## Choosing between Amazon ECS and EKS We frequently get asked by users that are currently on AWS whether they should be using Amazon ECS or EKS to deploy and operate their **containerized applications**. Since this is such a common question and the answers are somewhat nuanced, we wanted to share our thoughts and recommendations for the benefit of all users. ## Resize and Right Size Applications on Kubernetes It is a well understood fact on Kubernetes that there is a significant amount of "wastage" of expensive cloud/infrastructure because of **over provisioned** applications. In this blog, we will look at how app developers and platform teams can save their organizations **millions of dollars** by right sizing their applications using a [free, open-source tool](https://github.com/RafaySystems/getstarted/tree/master/tools/resize) called **resize** that we recently developed for our customers. Important Note that this is just **one tool** in a comprehensive **Cost Control** solution that Rafay provides our customers. Please [contact](mailto:sales@rafay.co) us if you are interested in this. ## Kubernetes v1.29 for Rafay MKS Our [recent release update in Feb](https://docs.rafay.co/releasenotes/2024/feb/) to our Preview environment adds support for a number of new features and enhancements. We will write about the other new features in separate blogs. This blog is focused on support for [Kubernetes v1.29](https://kubernetes.io/blog/2023/12/13/kubernetes-v1-29-release/) with [Rafay MKS](https://docs.rafay.co/clusters/upstream/baremetal_vm/overview/) (i.e. upstream Kubernetes for bare metal and VM based environments). > This release will be promoted from Preview to Production in a few days and will be made available to all customers. Both new cluster provisioning and in-place upgrades of existing clusters are supported. As with most Kubernetes releases, this version also deprecates and removes a number of features. To ensure there is zero impact to our customers, we have made sure that **every feature** in the Rafay Kubernetes Operations Platform has been validated on this Kubernetes version. ## Amazon EKS v1.29 using Rafay Our [recent release update in Feb](https://docs.rafay.co/releasenotes/2024/feb/) to our Preview environment adds support for a number of new features and enhancements. We will write about the other new features in separate blogs. This blog is focused on our turnkey support for [Amazon EKS v1.29](https://docs.rafay.co/clusters/eks/overview/). Both **new cluster provisioning** and **in-place upgrades** of existing EKS clusters are supported. As with most Kubernetes releases, this version also deprecates and removes a number of features. To ensure there is zero impact to our customers, we have made sure that **every feature** in the Rafay Kubernetes Operations Platform has been validated on this Kubernetes version. This release will be promoted from Preview to Production in a few days and will be made available to all customers. > Note that **no action** is needed on the part of our SaaS customers with the new release. Once the rollout is completed, all they need to do is learn about the new features and determine **how** and **when** they would like to use them. ## Google GKE v1.28 Clusters using Rafay Our recent release update in Jan to our Preview environment adds support for a number of new features and enhancements. We will write about the other new features in separate blogs. This blog is focused on our turnkey support for GKE v1.28. This version of GKE was Generally Available (GA) starting **Jan 2024** and go end of life in **Nov 2024**. Both **new cluster provisioning** and **in-place upgrades** of existing GKE clusters are supported. > This release will be promoted from Preview to Production in a few days and will be made available to all customers. ## Challenges of Container Vulnerability Management In the dynamic landscape of modern application development, containers have emerged as the cornerstone of microservices, revolutionizing the way software is deployed and managed. However, as we celebrate the agility and efficiency brought by containers, a critical concern looms large in the background — the chaotic state of vulnerability management within the container ecosystem. Several noteworthy challenges persist : - Current-generation container vulnerability scanners lack contextual considerations and actionable suggestions, posing difficulties in effectively addressing and resolving vulnerabilities. - Security teams, accustomed to traditional methods, face challenges in adapting to container security, where the absence of clear context and mitigation measures complicates the resolution of issues. - Open source container projects exhibit inconsistent practices in disclosing vulnerabilities and providing information about fixed versions, further complicating the task of maintaining a secure environment. ## AKS v1.28 Clusters using Rafay Our recent release update in Jan to our Preview environment adds support for a number of new features and enhancements. We will write about the other new features in separate blogs. This blog is focused on our turnkey support for AKS v1.28. This version of AKS was Generally Available (GA) starting **Nov 2023** and go end of life in **Nov 2024** i.e. with a 12 month support runway. Both **new cluster provisioning** and **in-place upgrades** of existing AKS clusters are supported. > This release will be promoted from Preview to Production in a few days and will be made available to all customers. ## Conversation with Equinix at KubeCon 2023 At [KubeCon 2023](https://events.linuxfoundation.org/kubecon-cloudnativecon-north-america/), I had the opportunity to sit down and have a discussion with [Amy Tobey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/amytobey) from [Equinix](https://www.equinix.com/). We thought it would be a lot of fun to record a **completely unscripted** conversation for folks that may not be that familiar with Rafay. This full conversation (approx. 20 minutes) is available now on Equinix's YouTube channel. How Rafay Addresses Your Tech Challenges \| Equinix Developers - YouTube Tap to unmute [How Rafay Addresses Your Tech Challenges \| Equinix Developers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIQIQCbQHS4) [Dev Team](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC62FZSL_508L52EWxWwMvlQ) ## Rafay at Gartner IOCS 2023 The Rafay team was at [Gartner IOCS](https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/na/infrastructure-operations-cloud-us) 2023 in Las Vegas from 5th to 7th Dec, 2023. In this blog, we summarize some of our announcements at Gartner IOCS 2023, describe some of the cutting edge demos we showcased to the attendees at the event and also highlight some of our observations/takeaways. ## Rafay at AWS re:Invent 2023 The Rafay team was at [AWS re:Invent](https://reinvent.awsevents.com/) 2023 in Las Vegas from 27-30th Nov, 2023. In this blog, we summarize some of our announcements at AWS re:Invent 2023, describe some of the cutting edge demos we showcased to the attendees at the event and also highlight some of our observations.