> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://atomoh.gitbook.io/kubernetes/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://atomoh.gitbook.io/kubernetes/en/amazon-eks/01-eks-introduction.md).

# Introduction to EKS

> **Supported Versions**: Amazon EKS 1.31, 1.32, 1.33 **Last Updated**: February 21, 2026

Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is a managed service for running Kubernetes on AWS. In this chapter, we will explore the basic concepts of EKS, its architecture, and the differences from standard Kubernetes.

## EKS and Kubernetes

EKS is a managed service that provides standard Kubernetes APIs. For detailed information about the basic concepts and operation of Kubernetes, refer to the [Introduction to Kubernetes](/kubernetes/en/basic/04-kubernetes-introduction.md) document.

### Key Benefits of EKS

1. **Managed Control Plane**: AWS manages the availability and scalability of the Kubernetes control plane
2. **Enhanced Security**: Authentication and authorization through integration with AWS IAM
3. **AWS Service Integration**: Seamless integration with other AWS services (ELB, ECR, IAM, etc.)
4. **Various Compute Options**: Support for multiple compute options including EC2, Fargate, and Bottlerocket
5. **Auto Scaling**: Auto scaling support through Cluster Autoscaler, Karpenter, etc.
6. **Managed Node Groups**: Automated node lifecycle management

## EKS Architecture and Components

The overall architecture of Amazon EKS is as follows:

### Control Plane

EKS provides a highly available control plane. The control plane runs across multiple availability zones and consists of the following components:

* **API Server**: Exposes the Kubernetes API and handles interaction with the cluster.
* **etcd**: A distributed key-value store that stores the cluster state.
* **Controller Manager**: Runs controllers that manage the cluster state.
* **Scheduler**: Assigns pods to nodes.

In EKS, these control plane components are managed by AWS, so users don't need to manage them directly.

### Data Plane

The EKS data plane can be configured with the following options:

1. **Managed Node Groups**: Node groups consisting of EC2 instances where AWS manages the node lifecycle.
2. **Self-Managed Nodes**: EC2 instances managed directly by the user.
3. **AWS Fargate**: A serverless compute engine that eliminates the need to manage infrastructure for running containers.

### Networking

EKS uses the Amazon VPC CNI plugin to provide pod networking. This plugin assigns VPC IP addresses to each pod, enabling the use of AWS networking capabilities.

## Differences Between Standard Kubernetes and EKS

### Management Responsibility

* **Standard Kubernetes**: Users must manage both the control plane and data plane.
* **EKS**: AWS manages the control plane, and users only need to manage the data plane.

### Networking

* **Standard Kubernetes**: You can choose from various CNI plugins.
* **EKS**: By default, Amazon VPC CNI is used, and each pod is assigned a VPC IP address.

### Load Balancing

* **Standard Kubernetes**: A separate controller must be installed to use `LoadBalancer` type services.
* **EKS**: `LoadBalancer` type services automatically create an AWS Network Load Balancer (NLB). To use an Application Load Balancer (ALB), you need to install the AWS Load Balancer Controller.

### Storage

* **Standard Kubernetes**: Various storage drivers must be installed and configured manually.
* **EKS**: The AWS EBS CSI driver is provided by default, and drivers for other AWS storage services like EFS and FSx can be easily installed.

## EKS Cost Structure

The costs incurred when operating an EKS cluster are as follows:

1. **EKS Control Plane Cost**: An hourly fee is charged per cluster.
2. **Compute Costs**:
   * EC2 instances (managed or self-managed nodes)
   * Fargate (charged based on pod runtime and resource usage)
3. **Storage Costs**: Costs for storage services such as EBS, EFS, FSx
4. **Network Costs**: Data transfer and load balancer usage costs

### Cost Optimization Strategies

1. **Use Spot Instances**: Can reduce costs by up to 90%.
2. **Leverage Fargate**: Suitable for workloads with low utilization.
3. **Configure Auto Scaling**: Automatically scale nodes up and down as needed.
4. **Locality Routing**: Keep traffic within the same availability zone to reduce network costs.
5. **EKS Auto Mode**: Optimize costs through automatic cluster scaling.
6. **Hybrid Nodes**: Increase cost efficiency by mixing various instance types.

## Integration with AWS Services

EKS integrates with the following AWS services:

![EKS AWS Services Integration](/files/Co8iWGJR4aPV3lb6MTHf)

1. **IAM**: Manages authentication and authorization by integrating with Kubernetes RBAC.
2. **VPC**: Provides networking infrastructure.
3. **CloudWatch**: Provides monitoring and logging.
4. **ALB/NLB**: Provides load balancing.
5. **ECR**: Provides container image registry.
6. **EBS/EFS/FSx**: Provides persistent storage.
7. **AWS App Mesh**: Provides service mesh capabilities.
8. **AWS Certificate Manager**: Manages SSL/TLS certificates.
9. **AWS Secrets Manager**: Securely stores and manages sensitive information.
10. **AWS SageMaker**: Runs machine learning workloads.
11. **AWS Bedrock**: Leverages generative AI models.

## EKS Best Practices

1. **Cluster Design**:
   * Deploy nodes across multiple availability zones
   * Select appropriate instance types
   * Establish node group strategy
2. **Security**:
   * Apply the principle of least privilege
   * Implement network policies
   * Apply pod security policies
   * Image scanning and vulnerability management
3. **Networking**:
   * Proper subnet design
   * Security group configuration
   * Leverage Locality Routing
4. **Monitoring and Logging**:
   * Enable CloudWatch Container Insights
   * Configure control plane logging
   * Leverage Prometheus and Grafana
5. **Upgrade Strategy**:
   * Plan regular upgrades
   * Consider blue/green deployment strategy
   * Perform testing before upgrades

## Quiz

To test what you learned in this chapter, try the [Amazon EKS Introduction Quiz](/kubernetes/en/quiz-collection/amazon-eks/01-eks-introduction-quiz.md).