Skip to content

Comparisons with Other Solutions

This document compares KubeElasti with other popular serverless and scale-to-zero solutions in the Kubernetes ecosystem.

Feature Comparison Table

Feature KubeElasti Knative OpenFaaS KEDA HTTP Add-on
Scale to Zero ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Works with Existing Services ✅ ❌ ❌ ✅
Resource Footprint 🟢 Low 🔺 High 🔹 Medium 🟢 Low
Request queueing ✅(Takes itself out of the path) ✅ (Remains in the path) ✅ ✅(Remains in the path)
Setup Complexity 🟢 Low 🔺 High 🔹 Medium 🔹 Medium

Knative

Overview

Knative is a comprehensive platform for deploying and managing serverless workloads on Kubernetes. It provides a complete serverless experience with features like scale-to-zero, request-based autoscaling, and traffic management.

Key Differences

  • Complexity: Knative is a full-featured platform that requires significant setup and maintenance. KubeElasti is focused solely on scale-to-zero functionality and can be added to existing services with minimal configuration.
  • Integration: Knative requires services to be deployed as Knative services. KubeElasti works with existing Kubernetes deployments and Argo Rollouts without modification.
  • Learning Curve: Knative has a steeper learning curve due to its many concepts and components. KubeElasti follows familiar Kubernetes patterns with simple CRD-based configuration.

OpenFaaS

Overview

OpenFaaS is a framework for building serverless functions with Docker and Kubernetes, making it easy to deploy serverless functions to any cloud or on-premises.

Key Differences

  • Purpose: OpenFaaS is primarily designed for Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) workloads. KubeElasti is built for existing HTTP services.
  • Architecture: OpenFaaS requires functions to be written and packaged in a specific way. KubeElasti works with any HTTP service without code changes.
  • Scaling: OpenFaaS uses its own scaling mechanisms. KubeElasti integrates with existing autoscalers (HPA/KEDA) while adding scale-to-zero capability.

KEDA HTTP Add-on

Overview

KEDA HTTP Add-on is an extension to KEDA that enables HTTP-based scaling, including scale-to-zero functionality.

Key Differences

  • Request Handling:
    • KEDA http add-on inserts itself in the http path and handles requests even when the service has been scaled up.
    • KubeElasti takes itself out of the http path once the service has been scaled up.
  • Integration:
    • KEDA HTTP Add-on requires KEDA installation and configuration.
    • KubeElasti can work standalone or integrate with KEDA if needed.

When to Choose KubeElasti

KubeElasti is the best choice when you:

  1. Need to add scale-to-zero capability to existing HTTP services
  2. Want to ensure zero request loss during scaling operations
  3. Prefer a lightweight solution with minimal configuration
  4. Need integration with existing autoscalers (HPA/KEDA)