Production Kubernetes and AWS EKS engineering.

Cluster architecture before cluster creation

A production cluster is part of a wider system. We start with application needs, traffic paths, failure boundaries, identity, data and the operating model. From there we design VPC integration, subnets, ingress, DNS, node groups and access. We also help teams decide when separate clusters, namespaces or accounts provide meaningful isolation.

Scheduling, scaling and storage

We configure node groups, labels, taints, tolerations, affinities and autoscaling around actual workload behavior. Dedicated node pools can isolate platform components or workloads with different capacity and security needs, but they introduce cost and scheduling tradeoffs that should be explicit. Storage design covers persistent volumes, cloud integrations, backup expectations and recovery procedures.

IAM and workload identity

On EKS, we use AWS IAM, OIDC and IRSA patterns to give workloads scoped permissions without long-lived access keys. This work includes service accounts, trust relationships and the operational process for reviewing permission changes. Kubernetes RBAC and human access are treated separately from workload access.

Helm, Argo CD and GitOps

We organize Helm charts and configuration so environment differences remain reviewable. Argo CD can continuously reconcile desired state while CI systems build and verify artifacts. A useful GitOps design makes promotion, rollback and drift clear; it should not bury the delivery process beneath layers of templating.

Migration and modernization

For workloads moving from virtual machines, Docker Compose or manual container deployments, we examine configuration, secrets, health checks, resource requirements, state, network dependencies and release behavior. Some applications benefit from Kubernetes; others are better served by managed container or compute services. We provide a vendor-neutral recommendation.

Upgrades and troubleshooting

Kubernetes operations include control-plane and node upgrades, add-on compatibility, API deprecations, capacity planning and deployment safety. Troubleshooting crosses cluster events, application logs, metrics, cloud networking, identity and storage. Our engineers work below the Kubernetes layer when the cause sits in Linux, DNS, TLS, load balancing or cloud infrastructure.

Production experience and engagement options

AIOC engineers have operated multiple AWS EKS clusters in high-traffic gaming environments using Terraform Cloud, Helm, Argo CD, GitHub Actions and Jenkins, with IAM, OIDC, MongoDB and Prometheus or Thanos observability where relevant. We can assess an existing platform, deliver a defined cluster or migration project, join a platform team, or provide ongoing operational support.