EKS Cluster Autoscaling Not Configured
The cluster cannot add nodes, so pods stay pending under load and the workload simply does not scale.
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AWSKubernetes
Found, explained, handed over.
Where the estate departs from your policies, frameworks and tagging rules.
Detect
ZopNight checks this automatically across AWS, with read-only access to the account.
Explain
Every finding says exactly what to change: Enable autoscaling on EKS cluster.
Fix
The finding opens with the fix already written out, step by step, so it is one ticket, not an investigation.
- Applies to
- EKS Clusters on AWS
- The fix, by hand
- Decide the autoscaler: Cluster Autoscaler (legacy, simpler), Karpenter (recommended for Spot-heavy / mixed-instance), or EKS Auto Mode (fully managed, opinionated).
- For Karpenter: install the controller via Helm + create NodePool + EC2NodeClass manifests targeting your subnets / SGs.
- For Cluster Autoscaler: deploy via Helm and set each managed node group's --nodes min:max bounds.
- For Auto Mode: aws eks update-cluster-config --name ‹cluster› --compute-config enabled=true.
- Verify scale-up under load (e.g. kubectl scale deployment to trigger pending pods) and scale-down on idle.
- This finding is re-evaluated from the node group's live ScalingConfig on the next discovery run. Once autoscaling is enabled (the managed node group's min size ≠ max size) it stops firing on its own, so no manual tag is needed.
- If you manage scaling with Karpenter or another external autoscaler (the managed node group itself stays fixed-size), set meta["autoscaling_managed_externally"]=true on the resource so the rule abstains.
These are the steps the finding carries in the product.
- Category
- Compliance. Configuration drift from best practice: public access, missing MFA, unencrypted storage, deprecated runtimes.
- Where it appears
- The Compliance tab of Recommendations, with every affected resource listed.
- Rule ID
RC-060- Full reference
Related checks
See the compliance findings in your account.
Connect a read-only role and the first pass runs on your own estate. This check, and the rest of the catalogue, with it.
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