Unlock Maximum Performance and Control with Bare-Metal Kubernetes
Running Kubernetes on bare metal offers unparalleled performance, cost control, and infrastructure sovereignty—but it also introduces unique operational challenges. Without hypervisor overhead, workloads access raw compute, storage, and network resources directly, delivering superior performance for latency-sensitive applications. However, bare-metal deployments require careful hardware management, reliable networking, and effective multi-tenancy strategies. This comprehensive guide addresses these challenges head-on, showing platform engineers how virtual cluster technologies like vCluster solve workload isolation without VM overhead while enabling high-density placement and flexible resource sharing. From hardware selection and automation to GitOps integration and real-world case studies like Aussie Broadband's elimination of 195 VMs, this ebook equips you with architectural foundations, automation tools, and operational strategies to build robust Kubernetes platforms that empower developers and scale confidently on bare metal.
With this guide, you’ll learn:
- Discover why bare-metal Kubernetes provides full hardware control for performance, compliance, and cost savings—and how virtual clusters solve isolation challenges without VM overhead.
- Architect your bare-metal foundation with hardware selection for specialized workloads, high-bandwidth networking with BGP and MetalLB, and automated provisioning using PXE and Metal³.
- Set up Kubernetes with highly available clusters, multi-node control planes, governance using RBAC and PodSecurity standards, and virtual clusters for workload segmentation.
- Integrate essential DevOps tools including ArgoCD for GitOps delivery, HashiCorp Vault for runtime secrets injection, and Terraform for infrastructure as code automation.
- Scale operations with Cluster API automation, observability through Prometheus and Grafana, security hardening with NetworkPolicies, and maintenance using virtual clusters for isolated testing.
