--- title: "STACKIT Kubernetes Engine (SKE)" description: "CNCF-compliant managed Kubernetes service offering high-availability control planes, node auto-scaling, and auto-hibernation." scfAsset: category: "service" managed: true marketplaceUrl: "https://marketplace.stackit.cloud/en/products" tags: ["Kubernetes", "SKE", "CNCF", "Containers", "Runtime"] maintainers: - user: "alexander.gabert" source_url: "https://framework.stackit.cloud/architecture/assetcontainer/stackit/stackit-service-kubernetes-engine/" source_file: "docs/architecture/assetcontainer/stackit/stackit-service-kubernetes-engine.mdx" --- STACKIT Kubernetes Engine (SKE) provides managed CNCF-compliant Kubernetes clusters. ## Service Overview - **Fully Managed Control Plane**: Free high-availability control plane backed by 99.9% API availability SLA. - **Automated Lifecycle**: Auto-detects and repairs unhealthy worker nodes; handles OS and K8s patch upgrades. - **Cost Savings**: Scheduled auto-hibernation shuts down dev/test node pools during off-peak hours. ## Technical Details - **Images**: Flatcar container-optimized and Ubuntu (preview) worker OS images. - **CNI Networks**: Selectable Calico or Cilium container network interfaces. ## Service Level The values below come from the STACKIT documentation and update themselves. > From the STACKIT docs: [Introduction › Service Level Agreement (SLA)](https://docs.stackit.cloud/products/runtime/kubernetes-engine/basics/#service-level-agreement-sla) (Source updated 19.08.2026, copied 05.10.2026) The SKE SLA is measured according to following Service Level Indicator (SLI): - Availability of Kubernetes API Server of SKE clusters - **SLA:** 99,9%. - The SLA for an SKE cluster is violated, if the API server for the cluster can’t be externally accessed. Excluded from SLA violations are: - Failures of Kubernetes Pods or Kubernetes nodes running in the cluster. ## Limitations & Constraints - **Short-Lived Tokens**: Kubeconfig authentication uses short-lived OIDC tokens requiring regular authentication renewal.