kubernetes
DigitalOcean Kubernetes Cost Calculator (DOKS)
Calculate the monthly cost of running a Kubernetes cluster on DigitalOcean Managed Kubernetes (DOKS). Control plane is free — you only pay for worker nodes.
DigitalOcean Managed Kubernetes (DOKS)
DOKS is DigitalOcean's fully managed Kubernetes service. The control plane is free — you pay only for worker node Droplets and any managed load balancers.
What's included for free
- ›Kubernetes control plane (API server, etcd, scheduler, controller manager)
- ›Automatic control plane upgrades
- ›Built-in monitoring integration (DO Monitoring)
- ›kubectl + kubeconfig access
Node pool pricing
| Node Type | vCPU | RAM | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic 4vCPU/8GB | 4 | 8 GB | $48/mo |
| General 4vCPU/16GB | 4 | 16 GB | $126/mo |
| CPU-Opt 4vCPU/8GB | 4 | 8 GB | $84/mo |
vs. Self-managed on Hetzner
DOKS (3× 4vCPU/8GB Basic): $144/mo
Hetzner self-managed equivalent: ~€60/moHetzner is 2–3× cheaper but requires you to manage the control plane, upgrades, etcd, and load balancers yourself. Use the [self-managed calculator](/calculators/kubernetes-cluster-cost-calculator) to compare directly.
Getting started
# Install doctl
brew install doctl
doctl auth init# Create cluster doctl kubernetes cluster create my-cluster \ --node-pool "name=workers;size=s-4vcpu-8gb;count=3" \ --region nyc1 ```
Key Terms
Full glossary →kubeadm
A tool for bootstrapping Kubernetes clusters. It automates the setup of control plane components and joining worker nodes, following Kubernetes best practices.
etcd
A distributed key-value store used by Kubernetes to store all cluster state and configuration. etcd is the single source of truth for the entire cluster.
cert-manager
A Kubernetes controller for automating TLS certificate management. cert-manager can issue certificates from Let's Encrypt, Vault, or internal CAs, and automatically renews them.
Helm
A package manager for Kubernetes. Helm charts bundle Kubernetes manifests into reusable packages with configurable values, versioned and published to chart repositories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the DOKS control plane really free?
Yes. DigitalOcean does not charge for the Kubernetes control plane (API server, etcd, scheduler). You only pay for the Droplets in your node pools. This is standard for managed Kubernetes — GKE, AKS, and EKS also offer free or near-free control planes.
How does DOKS pricing compare to self-managed Kubernetes on Hetzner?
DOKS is significantly more expensive per vCPU/GB than self-managed Hetzner. A 3-node DOKS cluster with 4vCPU/8GB nodes costs ~$144/mo. An equivalent self-managed cluster on Hetzner (3 workers + 1 control plane) costs ~€60-70/mo including control plane and load balancer VMs. The premium buys you a managed control plane, automatic upgrades, and tight DO ecosystem integration.
What node type should I use for a production Kubernetes workload?
For most web/API workloads, Basic 4vCPU/8GB ($48/mo) is the sweet spot. General Purpose nodes have dedicated vCPUs and more RAM per core — use them if your workload is CPU-intensive or if you see CPU steal time on Basic nodes. CPU-Optimized nodes suit compute-heavy tasks like data processing or CI runners. Memory-Optimized suits large caches or in-memory databases.
Do I need a DigitalOcean Load Balancer with DOKS?
Only if you need external traffic routing. DOKS includes a default nginx ingress controller you can pair with a DO LB ($12/mo) to expose services. Alternatively, install your own ingress and use a NodePort service or Cloudflare Tunnel to avoid the LB cost. For internal-only clusters, no LB is needed.
Related Tools
K8s Cluster Cost
Calculate the monthly cost of running a Kubernetes cluster on Hetzner Cloud. Choose server types for control planes, workers, and load balancers with HA mode.
Hetzner K8s Cost
Calculate the exact monthly cost of a Kubernetes cluster on Hetzner Cloud using verified server pricing — cx23, cx33, cx43, cax21, cax31, ccx23.
Vultr K8s Cost
Calculate the monthly cost of a self-managed Kubernetes cluster on Vultr Cloud. Compare Cloud Compute (vc2), High Frequency (vhf), and Optimized (voc) instance types with verified pricing.
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