When you’re working with Kubernetes, understanding what a “node” actually is under the hood can make a big difference—especially when you’re switching between local setups like Minikube and cloud-managed services like Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).
This article explores how Minikube and GKE implement nodes, and what kind of environments they use to simulate or provision them.
🏗️ What Are Kubernetes Nodes?
In simple terms, a Kubernetes node is a machine (virtual or physical) that runs the containerized workloads. It includes components like:
- The kubelet (to talk to the control plane)
- The container runtime (like Docker or containerd)
- The kube-proxy (to handle networking)
Now, how these nodes are provisioned depends heavily on the platform you’re using.
💻 Nodes in Minikube: Containers or VMs on Your Local Machine
Minikube is designed for local development and testing. You can simulate multiple Kubernetes nodes on your single host machine using different drivers. Depending on the driver, Minikube creates nodes in one of two ways:
➤ 1. Docker Driver (Most Lightweight)
- Each Kubernetes node is a Docker container running on your local machine.
- These containers use a specialized image called
kicbase(Kubernetes-in-Container base). - The
kicbaseimage is based on a slim Debian or Alpine-like distribution and includes Kubernetes components likekubeletandcontainerd.
This setup is very fast and resource-efficient, perfect for testing multi-node behavior without real overhead.
➤ 2. VM Drivers (e.g., VirtualBox, KVM, Hyper-V)
- Each node is a virtual machine, closer to a real Kubernetes deployment.
- This mode uses more resources but gives you better isolation and realism.
- Still, all nodes run on the same physical host—your laptop or desktop.
📝 Key takeaway:
In Minikube, nodes are simulated, either as containers (Docker) or VMs (VirtualBox, etc.). Great for learning, but not production-grade.
☁️ Nodes in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE): Real Virtual Machines
GKE, on the other hand, is a production-grade managed Kubernetes platform. Here, nodes are not simulated—they are real virtual machines running on Google Cloud’s Compute Engine (GCE).
➤ 1. Each Node = One Compute Engine VM
- When you create a GKE cluster, Google provisions a VM for each node.
- You can choose the machine type, region, OS image (e.g., Container-Optimized OS or Ubuntu), and disk size.
- These are fully functioning, isolated virtual machines, capable of running production workloads.
➤ 2. Control Plane Is Managed
- The control plane (API server, scheduler, etc.) is hosted and managed by Google.
- You don’t have to worry about setting it up or upgrading it.
🚀 GKE Autopilot Mode: Fully Managed Nodes
GKE also offers an Autopilot mode, where:
- Google completely manages the node infrastructure.
- You don’t see the VMs—only the Pods.
- You are billed per Pod resource usage, not per node.
- The nodes still exist under the hood, but they’re invisible to you.
Autopilot is ideal for developers who want to deploy applications without dealing with infrastructure details.
🔍 Minikube vs. GKE: A Comparison
| Feature | Minikube | GKE (Standard & Autopilot) |
|---|---|---|
| Node Type | Simulated: Container or VM | Real VMs (GCE instances) |
| Hosted On | Your local machine | Google Cloud Compute Engine |
| Control Plane | Local, runs on your host | Managed by Google |
| Suitable For | Learning, local testing | Production workloads |
| Performance | Limited by your device hardware | Scalable, distributed infrastructure |
| Resource Management | You handle everything manually | Google manages resources & autoscaling (optional) |
| OS on Nodes | Lightweight Linux via kicbase |
COS (Container-Optimized OS) or Ubuntu |
🧠 Final Thoughts
While both Minikube and GKE help you run Kubernetes clusters, their node architecture is vastly different:
- Minikube is great for simulating multi-node clusters on your machine using containers or VMs.
- GKE provisions real, cloud-hosted VMs for each node, giving you scalability, reliability, and full cloud integration.
If you’re learning or developing locally, Minikube is your friend. But when you’re ready to scale, secure, and go to production, GKE provides the real-deal Kubernetes infrastructure.