Building a containerized application environment comes with various choices, especially when it comes to managing the underlying infrastructure. This document compares two approaches: deploying cluster-native products directly on a Kubernetes cluster versus utilizing AWS managed products. We'll analyze the pros and cons of each approach to help you make an informed decision for your specific needs.

• Flexibility: You have complete control over the installation, configuration, and operation of each tool. This allows for customization and tailoring to your specific needs and preferences.

• Open Source: Many cluster-native products are open-source, offering transparency and potential cost savings compared to proprietary solutions.

• Community Support: Large communities often back open-source projects, providing extensive documentation, tutorials, and forums for troubleshooting and knowledge sharing.

• Latest Innovations: Open-source development often leads to faster adoption of new features and technologies compared to managed services.

• Complexity: Managing and maintaining numerous individual products adds significant complexity to your infrastructure. This requires dedicated expertise and resources.

• Security: You are responsible for securing each tool, requiring in-depth knowledge of security best practices for each product.

• Monitoring and Logging: Integrating and monitoring diverse tools can be cumbersome, requiring additional effort to set up and maintain centralized observability.

• Updates and Upgrades: Manually updating and upgrading each product can be time-consuming and potentially error-prone.

• Simplicity: Managed products handle underlying infrastructure management, including deployment, scaling, patching, and updates. This significantly reduces operational overhead.

• Security: AWS manages the security of its products, adhering to strict compliance standards and best practices. This reduces your security burden.

• Integration: Products integrate with other AWS offerings, simplifying automation and workflows.

• Monitoring and Logging: Built-in monitoring and logging products provide centralized visibility into your cluster and applications.

• Support: AWS offers comprehensive support for its products, including documentation, tutorials, and technical assistance.

• Vendor Lock-in: Reliance on AWS products can lock you into their platform, making it potentially difficult to migrate to other providers in the future.

• Limited Customization: Managed products offer less flexibility compared to self-managed deployments, potentially restricting your ability to tailor them to specific needs.

• Costs: While convenient, managed products often incur additional costs compared to open-source alternatives.

• Technical expertise: If you have a team with Kubernetes and Linux administration experience, managing cluster-native products might be feasible.

• Complexity vs. Time: If simplicity and reduced operational overhead are crucial, AWS managed products are highly appealing.

• Budget: Open-source products offer potential cost savings, but factor in the cost of managing them internally.

• Customization: If flexibility and tailoring to specific needs are paramount, cluster-native products provide more control.