Likelihood to Recommend K8s should be avoided - If your application works well without being converted into microservices-based architecture & fits correctly in a VM, needs less scaling, have a fixed traffic pattern then it is better to keep away from Kubernetes. Otherwise, the operational challenges & technical expertise will add a lot to the OPEX. Also, if you're the one who thinks that containers consume fewer resources as compared to VMs then this is not true. As soon as you convert your application to a microservice-based architecture, a lot of components will add up, shooting your resource consumption even higher than VMs so, please beware. Kubernetes is a good choice - When the application needs quick scaling, is already in microservice-based architecture, has no fixed traffic pattern, most of the employees already have desired skills.
Read full review Pantheon is excellent for medium-large websites that require high availability and a managed workflow. It would be inappropriate for small websites because of the cost or for situations where more control of the environment is appropriate. We find it useful because we rarely do anything outside of the Drupal application.
Read full review Pros Complex cluster management can be done with simple commands with strong authentication and authorization schemes Exhaustive documentation and open community smoothens the learning process As a user a few concepts like pod, deployment and service are sufficient to go a long way Read full review Effective use of our codebase deployment and implementation. The dashboard functionality and general stability and security are excellent. The server is quite consistent, and if you need assistance from the support team, they are very quick to respond. Automatic updates let me ensure that my customers have safe websites without increasing my own expense. The team offers excellent assistance and help for chat. Read full review Cons Local development, Kubernetes does tend to be a bit complicated and unnecessary in environments where all development is done locally. The need for add-ons, Helm is almost required when running Kubernetes. This brings a whole new tool to manage and learn before a developer can really start to use Kubernetes effectively. Finicy configmap schemes. Kubernetes configmaps often have environment breaking hangups. The fail safes surrounding configmaps are sadly lacking. Read full review Pricing structure has too large of a jump between Basic and Performance plans Have run into issues with prescribed WP updates not working through dashboard and having to do manually. Pantheon site dashboard occasionally is unavailable (the site is never affected though) Read full review Likelihood to Renew The environment is stable and we have not had any issues/downtime. The annual cost is reasonable.
Read full review Usability It is an eminently usable platform. However, its popularity is overshadowed by its complexity. To properly leverage the capabilities and possibilities of Kubernetes as a platform, you need to have excellent understanding of your use case, even better understanding of whether you even need Kubernetes, and if yes - be ready to invest in good engineering support for the platform itself
Read full review Pantheon is an easy system, especially to the users with previous experience with other similar platform and the interface is clear enough to easily understand how things operates. On the Cloud deployment everything also works effectively and the technical team from Pantheon community are very helpful on providing the necessary assistant to their customers.
Read full review Support Rating Even tier 1 Pantheon chat and ticket support are knowledgeable, competent, and useful. They routinely understand and promptly resolve urgent, complex, and/or unusual issues that other hosts need to escalate to tier 2 or tier 3 support personnel. I honestly can't think of a truly negative or disappointing support experience in the years I've used Pantheon hosting for client websites.
Read full review Implementation Rating Once the environments were up and running, the implementation was easy to synchronize with latest data prior to switchover.
Read full review Alternatives Considered Most of the required features for any orchestration tool or framework, which is provided by Kubernetes. After understanding all modules and features of the K8S, it is the best fit for us as compared with others out there.
Read full review Although it may seem a good fit for a company that needs extra control over the deployment process and development process, for a firm that is mainly concentrating on SEO, it would be an overkill. Pantheon provides that sweet automation that allows us to shed some weight on development and focus on our business activities.
Read full review Return on Investment Because of microservices, Kubernetes makes it easy to find the cost of each application easily. Like every new technology, initially, it took more resources to educate ourselves but over a period of time, I believe it's going to be worth it. Read full review Pantheon allows ordinary sites to excel esp if there is consistent development going on behind the scenes. Website management is super easy and the hosting fee gets paid off as you save on developer hours. Expensive for those who are not consistently developing on the platform, there are other options out there at better price points. Read full review ScreenShots