Clusters

An NKS cluster is a group of nodes that run containerized applications on Nirvana’s high-performance infrastructure. Each cluster includes managed controller nodes that run the Kubernetes control plane and worker nodes that execute your workloads.

Availability

NKS clusters are currently available in Silicon Valley (us-sva-2).

Cluster Creation

Create clusters through the Nirvana Cloud Dashboard or API. Each cluster is provisioned with:

• Deployment into a VPC of your choice with configurable firewall rules
• Managed controller nodes running the Kubernetes control plane
• One or more worker node pools on Nirvana Cloud VMs
• ABS-backed persistent storage for stateful workloads
• Nirvana Connect for private multi-cloud connectivity

Clusters can also be provisioned using the Nirvana Terraform provider for infrastructure-as-code workflows. For a simpler, opinionated setup, use the terraform-nirvana-nks module, which bundles the VPC, cluster, and node pool resources needed to provision an NKS cluster in a single module.

Configuration Options

• Region: Select the deployment region for your cluster (currently us-sva-2)
• Worker node pools: Define the CPU, RAM, and storage configuration for each pool
• Number of worker nodes: Set the initial node count per pool, and scale up or down as needed
• High availability: Three-node controller configuration included by default for production fault tolerance

Scalability

Scale clusters by adding or removing worker nodes or entire node pools based on workload demand. Clusters also support autoscaling powered by Karpenter, which automatically adjusts node capacity based on pending pods and resource utilization.

Managed Operations

The Nirvana team manages all controller node operations including maintenance, upgrades, and monitoring. Customers retain full control over their workloads through standard Kubernetes tooling (kubectl, Helm, CI/CD pipelines).