Docker vs Kubernetes vs Serverless
Deployment: containers, orchestration, and whether serverless actually saves money.
When to Use This Comparison
Reference this when modernizing deployment infrastructure, scaling applications, evaluating container strategies, or deciding between operational complexity and serverless convenience. Critical when current deployment approach hits scaling or cost limits.
Decision Context
Your ideal deployment approach depends on application architecture, team operations expertise, scale requirements, cost sensitivity, and whether you're optimizing for control or convenience. Different application types benefit from different deployment models.
Key Tradeoffs
Docker provides containerization without orchestration—simple but manual at scale. Kubernetes offers powerful orchestration but significant operational complexity. Serverless eliminates infrastructure management but constrains architecture and can surprise on costs.