Managed Kubernetes with direct access to the Kubernetes API and control plane.
| Hosting model | Managed Kubernetes |
|---|---|
| Container support | Container-only |
| Minimum nodes | 6 recommended for production (3 system + 3 per user pool) |
| State management | Stateless or stateful |
| Web hosting | Agnostic |
| Autoscaling | Pod autoscaling and cluster autoscaling |
| Load balancer | Azure Load Balancer or Application Gateway |
| Scale limit | 5,000 nodes (Standard or Premium tier) |
| Multiregion | Single region only — external router plus multiple clusters |
| Virtual network integration | Supported |
| Hybrid connectivity | Supported |
| GPU support | Supported |
| TLS | Ingress controller |
| Architecture styles | Microservices, event-driven architecture |
| Required skills | Kubernetes administration, container orchestration |
| Operational overhead | High — cluster management, upgrades, security |
| Best for teams | DevOps teams with Kubernetes expertise |
This is one candidate from the Azure compute decision guide. The right choice depends on your full requirements — evaluate scaling, cost, and operational fit before committing.
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