Outgrowing Your PaaS: The Kubernetes Migration Tools That Actually Plug Into Your CI/CD

Migrating from a PaaS to Kubernetes rarely requires replacing GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Jenkins; instead, teams typically retain these systems for building and testing while adding container packaging, infrastructure-as-code, GitOps delivery, and data-migration tooling. A practical migration stack combines Terraform or OpenTofu, Docker or Buildpacks, Helm or Kustomize, Argo CD or Flux, and Velero or database migration services, because no single tool handles provisioning, deployment, state, and developer self-service end to end. AWS App2Container, Azure Migrate, and Google Migrate to Containers can accelerate moves within their respective clouds, but they generally stop at cluster creation and do not provide preview environments, self-service workflows, or ongoing operational support. The central challenge is ongoing “day-2” ownership of upgrades, security, autoscaling, observability, secrets, networking, and cost management, which can exceed the direct cost of managed Kubernetes control planes. Internal developer platforms, including Qovery, are presented as an option for teams seeking Kubernetes control in their own cloud accounts while retaining PaaS-like deployment workflows, pull-request environments, RBAC, and managed operations. AI agents can assist with mechanical tasks such as generating Dockerfiles, Helm charts, and Terraform modules, but require safeguards for data migration, production networking, permissions, and deployment decisions.

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