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Kubernetes Engine

STACKIT Kubernetes Engine (SKE) is a robust, scalable, and managed Kubernetes service. SKE supplies a CNCF-compliant Kubernetes cluster, and makes it easy to provide standard Kubernetes applications and containerized workloads.

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Content

Basics

Understand the basic working principles of STACKIT Kubernetes Engine and dive into the terminology and concepts.

Getting started

Setup and manage your first Kubernetes cluster in minutes, with STACKIT Kubernetes Engine.

How-tos

Learn how to perform common tasks and operations with/in STACKIT Kubernetes Engine.

Deep dive

Explore in-depth technical insights, architectural deep dives, and advanced concepts related to STACKIT Kubernetes Engine.

FAQ

Find answers to frequently asked questions about STACKIT Kubernetes Engine.

Release notes

Discover what's new in STACKIT Kubernetes Engine, including added features, bug fixes and deprecation notices.

Features

STACKIT Kubernetes Engine offers a range of features to simplify application development and deployment:

  • Self-service cluster creation (Portal): Create Kubernetes clusters quickly and easily via the self-service user interface in the STACKIT Cloud Portal.
  • Infrastructure as code & automation: Provision and manage clusters using the Terraform provider, SKE API, or STACKIT CLI for repeatable automated workflows.
  • Managed control plane: The Control Plane of the clusters is managed and highly available.
  • Auto-updates: Kubernetes and operating system versions are automatically updated to keep clusters up to date.
  • Automatic repair functions: Detect and repair problems on the cluster automatically.
  • Event-driven autoscaling: Pod and node autoscaling elastically adjust clusters based on workload.
  • Temporary cluster shutdown: Clusters can be automatically switched off if the application is only to be accessible at certain times of the day.

Use cases

Popular use cases for STACKIT Kubernetes Engine are the following:

  • Migration of existing applications: Quickly and easily containerize existing applications and run them on SKE in the European cloud without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.
  • Operation of cloud-native applications: Create new cloud-native applications in the form of microservices, utilizing the Kubernetes ecosystem for service meshes, serverless applications, and CI/CD pipelines.
  • Creation of stateful applications: Operate stateful applications on SKE clusters using persistent block storage.
  • Development and testing environments: Set up isolated environments for development and testing to ensure consistency and reliability across different stages of application deployment.
  • Scalable web applications: Deploy web applications that can automatically scale based on demand, ensuring high availability and performance.
  • Machine learning workloads: Run machine learning models and data processing tasks efficiently using Kubernetes orchestration and resource management.

University

Section titled “University”

Kubernetes Fundamentals (EN)

Master container orchestration, deployment, scaling, and management with K8s.

Deploying an Application with STACKIT Kubernetes Engine

Learn to deploy and manage containerized applications using the STACKIT Kubernetes Engine.

Latest updates

Section titled “Latest updates”
  • announcement

    SKE patchday October 2026 – Remove Docker from Flatcar

    Section titled “SKE patchday October 2026 – Remove Docker from Flatcar”

    With the upcoming October patch day, we are adjusting the Flatcar OS images provided in STACKIT Kubernetes Engine (SKE) by removing Docker.

    Docker has been deprecated and removed as the container runtime in SKE for more than two years. By removing it, we ensure the OS footprint remains small and remove unneeded dependencies that could potentially introduce security vulnerabilities.

    Key Dates:

    • October 14, 2026: A new preview Flatcar OS version (the latest stable release available in October) will be added to SKE. This version will not contain Docker.
    • November, 11, 2026: The Flatcar version without Docker will be promoted to the supported OS version. If you have auto updates enabled, your Kubernetes worker nodes will automatically update to this version.

    What you need to do

    Test your SKE workloads beforehand using the new preview Flatcar version once it becomes available on October 14, 2026. Testing is highly recommended to ensure your configurations function exactly as expected before the automatic upgrade takes place in November.

    Our Help Center is always at your disposal if you have any questions.

  • changed

    Improved Kubernetes API server load balancing and strict RFC compliance

    Section titled “Improved Kubernetes API server load balancing and strict RFC compliance”

    We are updating our ingress mechanism to make use of improved Kubernetes API server load balancing in the STACKIT Kubernetes Engine (SKE). We will begin rolling out this update gradually across all clusters starting September 15, 2026. This update significantly benefits the overall stability of SKE and decreases the response times from the API servers under high load.

    To achieve this improved load balancing, the new ingress mechanism strictly enforces RFC compliance. This means that misconfigured clients—specifically those where the Server Name Indication (SNI) does not match the Host or :authority HTTP header—will be rejected with a 421 Misdirected Request error. Previously, these clients might have worked because the former L4 load balancers did not take HTTP headers into consideration.

    As we roll out this change gradually across our production environments, non-compliant clients will receive a 421 Misdirected Request error when attempting to access the API server. To ensure a smooth transition and minimize disruption, we are proactively monitoring our logs for these 421 Misdirected Request errors. If we detect that your cluster is affected during the rollout, our support team will:

    1. Temporarily apply a compatibility fix on our end to restore your traffic flow.

    2. Open a support ticket to notify you, providing your project ID and cluster details.

    3. Inform you of the temporary nature of this fix and provide a strict deadline to update your non-compliant clients before the compatibility mode is permanently removed.

    To learn how to make sure your clients stay compatible, refer to our how-to guide “Ensure RFC-compliant API requests to your SKE cluster”.

  • deprecated

    Kubernetes version 1.34 is getting deprecated in SKE

    Section titled “Kubernetes version 1.34 is getting deprecated in SKE”

    Kubernetes minor version 1.34 reaches the end of its official maintenance support on 27 October 2026.

    This version will be removed from SKE on 14 October 2026 at 8 AM UTC. Starting with the date of removal, all clusters that are still using 1.34 will be automatically upgraded to 1.35 during the cluster’s maintenance time window.

    In order to keep your cluster up-to-date, we synchronize the version lifecycle with the upstream Kubernetes lifecycle. Therefore, we expire Kubernetes minor versions on the patchday prior the End-of-Life (EOL) dates with Kubernetes.

    Documentation for applying minor or patch updates is available in the official STACKIT Kubernetes Engine documentation. Additional guidance on the release process can be found in the STACKIT Kubernetes Engine Version Updates.

    For more detailed information, refer to:

    Our Help Center is always at your disposal if you have any questions.