Kubernetes on the bare server, with no virtualisation layer
Run Kubernetes straight on the hardware, with no hypervisor between your containers and the processor. You recover the full performance of your servers and avoid virtualisation licences.
Bare metal Kubernetes is a cluster installed directly on the physical server, with no hypervisor layer (VMware, Hyper-V or other) between the system and the hardware. The containers speak directly to the processor, memory and disk.
You win on two fronts. Performance first: no virtualisation tax, lower latency, useful for databases, compute and AI. Cost next: no more hypervisor licences to pay, and hardware used to the full. Bunker designs the offer, our Kubernetes infrastructure partner deploys and operates the cluster.
What bare metal changes
The full performance of the hardware
With no hypervisor, your containers reach the processor, memory and storage directly. The virtualisation layer usually takes a share of the resources; on bare metal, you recover that margin for your workloads.
No virtualisation licences
Hypervisor licences are a recurring cost that has risen sharply in recent years. A bare metal cluster does without them: you pay only for the hardware and its operation.
Ideal for demanding workloads
Databases, distributed storage, compute, AI inference on GPU: these latency- and throughput-sensitive workloads get the most out of direct hardware access, with no software go-between.
Hardware used to the full
Kubernetes itself orchestrates where containers land on the servers. The virtualisation layer becomes redundant for many containerised uses: removing it simplifies the stack and packs each machine more densely.
Bare metal or virtual machines for Kubernetes
Kubernetes orchestrates containers, which already isolate applications from one another. Running those containers inside virtual machines adds a second isolation layer, useful in some strong-partitioning cases, but costly in performance and licences. For many workloads, bare metal removes that layer with no loss of function.
The choice depends on your partitioning needs, your hardware and your tolerance for the virtualisation overhead. We help you decide from your real situation, rather than applying a single rule.
An alternative to proprietary virtualisation
The rising cost of proprietary hypervisors is pushing many organisations to rethink their stack. A bare metal Kubernetes cluster is one way out of that dependency: open-source orchestration takes over part of the hypervisor's role, on hardware you control. It is the natural extension of a move away from VMware.
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Frequently asked questions
What is bare metal Kubernetes?
It is a Kubernetes cluster installed directly on physical servers, with no virtualisation hypervisor between the system and the hardware. Containers reach the machine's resources directly, which improves performance and removes virtualisation licences.
Is bare metal less secure than virtual machines?
Containers already isolate applications, and Kubernetes enforces access controls and network policies. For a very strong partitioning need, you can add isolated nodes or a targeted virtual machine layer. The right isolation level depends on your context, which we assess with you.
Does bare metal cost less?
For a sustained workload, often yes. You remove hypervisor licences and use the hardware to the full. The gain depends on your volumes and your current stack. We price your case from your estate.
Can you do bare metal on-premise?
Yes, the two combine perfectly. An on-premise cluster can run on bare metal on your servers. You then get both physical control of the data and the performance of the bare server.
Kubernetes is a trademark of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. VMware and Hyper-V are trademarks of their respective publishers. Bunker is not affiliated with any of them.