Docker Compose to Kubernetes migration
Plenty of businesses run production on a single Docker host with a Compose file. It works until the host dies or the app needs to scale. Moving to Kubernetes is the natural next step, but a straight translation of the Compose file misses most of the benefits.
We review each service, fix images that assume local state, write Helm charts or Kustomize manifests, move secrets into a proper store and cut over with DNS so rollback is one change.
At a glance
| From | Docker Compose, Docker Swarm, standalone containers, Portainer |
|---|---|
| To | DOKS, EKS, AKS, GKE, on-prem RKE2/k3s |
| Tooling | Helm, Kustomize, kompose (starting point only) |
| Cutover | Parallel run, DNS switch, monitored rollback window |
What RackLedge does
- Application and image review
- Manifest or chart authoring
- Data migration for stateful services
- Cutover and rollback plan
How we work
Every cluster we build starts from Git. Infrastructure as code creates the cluster, Flux or Argo CD reconciles everything inside it, and no change reaches production without a pull request. That is what makes a rebuild after a bad day a matter of hours instead of weeks.
Operations are the product: monitoring with alerts that mean something, backups of cluster state and persistent volumes, upgrades on a quarterly cadence and an on-call engineer who already knows the environment. We run production Kubernetes for our own platforms, so the runbooks are ones we use ourselves.
We are honest about fit. A handful of stable services on a couple of VMs does not need Kubernetes, and we will say so. Teams that ship weekly, need to scale or run many services get real value from it.
Related services
More on kubernetes
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep Docker Compose for development?
Yes. Many teams develop with Compose and deploy with Kubernetes; the images are the same.
Need a hand with this?
Tell us what you are running and what is slowing you down. You get a straight assessment and a plan, with no obligation. Support desk is staffed 24/7.