Scaling the Architecture

All scaling operations should be done during maintenance windows. Keep the following points in mind.

When changing EKS node VM types, the node pool will be gradually replaced, which can result in downtime. EKS does this by:

  • Creating new nodes with the desired instance type within the same node group

  • Cordoning and draining old nodes (safely evicting pods)

  • Terminating old nodes once pods are successfully rescheduled

  • Repeating this process in batches until all nodes are updated

When changing pod resourcing, some PVCs will not get replaced. For example, if a Kafka node has a persistent claim of 1TB and the new size calls for 2TB - the 1TB PVC will not be replaced without manual intervention.