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Exoscale Scalable Kubernetes Service

exoscale.com

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Spec score 7.9 #10 of 32 in Container Orchestration Software

What it is

Exoscale Scalable Kubernetes Service (SKS) is a managed Kubernetes service for deploying, scaling and hosting containerized applications in Europe. It is available through web and APIs, with a free Starter Cluster and a Pro Cluster billed hourly; the Pro price is not shown as a numeric amount. Exoscale operates the control plane and provides upgrades, and says fully managed clusters can start in less than one minute. Starter includes a managed control plane, CLI, API, Terraform integration and automatic control-plane patch upgrades. Pro adds a highly available control plane, etcd backups, a 99.95% SLA and Karpenter autoscaling. Network Load Balancers handle ingress, while the CSI driver attaches block or object storage for stateful workloads. Authentication, network policies, role-based access and Kubernetes Audit provide control and visibility. Every release passes CNCF conformance tests. SKS is vanilla Kubernetes, so monitoring, GitOps and security tools are not installed by default. Customers receive ticket support, with paid plans offering faster responses and additional coverage.

Spec sheet

Purpose
SKS is a managed Kubernetes service for deploying, scaling, and hosting containerized applications in Europe.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Intended users
Exoscale describes its cloud platform as built to help European teams develop cloud-native applications and specifically mentions developers and data engineers.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Integrations
Exoscale lists Kubernetes Cloud Controller Manager, Karpenter, Terraform, Packer, Vault, Pulumi, and Crossplane among its integrations.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Support
All Exoscale customers receive included ticket support, with paid support plans offering faster response times and additional channels or coverage.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Headquarters
Lausanne, SwitzerlandRead 28 Sep 2026 · exoscale.com
Founded
2011Read 28 Sep 2026 · exoscale.com
Audit
Kubernetes Audit provides visibility into user and system actions.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Autoscaling
Karpenter can dynamically provision compute resources, and Pro Cluster includes this autoscaling feature.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Cluster setup
The product page says fully managed clusters can be started in less than one minute.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Limits
SKS is vanilla Kubernetes and does not include additional tooling such as monitoring, GitOps, or security solutions installed by default.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Managed operations
Exoscale operates the control plane and provides control-plane upgrades, reducing cluster maintenance work for customers.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Networking
SKS integrates Network Load Balancers for ingress traffic and supports Kubernetes-compatible instance pools.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Security controls
Clusters are provisioned with minimal exposure by default, and users control authentication, network policies, and role-based access.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Standards
Exoscale says every SKS release passes the CNCF Kubernetes conformance tests and supports required Kubernetes APIs.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Storage
The Exoscale CSI driver supports attaching block or object storage for stateful workloads.Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com

Plans and prices

Starter Cluster Free SKS is billed per hour; Starter Cluster is free. No SLA · managed control plane · CLI, API, Terraform integration · control-plane patch auto-upgrades Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com
Pro Cluster Price not published Billed per hour; the pricing page shows a price template rather than a numeric amount. 99.95 % SLA · highly available control plane · etcd backups · Karpenter autoscaling Read 3 Oct 2026 · exoscale.com

Every Exoscale Scalable Kubernetes Service plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free Starter Cluster is available
  • Managed control plane reduces maintenance
  • Pro includes a 99.95% SLA
  • Karpenter can provision compute dynamically
  • CNCF conformance tests apply to releases

Limits

  • Starter is limited to three clusters
  • Pro pricing is not numerically listed
  • Monitoring and GitOps are not installed by default
  • Paid support plans are optional

Who it suits

SKS suits European developers and data engineers deploying containerized applications on managed Kubernetes. It fits teams wanting Exoscale-operated control planes and optional autoscaling.

Verdict

SKS provides managed Kubernetes with a free entry tier, hourly Pro service and integrated storage and networking. Teams must add their own monitoring, GitOps and security tooling, and Pro pricing requires clarification.

Where Specifiction places it

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