Overview

Serverless computing on Kubernetes enables developers to run applications without managing the underlying infrastructure, combining the agility of serverless with the power and flexibility of Kubernetes. In a serverless model, compute resources are dynamically allocated based on demand, and workloads scale automatically to zero when idle, reducing operational overhead and cost.

On Kubernetes, serverless platforms like Knative and OpenFaaS extend native capabilities to support event-driven, ephemeral workloads. These platforms integrate tightly with Kubernetes to offer features such as automatic scaling, request-based execution, and simplified deployment of functions or microservices using containers.

---

Knative, for example, adds two core capabilities:

Serving

Manages stateless service deployment and auto-scaling (including to zero), and

Eventing

Supports event sources and brokers for triggering functions. This enables developers to build modern applications that respond to events such as HTTP requests, messages from Kafka, or changes in cloud resources.

---

Benefits

By adopting serverless on Kubernetes, organizations can leverage their existing Kubernetes infrastructure while reducing the complexity of application lifecycle management. It’s especially useful for microservices, APIs, and batch jobs where traffic patterns are unpredictable. Ultimately, serverless for Kubernetes brings operational efficiency, resource optimization, and developer productivity to cloud-native environments.