Kubernetes is an open source orchestration platform that is commonly used to manage containerized applications and services. This topic describes the features, types, and limits of ACK clusters.
Background information
- ACK clusters are most commonly used and suitable for most scenarios.
- Serverless Kubernetes (ASK) clusters are suitable for handling agile workloads that require quick scaling, and processing individual tasks or multiple parallel tasks. For more information, see ASK overview.
- ACK edge clusters are the most suitable option when you want to handle edge computing services such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Content Delivery Network (CDN). For more information, see ACK@Edge overview.
ACK also provides highly integrated solutions for sectors such as genomics computing and AI-empowered big data computing. ACK optimizes container performance based on the high-performance computing and networking capabilities of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). ACK allows you to centrally manage clusters that are deployed in multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments. You can log on to the ACK console to manage your Kubernetes clusters deployed in data centers or third-party clouds.
Limits
For more information about the limits of ACK clusters, see Limits.
Cluster lifecycle
State | Description |
---|---|
Initializing | Creating the cloud resources that are used by the cluster. |
Creation Failed | Failed to create the cloud resources that are used by the cluster. |
Running | The cloud resources used by the cluster are created. |
Updating | Updating the metadata of the cluster. |
Scaling | Adding nodes to the cluster. |
Removing | Removing nodes from the cluster. |
Upgrading | Upgrading the cluster. |
Draining | Evicting pods from a node to other nodes. After all pods are evicted from the node, the node becomes unschudulable. |
Deleting | Deleting the cluster. |
Deletion Failed | Failed to delete the cluster. |
Deleted (invisible to users) | The cluster is deleted. |

Cluster types
ACK clusters are classified into ACK Pro, ACK standard, and ACK dedicated.
Item | ACK Pro | ACK standard | ACK dedicated |
---|---|---|---|
Feature | You need only to create worker nodes. ACK creates and manages master nodes. | You must create master nodes and worker nodes. | |
ACK standard clusters are easy to use, cost-effective, and highly available. You do
not need to manage master nodes.
For more information about the differences between ACK standard clusters and ACK Pro clusters, see Comparison. |
ACK standard clusters are easy to use, cost-effective, and highly available. You do not need to manage master nodes. | ACK dedicated clusters allow you to manage the cluster infrastructure in a more fine-grained manner. You must design, maintain, and upgrade the clusters on your own. | |
Billing method | You are charged for cluster management based on the number of clusters. In addition, you are also charged for worker nodes and infrastructure resources. For more information, see Billing. | Cluster management is free of charge. However, you are charged for worker nodes and infrastructure resources. For more information, see Billing. | Cluster management is free of charge. However, you are charged for master nodes, worker nodes, and infrastructure resources. For more information, see Billing. |
Use scenario | Applicable to the production and testing environments of enterprise users. | Applicable to the learning and testing needs of individual users. | Applicable to the studies and customization of Kubernetes. |
User Personas | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Cluster creation procedure | ![]() |
![]() |
Features
Feature | Description |
---|---|
Cluster management |
|
Node pool management |
You can manage the lifecycle of node pools. You can configure different specifications for node pools in a cluster, such as vSwitches, runtimes, operating systems, and security groups. For more information, see Node pool overview. |
Application management |
|
Storage |
|
Network |
|
O&M and security |
|
Heterogeneous computing |
|
Developer services |
|
Open source projects
For more information about the open source projects that are used by ACK, see Open source projects.