Kubecost, the startup that provides monitoring, management and cost optimization services for companies running Kubernetes clusters, said today its Kubecost Cloud platform is now generally available.

According to Kubecost, officially known as Stackwatch Inc., Kubecost Cloud is a software-as-a-service platform that makes it easier than ever to gain full visibility into, and then reduce their Kubernetes-related costs.

Kubernetes is a popular open-source tool that’s used to orchestrate and manage software containers, which host the components of modern applications based on microservices. It has become an essential piece of software for the vast majority of enterprises, but because it’s so widely used, it can quickly become a very expensive drain on information technology budgets.

Kubecost says this has led to more companies employing FinOps strategies, which aim to keep a lid on their software spending.

Kubecost Cloud is based on the open-source OpenCost project, which provides developer and engineering teams with more actionable and accurate cost data for Kubernetes, together with various tools that can help them to reduce the expense of running the software. It can be deployed inside any Kubernetes cluster, where it can help find ways to reduce costs without impacting performance.

One of the advantages of Kubecost Cloud is it enables teams to monitor their Kubernetes deployments without committing significant engineering resources. During its beta period, it was used by multiple customers, showing its ability to scale to monitor clusters with more than 1,000 nodes.

In its recent State of Kubernetes Cost Optimization report, Google LLC said the best-performing teams focus on four key areas, or Golden Signals: workload rightsizing, demand-based downscaling, cluster bin packing and cloud discount coverage.

Kubecost Cloud helps to provide actionable insights on each of these signals. Key features include allocations and assets dashboards for each Kubernetes cluster, a cost savings display with container and cluster right-sizing tools, and abandoned workload detection, plus an overall cloud costs dashboard with cost reconciliation tools.

The company says these functions combine to provide comprehensive cost visibility, breaking down costs to the namespace, deployment and service level. The platform can track the associated costs down to each cluster, and teams can use these insights to forecast their expenditure much more accurately.

In addition, Kubecost Cloud helps to identify areas where teams can reduce their costs, such as by eliminating unassigned resources, optimizing node and container usage, and leveraging preemptible cloud instances. On average, Kubecost Cloud can help customers achieve cost savings of between 30% and 50%, the startup said.

Analyst Holger Mueller of Constellation Research Inc. said Kubernetes has emerged as the de facto control plane for almost all modern application development. He explained that many companies operate multiple Kubernetes clusters, so there’s lots of wiggle room to cut back on operational costs.

“As is often the case, the innovation is coming from the startup field,” he added. “Kubecost offers a promising solution, and if it can deliver on the cost savings it promises, it can be a major win for enterprise IT budgets.”

Kubecost President Trenton Truitt said the platform makes it possible for Kubernetes users to start small and scale quickly without stretching their budgets. “It is difficult to ensure you efficiently use all your nodes and containers, leading to over-provisioning and overspending,” he said. “Especially at scale, comprehensive and frictionless Kubernetes cost monitoring and cost optimization are business-critical.”

Customers can get started with Kubecost Cloud through a 14-day free trial to see for themselves how their savings add up.

Last year, Kubecost Chief Executive Webb Brown appeared on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile livestreaming studio, where he talked about how some companies are wasting up to 80% of their Kubernetes spending:

Image: Kubecost