GKE Autopilot vs Standard: The Ultimate Architect's Guide
One of the most frequent questions on the PCA exam is choosing between GKE Autopilot and GKE Standard. For an architect, this is a decision about balancing operational overhead with technical control.
GKE Autopilot: The Hands-Off Approach
Autopilot is a fully managed mode of operation in which Google manages the entire cluster infrastructure, including the nodes and node pools.
- Best For: Teams that want to focus on their apps, not Kubernetes infrastructure.
- Pricing: You pay per Pod (CPU, memory, and storage) that you request.
- Operational Overhead: Extremely low. Google manages node security, updates, and scaling.
GKE Standard: The Control Freak's Dream
Standard mode gives you full control over the underlying nodes. You manage the node pools and have full flexibility over node configuration.
- Best For: Complex workloads requiring specific hardware (GPUs, local SSDs), custom kernels, or deep host-level integration.
- Pricing: You pay for the underlying Compute Engine VMs (nodes).
- Operational Overhead: Higher. You are responsible for node health, scaling configurations, and security patching.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Autopilot | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Node Management | Google Managed | User Managed |
| Pricing Model | Per-Pod | Per-Node |
| SLA (Control Plane) | 99.95% | 99.95% |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Does GKE Autopilot support all Kubernetes features?
Autopilot supports most standard K8s features but restricts some advanced host-level configurations (like privileged containers or certain network policies) to ensure Google can manage the infrastructure securely.
Can I switch between Autopilot and Standard?
No, you cannot convert an existing cluster from Standard to Autopilot or vice-versa. You must create a new cluster and migrate your workloads.
Which GKE mode is best for HIPAA compliance?
Both are compliant, but Autopilot is often easier to audit because Google manages the underlying node security and patching — see our EHR Case Study analysis.
How to optimize costs on GKE?
Use Autopilot for varied loads or Standard with Committed Use Discounts (CUDs) for predictable loads — check our cost mastery guide.
Is VPC-native networking required?
For GKE Autopilot, it is mandatory. For Standard, it is highly recommended as it enables features like alias IP ranges and easier VPC integration — learn more in our networking essentials.
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