The Golden Signals
The 4 "golden signals" of Kubernetes Cost Optimization as defined in a whitepaper released by Google Cloud in June 2023.
| Signal | Group |
|---|---|
| 1.Workload Rightsizing | Resources |
| 2.Demand-based Downscaling | |
| 3.Cluster Bin Packing | |
| 4.Cloud Provider Discount Coverage | Cloud Discounts |
These signals help us apply and measure cost optimization for Kubernets clusters.
The 3 signals in the resources group apply to all clusters - be it on-prem or on-cloud.
The cloud discounts naturally only apply to cloud-based managed clusters, where it is very important to pinpoint the instance types and reservation level of our cluster nodes.
Let's explain each signal in a bit more detail.
The Resources Group
| Signal | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Workload Rightsizing | Refers to our ability to allocate the amount of resources that the workloads actually need and adapt resource requests and limits as application requirements change. |
| Demand based autoscaling | Measures the capacity of developers and platform admins to make clusters scale down during off-peak hours. |
| Cluster bin packing | Refers to our ability to measure and utilize the CPU and memory of each node in the most effective and reliable way through correct Pod placement. |
The Cloud Discounts group
| Signal | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Cloud Discount Coverage | Refers to leveraging cloud VM instances that offer discounts, such as Spot VMs, as well as the ability of budget owners and FinOps professionals to take advantage of long-term continuous use discounts offered by cloud providers. |
