleet-based team management. Connect gateway. Manage GKE cluster configuration withConfig Sync. Built-inlogging and monitoring. Google Cloud integrated CI/CD options withCloud Build andCloud Deploy.
Improved security posture	Hardened node operating system for apps:Container-Optimized OS. Built-in security measures. Policy Controller. Automatic upgrades to new GKE versions. Integrated security posture monitoring tooling with thesecurity posture dashboard. Google Cloud logging and monitoring integrations withGoogle Cloud Observability.
Cost optimization	In Autopilot mode, pay only for the compute resources your running Pods request. In GKE Standard mode, you pay for all resources on nodes, regardless of Pod requests. Save costs by running fault-tolerant workloads, such as batch jobs, onSpot Pods. Minimized operational overhead in Autopilot mode because Google Cloud manages both the nodes and the control plane.
Reliability and availability	>99%monthly uptime SLO. Pod-level SLA in Autopilot clusters because Google manages the nodes. Highly-available control plane and worker nodes inAutopilot mode and inregional Standard clusters. Proactive monitoring and recommendations to mitigate potential workload disruptions caused by upcoming deprecations. Multi-cluster Service capabilities.

Best practice:

Configure the application CI/CD pipeline to use Cloud Build,Cloud Deploy, and Artifact Registry.By using managed build and deployment services,you can optimize for security, scale, and simplicity.

Use cases for GKE

GKE and Kubernetes are used in a variety of industries, includingrobotics, healthcare, retail, education, gaming, and financial services. Examples of workloads you can run include:

• AI and ML operations
• Data processing at scale
• Scalableonline games platforms
• Reliable applications under heavy load

For case studies by industry and application, refer toGoogle Cloud customers.

How GKE works

A GKE environment consists ofnodes, which areCompute Enginevirtual machines (VMs), that are grouped together to form acluster. Youpackage your apps (also calledworkloads) into containers. You deploy setsof containers asPods to your nodes. You use the Kubernetes API to interactwith your workloads, including administering, scaling, and monitoring.

Kubernetes clusters have a set of management nodes called thecontrol plane,which run system components such as the Kubernetes API server. InGKE, Google Cloud manages thecontrol plane and system components for you. In Autopilot mode, whichis the recommended way to run GKE,Google Cloud also manages your worker nodes.Google Cloud automatically upgradescomponent versions for improved stability and security, ensuring highavailability, and ensuring integrity of data stored in the cluster's persistentstorage.

For more information, refer toGKE cluster architecture.

Best practice:

If you run your workloads in VMs, consider usingMigrate for GKE tocontainerize the workloads without having to rewrite apps or modify source code.

Kubernetes versions and features

GKE automatically upgrades your control plane to new Kubernetesversions that add new features and improvements in the open source project. TheKubernetes version selected for auto-upgrades depends on the stable version inthe GKE release channel you select when you create the cluster.You can alsomanually upgrade your control planeto a different Kubernetes version than the version GKE selectsfor an upgrade. For detailed information on versions and upgrades, refer to therelease notes andGKE versioning and upgrades.If you use GKE Standard mode and don't enroll in arelease channel, you won't get automatic upgrades.

GKE includes mostbeta andstable Kubernetes features. Youcan usebeta APIs in 1.24 and later.

Best practice:

If you want to try less stable Kubernetes features in thealpha stage, usealpha Standard clusters. Also, don't enable beta APIs in production clusters, or carefully considering theimplications before doing so.

Modes of operation

GKE has the Autopilot and Standardmodes ofoperation, which offer you different levels of flexibility, responsibility, andcontrol. If you want more information before you choose a mode, refer toChoose a GKE mode of operation.

Best practice:

Use the fullymanagedAutopilotmode, in which Google Cloud manages yournodes for you and provides a workload-focused, cost-optimized, production-readyexperience. Only use Standard mode if you know you have a specific needto manually manage the node pools and clusters.

What's next

• Start learning about GKE.
• Learn how to deploy a containerized application in GKE.
• Learn more about types of clusters.
• Learn more about Kubernetes.
• Explore the GKE documentation.