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MigrationCost OptimizationAmazon ECS (EC2)India (ap-south-1)RDS · EFS · CloudWatch · WAF
Case Study

DigitalOcean Kubernetes to Amazon ECS: A Scalable and Cost-Optimized Migration

HAZERCLOUD migrated a containerised application from DigitalOcean Kubernetes to Amazon ECS (EC2) — achieving improved scalability, reduced operational overhead, and cost-optimised infrastructure in the Mumbai (ap-south-1) region.

Client Profile
Technology Company — India
IndustryTechnology
SourceDigitalOcean K8s
RegionIndia (ap-south-1)
EngagementCloud Migration
ECS
Container platform
RDS
Managed database
↓
Operational overhead
↓
Infrastructure costs
The Challenges

Outgrowing DigitalOcean Kubernetes.

As usage increased, the existing DigitalOcean setup became harder to scale and maintain — with manual Kubernetes management, a self-managed database, and limited cloud services for enterprise needs.

Challenges

Scaling and operational challenges

  • The existing platform lacked sufficient advanced cloud services to support future growth
  • Managing Kubernetes clusters and underlying infrastructure required continuous manual effort
  • Application scaling was not fully automated, making it harder to respond to traffic changes
  • The self-managed database required regular maintenance, backups, and monitoring
  • Infrastructure costs increased over time and were difficult to optimise
  • Limited global regions affected latency and constrained expansion plans
  • Security, networking, and compliance capabilities were limited compared to enterprise-grade platforms
Goal

Scalable, cost-optimised AWS platform

  • Migrate from DigitalOcean Kubernetes to Amazon ECS on EC2 in Mumbai region
  • Replace self-managed database with Amazon RDS for automated backups and HA
  • Implement dedicated VPC with public/private subnet segregation
  • Enable centralised monitoring, logging, and alerting with CloudWatch and SNS
  • Right-size infrastructure to optimise costs and reduce over-provisioning
Before & After

From self-managed Kubernetes to managed AWS.

Replacing manual cluster management, a self-managed database, and limited cloud services with Amazon ECS, RDS, and enterprise-grade AWS services.

Before

Manual K8s

  • DigitalOcean Kubernetes clusters managed manually
  • Continuous operational effort for node lifecycle and scaling
  • Limited automation around capacity and deployments
After

Managed ECS

  • Amazon ECS on EC2 launch type in Mumbai (ap-south-1)
  • Auto-scaling task definitions and service-level scaling policies
  • Operational overhead absorbed by AWS managed services
Before

Self-Managed DB

  • Self-managed database with manual patching and backups
  • No native high availability or automated failover
  • Performance and capacity tuning handled in-house
After

Amazon RDS

  • Amazon RDS with automated backups and managed patching
  • Multi-AZ high availability and point-in-time recovery
  • Performance insights and CloudWatch integration out of the box
Before

Limited Cloud Services

  • Narrow set of platform services beyond Kubernetes
  • Limited regions, networking and security controls
  • Constraints on compliance, monitoring, and integrations
After

Enterprise AWS Services

  • Dedicated VPC, ALB, WAF, IAM, and EFS in AWS
  • CloudWatch, SNS, and centralised logging for full visibility
  • Broad AWS service portfolio for future product growth
The Solution

From DigitalOcean to Amazon ECS. Migration, managed services, cost optimization.

HAZERCLOUD migrated the containerised application from DigitalOcean Kubernetes to Amazon ECS (EC2) with managed database, shared storage, VPC isolation, and centralised monitoring — delivering a scalable, cost-optimised platform.

Container Migration

DigitalOcean Kubernetes to Amazon ECS (EC2)

Migrated the application from DigitalOcean Kubernetes to Amazon ECS on EC2 launch type in the Mumbai (ap-south-1) region, achieving improved scalability, reliability, and operational control.

Database & Storage

Amazon RDS and EFS for managed data persistence

Migrated the self-managed database to Amazon RDS with automated backups, managed patching, and high availability. Integrated Amazon EFS for shared and persistent storage across ECS services.

Network & Security

VPC with public/private subnets, WAF, and IAM

Implemented a dedicated VPC with segregated public and private subnets for security and network isolation. Configured AWS WAF, ALB for traffic routing, and IAM roles based on least-privilege access principles.

Monitoring & Alerting

CloudWatch, SNS, and centralised logging

Enabled Amazon CloudWatch for centralised logging, metrics, and alarms. Configured SNS notifications for proactive monitoring and incident awareness across all services.

Architecture

The migration architecture.

Amazon ECS on EC2 in Mumbai (ap-south-1) with VPC isolation, ALB, WAF, RDS, EFS — replacing DigitalOcean Kubernetes with a scalable, managed AWS infrastructure.

DigitalOcean to Amazon ECS migration architecture showing VPC with public/private subnets, ECS Cluster, ALB, WAF, RDS, EFS in Mumbai region
Compute & Networking
  • ECS ClusterEC2 launch type
  • ALBLoad balancing
  • VPCPublic/private subnets
  • WAFApplication firewall
  • Internet GWPublic internet access
Data & Storage
  • RDSManaged database
  • EFSShared persistent storage
  • ECRContainer registry
Security & Monitoring
  • IAMLeast-privilege access
  • CloudWatchLogs, metrics & alarms
  • SNSAlert notifications
The Results

What the migration delivered.

The application now runs on Amazon ECS in the Mumbai region, delivering improved scalability, reduced operational overhead, cost-optimised infrastructure, and better monitoring.

⚡

Smooth Auto-Scaling

The application now scales smoothly with demand, without manual intervention — replacing Kubernetes node management with ECS auto-scaling.

Automated scaling
↓

Reduced Operational Overhead

Eliminated Kubernetes node management and manual database maintenance by adopting managed AWS services — RDS, ECS, and EFS.

Managed services
$

Optimised Infrastructure Costs

Right-sized ECS capacity, reduced over-provisioning, and leveraged managed services for more predictable monthly spend and cost visibility.

Cost optimised
✓

Improved Monitoring & Stability

Centralised logs, metrics, and timely alerts with CloudWatch and SNS. The platform is more stable, secure, and better positioned for future growth.

Full visibility
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