Choosing an Autoscaling Strategy#

Kubernetes autoscaling operates at two distinct layers: pod-level scaling changes how many pods run or how large they are, while node-level scaling changes how many nodes exist in the cluster to host those pods. Getting the right combination of tools at each layer is the key to a system that responds to demand without wasting resources.

The Two Scaling Layers#

Understanding which layer a tool operates on prevents the most common misconfiguration – expecting pod-level scaling to solve node-level capacity problems, or vice versa.