Kubernetes in the Cloud vs. Bare Metal: A Comparative Study of Network Costs

Modern cloud-native applications increasingly utilise managed cloud services and containerisation technologies, such as Kubernetes, to achieve rapid time-to-market and scalable deployments. Organisations must consider various factors, including cost implications when deciding on a hosting platform for containerised applications as the usage grows. An emerging discipline called FinOps combines financial management and cloud operations to optimise costs in cloud-based applications. While prior research has explored system-level optimisation strategies for cost and resource efficiency in containerized systems, analysing network costs in Kubernetes clusters remains underexplored. This paper investigates the network usage and cost implications of containerised applications running on Kubernetes clusters. Using a methodology that combines measurement analysis, experimentation, and cost modelling, we aim to provide organisations with actionable insights into network cost optimisation. Our findings highlight key considerations for analysing network expenditures and evaluating the potential cost benefits of deploying applications on cloud providers. Overall, this paper contributes to the emerging FinOps discipline by addressing the financial and operational aspects of managing network costs in cloud-native environments.