5 Benefits of Horizontal Autoscaling in Kubernetes
In Kubernetes, Horizontal Autoscaling lets us automatically adjust the number of replicas (i.e. instances) of a deployment based on the resource utilization and other system metrics. Horizontal Autoscaling ensures applications are running at an optimal level of resource utilization without being over or under-provisioned.
To enable Autoscaling in Kubernetes, you can configure the HPA (Horizontal Pod Autoscaler) resource. The HPA resource allows us to specify the target utilization and other metrics used to trigger the scaling of our deployment. We can also specificy the permitted limit of the minimum and the maximum number of replicas.
After the HPA resource configuration, the Kubernetes control plane will continuously monitor the specified metric and adjust the number of replicas in your deployment to maintain the target utilization. As a result, with demanding changes, our application can automatically scale up or down with manual efforts.
What are the Advantages of Horizontal Autoscaling?
1 - Improved Resource Utilization
Resource utilization refers to the number of resources (e.g. CPU, memory, and storage) used by an application or service. When the resource utilization is optimal, a application or service is utilizing minimum amount of resources needed without being under or over-provisioned. With Horizontal Autoscaling , we can automate replica scaling (i.e. instances) in a deployment based on resource utilization and other important metrics.
Autoscaling ensures that applications are running at an optimal level of resource utilization without being over or under-provisioned. For example, if demand for a service increases, Horizontal Autoscaling can automatically scale up by adding more replicas to handle the increased load. Similarly, if demand decreases, the system can scale down ensuring the number of running replicas matches the demand, saving money on infrastructure costs as a result.
2 - Improved performance
Performance refers to how quickly and efficiently an application or service can respond to requests and perform its intended function. If demand for a service increases, the Horizontal Autoscaling system can automatically scale up by adding more replicas to handle the increased load. In other words, applications and services meets the demand without experiencing performance degradation.
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses must offer fast and efficient services to stay competitive with overall user experience. Using Horizontal Autoscaling to optimize performance and meet the demands of users is a industry standard to get ahead of competiton.
3 - Improved Availability
Availability refers to the ability of an application or service to be accessible and responsive to user requests. Autoscaling replicas to handle increases or decreases in load can help ensure that your applications and services remain available and responsive.
Horizontal Autoscaling optimizes availability and ensures applications and services are always available when needed. High availability helps minimize downtime. By automatically increasing the number of replicas in response to the failure of one or more instances, Horizontal Autoscaling can help ensure that your applications remain available and responsive, even in the face of unexpected spikes in demand.
4 - Improved Resilience
Resilience refers to the ability of an application or service to recover from failures or disruptions and continue to operate effectively. Autoscaling can help improve stability of your applications and services.
For example, if demand for a service decreases, autoscaling can help prevent over-provisioning and reduce the risk of resource wastage, improving the overall resilience of your applications and services. Minimizing the risk of resource waste and over-provisioning ensure applications and services are more reliable and able to recover from failures or disruptions. As a result, you can increase the flexibility of your applications and services and better adapt to a dynamic environment.
5 - Increased agility
Agility refers to the ability of an application or service to quickly and easily adapt to changing circumstances or requirements. Autoscaling enables you to quickly respond to changes in demand, helping you be more agile and adaptable in a dynamic environment.
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses need to be agile and adaptable to stay competitive. Using horizontal autoscaling to increase agility can help you stay ahead of the competition and better meet the changing needs of your users.
Horizontal autoscaling in Kubernetes can greatly benefit your applications by improving resource utilization, performance, availability, resilience, and agility. By using the Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) resource to set target utilization or other metrics, you can automatically adjust the number of replicas in your deployment to meet the changing demands of your system. This can help you save money on infrastructure costs, improve the performance and reliability of your applications, and increase your overall agility in a dynamic environment. Horizontal autoscaling is a powerful tool that can help you optimize the use of resources and ensure that your applications are running at their best.
