kubernetes
OVH Managed Kubernetes Cost Calculator
Calculate the monthly cost of running a Kubernetes cluster on OVH Managed Kubernetes. Control plane is free — you pay only for worker node instances in EU regions.
OVH Managed Kubernetes
OVH Managed Kubernetes is part of OVHcloud Public Cloud. Like other managed services, the control plane is free — you pay for worker node instances billed by the hour or month.
What's included for free
- ›Kubernetes control plane (API server, etcd, scheduler)
- ›Automatic minor version upgrades
- ›kubectl access + kubeconfig
- ›Integration with OVH Public Cloud networking (vRack)
Instance families for worker nodes
| Family | vCPU | Billing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| d2 | Shared | Hourly | Dev/staging |
| b2 | Shared | Hourly | General workloads |
| c2 | Dedicated | Hourly | CPU-intensive |
Cost comparison (3-node cluster)
OVH b2-15 × 3: ~€138/mo
DOKS 4vCPU/8GB × 3: ~$144/mo
Hetzner self-managed (equiv): ~€60/moOVH and DOKS are priced similarly for managed K8s. Hetzner self-managed is significantly cheaper if you can accept the operational overhead.
Getting started
# Install OVH CLI (optional) or use the Control Panel
# https://www.ovh.com/manager/#/public-cloud/# Or via Terraform: resource "ovh_cloud_project_kube" "cluster" { service_name = var.ovh_cloud_project name = "my-cluster" region = "GRA11" version = "1.32" } ```
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 OVH Managed Kubernetes control plane free?
Yes. OVH does not charge for the Kubernetes control plane. You only pay for the Public Cloud instances used as worker nodes. This mirrors the model of other managed Kubernetes services (DOKS, GKE, AKS).
What is the difference between d2, b2, and c2 instance families?
d2 (Discovery) instances have shared vCPUs and are the entry-level option — fine for dev/staging. b2 (General Purpose) instances also have shared vCPUs but more RAM per core — suitable for most production workloads. c2 (Compute) instances have dedicated vCPUs and are best for CPU-intensive workloads. For Kubernetes worker nodes, b2-15 or b2-30 are the most popular choices.
How does OVH Managed Kubernetes compare to Hetzner in cost?
OVH b2-15 (4vCPU/15GB) costs ~€46/mo per node. Hetzner cx43 (8vCPU/16GB) costs €11.99/mo. For equivalent specs, Hetzner is 3–4× cheaper — but on Hetzner you manage the control plane yourself. OVH gives you a managed control plane at a higher per-node cost. For EU-based deployments where data residency matters, OVH is a solid managed option.
Which OVH region should I use?
OVH Managed Kubernetes is available in GRA (Gravelines, France), SBG (Strasbourg, France), DE1 (Frankfurt, Germany), UK1 (London), BHS (Beauharnois, Canada), and SGP (Singapore). For EU workloads, GRA or DE1 are the most common choices. Prices are the same across EU regions.
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.
DOKS Cost
Calculate the monthly cost of running a Kubernetes cluster on DigitalOcean Managed Kubernetes (DOKS). Control plane is free — you only pay for worker nodes.
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