Kubernetes vs. Serverless with Matt Ward (Repeat)

Originally published May 29, 2020

Kubernetes has become a highly usable platform for deploying and managing distributed systems. 

The user experience for Kubernetes is great, but is still not as simple as a full-on serverless implementation–at least, that has been a long-held assumption. Why would you manage your own infrastructure, even if it is Kubernetes? Why not use autoscaling Lambda functions and other infrastructure-as-a-service products?

Matt Ward is a listener of the show and an engineer at Mux, a company that makes video streaming APIs. He sent me an email that said Mux has been having success with self-managed Kubernetes infrastructure, which they deliberately opted for over a serverless deployment. I wanted to know more about what shaped this decision to opt for self-managed infrastructure, and the costs and benefits that Mux has accrued as a result.

Matt joins the show to talk through his work at Mux, and the architectural impact of opting for Kubernetes instead of fully managed serverless infrastructure.

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Transcript

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