* [Topics](/en/topics "Topics")
* [Containers](/en/topics/containers "Containers")
* What is Kubernetes cluster management?
What is Kubernetes cluster management?
======================================
Published  June 10, 2020•*3*-minute read
Copy URL
Jump to section
---------------
OverviewWhat is a Kubernetes cluster?Why is it important?Why choose Red Hat?
Overview
--------
Kubernetes cluster management is how an IT team manages a group of Kubernetes clusters.
With modern [cloud-native applications](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps), Kubernetes environments are becoming highly distributed. They can be deployed across multiple datacenters on-premise, in the public cloud, and at the edge.
Organizations that want to use [Kubernetes](/en/topics/containers/what-is-kubernetes) at scale or in production will have multiple clusters, such as for development, testing, and production, distributed across environments and need to be able to manage them effectively.
### Benefits of a multi-cluster Kubernetes deployment:
* Improve application availability
* Reduce latency
* Improve disaster recovery
* Deploy legacy and cloud-native applications across environments
Learn how Kubernetes can help your organization build applications and manage containers on site and across hybrid cloud environments.
[Get the introduction to enterprise Kubernetes](/en/engage/introduction-enterprise-kubernetes-s-202003040257 "SOLP: An introduction to enterprise Kubernetes")
What is a Kubernetes cluster?
-----------------------------
A [Kubernetes cluster](/en/topics/containers/what-is-a-kubernetes-cluster) is a set of node machines for running containerized applications. The Kubernetes cluster gives you the ability to schedule and run containers across a group of machines, be they physical or virtual, on-premise or in the cloud.
A Kubernetes cluster has a desired state, which defines which applications or other workloads should be running, along with which images they use, which resources should be made available for them, and other such configuration details.
Kubernetes will automatically manage your cluster to match the desired state. For example, you deploy an application with a desired state of "3," meaning 3 replicas of the application should be running. If 1 of those containers crashes, Kubernetes will see that only 2 replicas are running, so it will add 1 more to satisfy the desired state.
[Learn more about working with a Kubernetes cluster](/en/topics/containers/what-is-a-kubernetes-cluster "article | what is a kubernetes cluster?")
Red Hat resources
-----------------
[Read the report](/en/resources "Read the report")
Why is Kubernetes cluster management important?
-----------------------------------------------
Since current Kubernetes environments require management at an individual cluster level, the cost of managing these across an enterprise can quickly increase based on the number of clusters.
Each cluster has to be individually deployed, upgraded, and configured for security. In addition, if applications need to be deployed across environments, deployment has to be done manually or outside the Kubernetes environment control.
Management of day 2 operations such as patching and upgrading at the individual cluster level is also time-consuming and error prone.
### Life cycle management of a Kubernetes cluster includes:
* Creating a new cluster
* Removing a cluster
* Updating the control plane and compute nodes
* Maintenance and updates to the node
* Upgrading the Kubernetes API version
* Securing the cluster
* Upgrading the cluster, which may also be provider-dependant
Developers want it to be easy to get access to new clusters as they need them. For operations teams and [site reliability engineers (SREs)](/en/topics/devops/what-is-sre), new clusters need to be configured correctly so that apps will be available in production. Ops and SREs also want to monitor the health of clusters in your environment.
Kubernetes cluster management addresses the common challenges administrators and site reliability engineers face as they work across a range of environments that run Kubernetes clusters.
Why choose Red Hat for Kubernetes cluster management?
-----------------------------------------------------
The right Kubernetes cluster management tool gives you visibility into your clusters and helps you to manage application life cycles across hybrid environments. [Red Hat® Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes](/en/technologies/management/advanced-cluster-management) controls clusters and applications from a single console, with built-in security policies.
[Red Hat OpenShift®](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift) and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes deliver the platform and capabilities that are critical to addressing the challenges organizations face as they work across a range of environments, including multiple datacenters and private, hybrid, and public clouds.
Meanwhile, [Red Hat Service Interconnect](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/service-interconnect) can help streamline application deployment and management as well as providing a layer of secure network connectivity between different Kubernetes clusters.
Running on [Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform](https://www.openshift.com/products/container-platform), Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes includes capabilities that unify multi-cluster management, provide policy-based governance, and extend application life cycle management.
With Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes you can:
* Centrally create, update, and delete Kubernetes clusters across multiple private and public clouds
* Search, find, and modify any Kubernetes resource across the entire domain
* Automatically deploy applications to specific clusters based on channel and subscription definitions
And if you still need to manage some traditional infrastructure, you can use [Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/ansible-on-openshift) together with Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management to automate off-cluster resources alongside your Kubernetes clusters.
[Learn more about Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes](/en/technologies/management/advanced-cluster-management "product | red hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes")
Red Hat named a Leader in 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Container Management
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Container Management to learn why Red Hat OpenShift has been named a “Leader” for the 3rd year in a row.
[Keep reading](/en/engage/gartner-magic-quadrant-container-management-analyst-report "Red Hat named a Leader in 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Container Management")
All Red Hat product trials
--------------------------
Our no-cost product trials help you gain hands-on experience, prepare for a certification, or assess if a product is right for your organization.
[Keep reading](/en/products/trials "All Red Hat product trials")
Keep reading
------------
### What is a Linux container?
Find out more about Linux containers, which are a set of 1 or more processes that are isolated from the rest of the system.
[Read the article](/en/topics/containers/whats-a-linux-container "article | what is a linux container?")
### What is container orchestration?
Container orchestration automates the deployment, management, scaling, and networking of containers.
[Read the article](/en/topics/containers/what-is-container-orchestration "article | what is container orchestration?")
### What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is a container orchestration platform that eliminates many manual processes involved in deploying and scaling containerized applications.
[Read the article](/en/topics/containers/what-is-kubernetes "article | what is kubernetes?")
Containers resources
--------------------
### Featured product
* #### [Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management for Kubernetes](/en/technologies/management/advanced-cluster-management)
  A single console, with built-in security policies, for controlling Kubernetes clusters and applications.
[See all products](/en/technologies/all-products "See all products")
### Related content
* Blog post
  [Bring your own knowledge to OpenShift Lightspeed](/en/blog/bring-your-own-knowledge-openshift-lightspeed)
* Blog post
  [Why you should be using portable zero-touch provisioning on the edge](/en/blog/why-you-should-be-using-portable-zero-touch-provisioning-edge)
* Blog post
  [Simplify Linux management across your systems’ lifecycles with Red Hat Insights](/en/blog/simplify-linux-management-across-your-systems-lifecycles-red-hat-insights)
* Case study
  [Ensono transforms operations with Red Hat](/en/resources/ensono-customer-q-and-a)
### Related articles
* [What is DevOps automation?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-devops-automation)
* [What is IT service management (ITSM)?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-it-service-management-itsm)
* [What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-infrastructure-as-code-iac)
* [What is a Linux container?](/en/topics/containers/whats-a-linux-container)
* [Ansible vs. Kubernetes: how they work together](/en/topics/automation/Ansible-vs-Kubernetes)
* [What is cloud migration? And how can automation help?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-cloud-migration)
* [What is a configuration management database (CMDB)?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-a-configuration-management-database-cmdb)
* [What is container orchestration?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-container-orchestration)
* [What is a software-defined data center (SDDC)?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-a-sddc)
* [What is IT automation?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-it-automation)
* [Why choose Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform as your AI foundation?](/en/topics/automation/automation-and-ai)
* [Stateful vs stateless applications](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/stateful-vs-stateless)
* [How to build an IT automation strategy](/en/topics/automation/build-an-automation-strategy)
* [What is Kubernetes?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-kubernetes)
* [Red Hat OpenShift on VMware](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/vmware)
* [What is virtual infrastructure management? And how can automation help?](/en/topics/automation/virtual-infrastructure-management)
* [What is IT migration?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-it-migration)
* [What is KubeVirt?](/en/topics/virtualization/what-is-kubevirt)
* [How to automate migrations with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform](/en/technologies/management/ansible/automate-migrations-with-red-hat-ansible-automation-platform)
* [Why use Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform with Red Hat OpenShift?](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/ansible-on-openshift)
* [What is CloudOps?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-cloudops)
* [What is Podman Desktop?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-podman-desktop)
* [What is Podman?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-podman)
* [Red Hat Satellite on Red Hat Enterprise Linux](/en/technologies/management/satellite/satellite-for-rhel)
* [What is the Kubernetes Java client?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-kubernetes-java-client)
* [What is role-based access control (RBAC)?](/en/topics/security/what-is-role-based-access-control)
* [What are hosted control planes?](/en/topics/containers/what-are-hosted-control-planes)
* [What is kubernetes security?](/en/topics/containers/kubernetes-security)
* [Which Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform deployment option is right for you?](/en/technologies/management/ansible/ansible-deployment-options)
* [What is an Ansible module—and how does it work?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-an-ansible-module)
* [How to manage and automate applications at the edge](/en/topics/edge-computing/how-to-manage-automate-applications-edge)
* [How to build an automation Center of Excellence](/en/topics/automation/how-to-build-automation-center-of-excellence)
* [What is orchestration?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-orchestration)
* [Red Hat OpenShift for developers](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/developers)
* [How to adopt Automation as Code: Extending Infrastructure as Code into Policy as Code](/en/topics/automation/how-to-adopt-automation-as-code)
* [What is a webhook?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-a-webhook)
* [Learning Ansible basics](/en/topics/automation/learning-ansible-tutorial)
* [Red Hat Insights data and application security](/en/technologies/management/insights/data-application-security)
* [What is an Ansible Role—and how is it used?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-an-ansible-role)
* [Containers vs VMs](/en/topics/containers/containers-vs-vms)
* [Edge computing with Red Hat OpenShift](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/edge-computing)
* [What is data management?](/en/topics/data-services/what-is-data-management)
* [Gain security with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform](/en/technologies/management/ansible/gain-security-with-red-hat-ansible-automation-platform)
* [What is NetOps?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-netops)
* [What is an Ansible Rulebook?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-an-ansible-rulebook)
* [How Kubernetes can help AI/ML](/en/topics/cloud-computing/how-kubernetes-can-help-ai)
* [What is an Ansible Playbook?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-an-ansible-playbook)
* [What is configuration management](/en/topics/automation/what-is-configuration-management)
* [What is event-driven automation?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-event-driven-automation)
* [What is Kubeflow?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-kubeflow)
* [Zero-Touch Provisioning and telco automation with Red Hat](/en/topics/telecommunications/zero-touch-provisioning-and-telco-automation-at-red-hat)
* [What are microservices?](/en/topics/microservices/what-are-microservices)
* [What is container security?](/en/topics/security/container-security)
* [OpenShift vs. OpenStack: What are the differences?](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/openshift-vs-openstack)
* [What is Buildah?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-buildah)
* [What are sandboxed containers](/en/topics/containers/sandboxed-containers)
* [What is infrastructure automation?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-infrastructure-automation)
* [Kubernetes vs OpenStack](/en/topics/openstack/kubernetes-vs-openstack)
* [What is provisioning?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-provisioning)
* [What is YAML?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-yaml)
* [What are validated patterns?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-are-validated-patterns)
* [What is compliance management?](/en/topics/management/what-is-compliance-management)
* [Understanding Ansible, Terraform, Puppet, Chef, and Salt](/en/topics/automation/understanding-ansible-vs-terraform-puppet-chef-and-salt)
* [What is cloud orchestration?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-cloud-orchestration)
* [Ansible vs. Chef: What you need to know](/en/topics/automation/ansible-vs-chef)
* [What is security automation?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-security-automation)
* [Ansible vs. Salt: What you need to know](/en/topics/automation/ansible-vs-salt)
* [Kubernetes on AWS: Self-Managed vs. Managed Applications Platforms](/en/topics/containers/kubernetes-on-aws)
* [What is an image builder?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-an-image-builder)
* [What is a configuration file?](/en/topics/linux/what-configuration-file)
* [Ansible vs. Puppet: What you need to know](/en/topics/automation/ansible-vs-puppet)
* [Red Hat OpenShift vs. OKD](/en/topics/containers/red-hat-openshift-okd)
* [Red Hat OpenShift vs. Kubernetes: What's the difference?](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/red-hat-openshift-kubernetes)
* [What is high availability and disaster recovery for containers?](/en/topics/containers/high-availability-containers)
* [Why run Apache Kafka on Kubernetes?](/en/topics/integration/why-run-apache-kafka-on-kubernetes)
* [Spring on Kubernetes with Red Hat OpenShift](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/spring)
* [Ansible vs. Terraform, clarified](/en/topics/automation/ansible-vs-terraform)
* [What is a golden image?](/en/topics/linux/what-is-a-golden-image)
* [Why choose Red Hat for automation?](/en/topics/automation/why-choose-red-hat-for-automation)
* [Ansible vs. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform](/en/technologies/management/ansible/ansible-vs-red-hat-ansible-automation-platform)
* [What are Red Hat OpenShift cloud services?](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/what-are-red-hat-openshift-cloud-services)
* [VNF and CNF, what’s the difference?](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/vnf-and-cnf-whats-the-difference)
* [What is a container registry?](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/what-is-a-container-registry)
* [What is cloud automation?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-cloud-automation)
* [What is Skopeo?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-skopeo)
* [What are Red Hat OpenShift Operators?](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/what-are-openshift-operators)
* [What is network automation?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-network-automation)
* [What are managed IT services?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-are-managed-it-services)
* [Using Helm with Red Hat OpenShift](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/helm)
* [Kubernetes security best practices](/en/topics/containers/kubernetes-security-best-practices)
* [What is business process management?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-business-process-management)
* [What is patch management (and automation)?](/en/topics/management/what-patch-management-and-automation)
* [What is the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform automation controller?](/en/technologies/management/ansible/automation-controller-product-feature)
* [Orchestrating Windows containers on Red Hat OpenShift](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/windows-containers-on-red-hat-openshift)
* [What is a Kubernetes operator?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-a-kubernetes-operator)
* [What is SOAR?](/en/topics/security/what-is-soar)
* [What is business process automation?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-business-process-automation)
* [High performance computing with Red Hat OpenShift](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/high-performance-computing)
* [Advantages of Kubernetes-native security](/en/topics/containers/advantages-of-kubernetes-native-security)
* [What is KubeLinter?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-kubelinter)
* [Intro to Kubernetes security](/en/topics/containers/intro-kubernetes-security)
* [Container and Kubernetes compliance considerations](/en/topics/containers/compliance)
* [How microservices support IT integration in healthcare](/en/topics/microservices/microservices-in-healthcare)
* [Kubernetes cluster management](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/kubernetes-cluster-management)
* [Red Hat OpenShift on IBM IT infrastructure](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/what-is-red-hat-openshift-on-IBM-IT-infrastructure)
* [Red Hat OpenShift for business leaders](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/business-leaders)
* [How to deploy Red Hat OpenShift](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/deploy-red-hat-openshift)
* [Cost management for Kubernetes on Red Hat OpenShift](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/cost-management)
* [What makes Red Hat OpenShift the right choice for SAP?](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/sap)
* [Why choose Red Hat for Kubernetes?](/en/topics/containers/why-choose-red-hat-kubernetes)
* [Kubernetes-native Java development with Quarkus](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/quarkus)
* [What is enterprise Kubernetes?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-enterprise-kubernetes)
* [What makes Red Hat OpenShift the right choice for IT operations?](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/it-operations)
* [What is Kubernetes role-based access control (RBAC)](/en/topics/containers/what-kubernetes-role-based-access-control-rbac)
* [What is containerization?](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/what-is-containerization)
* [What was CoreOS and CoreOS container Linux](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/what-was-coreos)
* [Automating Microsoft Windows with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform](/en/technologies/management/ansible/automate-microsoft-windows-with-ansible)
* [What is deployment automation?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-deployment-automation)
* [Learning Kubernetes basics](/en/topics/containers/learning-kubernetes-tutorial)
* [What is service-oriented architecture?](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/what-is-service-oriented-architecture)
* [What is business optimization?](/en/topics/automation/business-optimization)
* [What is the Kubernetes API?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-the-kubernetes-api)
* [What is SRE?](/en/topics/devops/what-is-sre)
* [What is a Kubernetes deployment?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-kubernetes-deployment)
* [Why choose the Red Hat build of Quarkus?](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/why-choose-red-hat-quarkus)
* [Introduction to Kubernetes architecture](/en/topics/containers/kubernetes-architecture)
* [What is CaaS?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-caas)
* [Introduction to Kubernetes patterns](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/introduction-to-kubernetes-patterns)
* [What is a Kubernetes cluster?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-a-kubernetes-cluster)
* [What is Quarkus?](/en/topics/cloud-native-apps/what-is-quarkus)
* [What is Jaeger?](/en/topics/microservices/what-is-jaeger)
* [What is risk management?](/en/topics/management/what-is-risk-management)
* [What is container-native virtualization?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-container-native-virtualization)
* [What is Clair?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-clair)
* [What is an SOE?](/en/topics/management/what-is-an-soe)
* [What is etcd?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-etcd)
* [What is network management?](/en/topics/management/what-is-network-management)
* [What is IT system life-cycle management?](/en/topics/management/it-system-life-cycle-management)
* [What is robotic process automation (RPA?)](/en/topics/automation/what-is-robotic-process-automation)
* [What is Knative?](/en/topics/microservices/what-is-knative)
* [Why choose Red Hat for microservices?](/en/topics/microservices/why-choose-red-hat-microservices)
* [What is cloud management?](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-cloud-management)
* [What's business automation?](/en/topics/automation/whats-business-automation)
* [Why choose Red Hat for containers?](/en/topics/containers/why-choose-red-hat-containers)
* [What is Docker?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-docker)
* [What is a Kubernetes pod?](/en/topics/containers/what-is-kubernetes-pod)
[More about this topic](/en/topics/containers "More about this topic")