New serverless options for running Containers and Kubernetes in OCI available soon

In our ongoing efforts to simplify the operational experience of running container-based applications in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), we’re excited to announce two new serverless options for running Kubernetes and containers in a fast, secure, and reliable way without having to manage any infrastructure. Today, we’re announcing the preview availability of OCI Container Instances and the new Virtual Nodes capability for Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes (OKE). This preview offers two serverless Compute options, designed to improve developer productivity and greatly simplify and accelerate the adoption of cloud native technologies in the enterprise.

By eliminating the operational overhead, complexities, and learning curve for managing enterprise-grade Kubernetes and Containers in production, organizations can focus on building their applications, while OCI completely manages the infrastructure and ensures seamless operations.

OCI Container Instances

OCI Container Instances is a serverless Compute service that enables you to instantly run containers without managing any servers. You can easily launch containers in seconds with one CLI command or through a guided Console experience. You specify your preferred compute shape, CPU and memory allocation, and other optional parameters. Your workloads run on an optimized, dedicated environment with strong isolation for improved security.

You only pay for the cores and memory allocated to your instance at the same price as regular OCI Compute for your chosen shape. The seamless serverless experience incurs no extra charge, making Container Instances the simplest, most reliable, and best value option for running containers in the cloud.

Container instances are suitable for containerized workloads that don’t require a container orchestration like Kubernetes, including APIs, web apps, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) jobs, developer and test environments, automation tasks, data and media processing, and more. If your application requires Kubernetes, read on to learn about virtual nodes.

OKE Virtual Nodes deliver a serverless Kubernetes experience

Virtual Nodes are a new capability of Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes (OKE), providing a complete, serverless Kubernetes experience. With Virtual Nodes, you can ensure reliable operations of Kubernetes at scale without having to manage any infrastructure. Virtual Nodes save you from the operational overhead of managing, scaling, upgrading, and troubleshooting worker nodes’ infrastructure. OCI manages all the cluster infrastructure for you. This new type of node provides granular pod-level elasticity and pay-per-pod pricing based on the resources consumed by your app.

Virtual Nodes are a new capability, adding to the managed nodes option that already exists in OKE. You get more control over node configuration, while you share the operational responsibility for the worker nodes’ infrastructure.

What’s next

To learn more about Container Instances, OKE Virtual Nodes, and sign up to be notified about their availability, see the Container Instances and Container Engine for Kubernetes pages.