Docker vs Kubernetes for UK Software Development — When Do You Actually Need Kubernetes?
Most UK software projects need Docker (for consistent environments and simple deployments) but do not need Kubernetes (complex orchestration for multi-service, high-availability systems). Run Docker containers on AWS ECS (Fargate) or Azure Container Apps for most UK projects — simpler, cheaper, and still cloud-native. Graduate to Kubernetes (EKS/AKS) when you have 5+ microservices, specific auto-scaling requirements, or multi-tenant workload isolation needs. Kubernetes is increasingly treated as a default in UK software development conversations. It should not be. Here is an honest comparison of when Docker alone (or managed container services) is sufficient versus when Kubernetes genuinely earns its complexity.
| Factor | Docker + ECS/Fargate | Kubernetes (EKS/AKS) |
|---|---|---|
| Operational complexity | Low — managed service, no cluster management | High — cluster upgrades, etcd management, node pools |
| Cyber Essentials patching | ✅ AWS/Azure patches underlying infra | Your responsibility for worker node OS patches |
| Time to first deployment | Hours | Days to weeks (cluster setup) |
| Auto-scaling | ✅ ECS service auto-scaling (simple) | ✅ HPA/KEDA (powerful but complex) |
| Multi-tenant isolation | Limited (namespace-level) | ✅ Strong namespace isolation |
| Cost (small workloads) | Lower — no control plane fee | Higher — EKS control plane ~£120/mo |
| Debugging | Simple — CloudWatch/Azure Monitor | Complex — pod logs, describe, events |
| Service mesh (Istio/Linkerd) | Not needed | May be needed for complex microservices |
| ClickMasters default | ✅ All new UK projects <5 services | 5+ services / multi-tenant / specific requirements |
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