I remember when standing up a Kubernetes cluster on AWS meant navigating a lot of VPC, networking, and control-plane configuration before shipping a single feature.
Managed Kubernetes changed that. DigitalOcean, GCP, AWS, Azure, and OpenShift all made the control plane dramatically easier to access. For small teams, though, the operational cost and the hidden network or storage fees still matter.
DigitalOcean stood out to me because its managed Kubernetes offering made it possible to keep the platform straightforward and run a real cluster with a small worker footprint. The key is not that one cloud is always right; it is matching the operational shape of the stack to what the product actually needs.
For an early-stage service, a lean cluster can be a great compromise: familiar Kubernetes primitives, straightforward deployment workflows, and fewer surprises than a highly customized setup.