| Method |
Uses standard SSH protocol |
Uses Kubernetes API |
| Requirement |
SSH server must be running inside the container |
No need for an SSH server |
| Authentication |
Requires SSH keys or passwords |
Uses Kubernetes cluster credentials |
| Network access |
SSH port must be exposed and accessible |
No need to expose ports; works within the cluster |
| Security |
Higher risk due to exposed SSH port |
Lower risk as it uses cluster-internal communication |
| Complexity |
More complex setup and configuration |
Simpler to use; requires only kubectl |
| Use case |
For scenarios needing direct SSH access |
For debugging and management tasks |
| Performance |
May have network latency |
Generally faster due to cluster-internal access |
| Auditability |
SSH sessions may not be logged in cluster logs |
Commands are logged via Kubernetes auditing |
| File Transfer (SFTP) |
Supports SFTP and file transfers via clients like FileZilla |
Does not support SFTP or file transfer protocols |