Deploying containers on Compute engine s VM instance or using GKE to deploy

Question

Why should I choose to deploy containers on compute engine's VM instance or use the Google Kubernetes Engine(GKE) for the same?

Answer 1

By deploying containers on Compute Engine, you can simplify app deployment while controlling your VM infrastructure.

• Manage VMs that are running containers in the same way you would treat any other VM when configuring and managing your Compute Engine infrastructure.

• Create scalable services using managed instance groups (MIGs) running containers, which offer features like autoscaling, auto healing, rolling updates, multi-zone deployments, and load balancing.

• Use familiar processes and tools such as the gcloud command-line tool or the Compute Engine API to manage your VMs with containers.

Alternatively, you might consider deploying to Google Kubernetes Engine to:

• Run a large number of microservices

• Have faster container startup time

• Take advantage of Kubernetes automated orchestration, including auto upgrades, node auto repair, and autoscaling

Running each microservice on a separate virtual machine (VM) on Compute Engine could make the operating system overhead a significant part of your cost. 

Google Kubernetes Engine lets you deploy multiple containers and groups of containers for each VM instance, which can allocate host VM resources more efficiently to microservices with a smaller footprint.