Scaling Kubernetes workloads on custom metrics

The article details Karpenter, an open-source autoscaler for Kubernetes that directly manages compute resources (like EC2 instances) instead of relying on Cluster Autoscalers managing node pools. This allows for faster, more efficient scaling based on actual pod requirements, minimizing wasted capacity and reducing costs. Karpenter achieves this by provisioning right-sized instances on demand, directly registering them with Kubernetes, and terminating them when no longer needed.