AllOK8 (Kubernetes Management Platform)

The Problem

Kubernetes is powerful but notoriously complex. Small teams want container orchestration benefits (scaling, reliability, resource efficiency) but can’t afford dedicated Platform Engineers. Existing tools (kubectl, Helm) assume expertise most teams lack. Result: teams either over-pay for managed platforms (ECS, Cloud Run) or under-utilize self-managed K8s clusters.

What I Built

AllOK8 abstracts Kubernetes complexity behind developer-friendly interfaces:

• One-Command Deploys: allok8 deploy replaces multi-step kubectl+Helm workflows
• Cost Visibility: Real-time cluster spend by service/team with optimization recommendations
• Auto-Scaling Policies: Simple UI for configuring HPA/VPA without YAML archaeology
• Incident Management: Integrated alerting, runbooks, and rollback workflows

Tech Stack

TypeScript + React frontend, Go backend, Kubernetes Operator pattern for cluster management, Prometheus + Grafana for observability.

Lessons Learned

Abstractions Leak—Embrace It: Hiding Kubernetes completely fails when things break. Instead, progressive disclosure: simple interface by default, “show me the YAML” option for power users. Lesson: good abstractions teach the underlying system, not hide it.

Cost Optimization Sells Better Than Features: Teams adopted for ease-of-use but renewed for cost savings (typical 30% reduction via rightsizing). Lesson: operational savings justify adoption better than developer experience alone.

Opinionated Defaults Win: Providing 47 config options paralyzed teams. Shipping with opinionated defaults (inspired by Heroku) plus escape hatches tripled adoption. Lesson: flexibility is overrated; good defaults are underrated.