Compare various solutions to deploy MongoDB in Kubernetes¶

There are multiple ways to deploy and manage MongoDB in Kubernetes. Here we will focus on comparing the following open source solutions:

Generic¶

Here is the review of generic features, such as supported MongoDB versions, open source models and more.

Feature/Product	Percona Operator for MongoDB	Bitnami Helm Chart	KubeDB for MongoDB	MongoDB Controllers for Kubernetes (MCK)
Open source model	Apache 2.0	Apache 2.0	Open core	Open core
Kubernetes conformance	CNCF-certified distributions	No guarantee	No guarantee	No guarantee
Cluster-wide mode	Yes	Not an operator	Enterprise only	Yes
Network exposure	Yes	Yes	No, only through manual config	Yes (Enterprise); limited (Community)
Web-based GUI	OpenEverest		kubedb-ui	Ops Manager / Cloud Manager (Enterprise)

* Percona Operator relies on Percona Server for MongoDB - a free, enhanced, fully compatible MongoDB software alternative for MongoDB Community Server with enterprise-grade features.

Maintenance¶

Upgrade and scaling are the two most common maintenance tasks that are executed by database administrators and developers.

Feature/Product	Percona Operator for MongoDB	Bitnami Helm Chart	KubeDB for MongoDB	MongoDB Controllers for Kubernetes (MCK)
Operator upgrade	Yes	Helm upgrade	Image change	Yes
Database upgrade	Automated minor, manual major	No	Manual minor	Automated (Enterprise via Ops Manager); manual minor and major (Community)
Compute scaling	Horizontal and vertical	Horizontal and vertical	Horizontal and vertical	Horizontal and vertical (Enterprise); horizontal only (Community)
Storage scaling	Yes	Manual	Yes (Enterprise); No (Community)	Yes (Enterprise); No (Community)

MongoDB topologies¶

The next comparison is focused on replica sets, arbiters, sharding and other node types.

Feature/Product	Percona Operator for MongoDB	Bitnami Helm Chart	KubeDB for MongoDB	MongoDB Controllers for Kubernetes (MCK)
Multi-cluster deployment	Yes	No	No	Enterprise
Sharding	Yes	Yes, another chart	Yes	Enterprise
Arbiter	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Non-voting nodes	Yes	No	No	Enterprise
Hidden nodes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Split Horizon	Yes	No	Yes	Yes

Backups¶

Here are the backup and restore capabilities of each solution.

Feature/Product	Percona Operator for MongoDB	Bitnami Helm Chart	KubeDB for MongoDB	MongoDB Controllers for Kubernetes (MCK)
Scheduled backups	Yes	No	Enterprise	Enterprise
Incremental backups	Yes	No	Enterprise	No
Point-in-time recovery	Yes	No	Enterprise	Enterprise
Logical backups	Yes	No	No	Enterprise
Physical backups	Yes	No	Enterprise	Enterprise

Monitoring¶

Monitoring is crucial for any operations team.

Feature/Product	Percona Operator for MongoDB	Bitnami Helm Chart	KubeDB for MongoDB	MongoDB Controllers for Kubernetes (MCK)
Custom exporters	Yes, through sidecars	mongodb-exporter as a sidecar	mongodb-exporter as a sidecar	Integrate with prometheus operator
Percona Monitoring and Management (PMM)	Yes	No	No	No

Miscellaneous¶

Finally, let’s compare various features that are not a good fit for other categories.

Feature/Product	Percona Operator for MongoDB	Bitnami Helm Chart	KubeDB for MongoDB	MongoDB Controllers for Kubernetes (MCK)
Customize MongoDB configuration	Yes	Yes	Yes	Limited to some params
Helm	Yes	Yes	Yes, for operator only	Yes, for operator only
SSL/TLS	Yes	Yes	Enterprise	Yes
Create users/roles	Yes	Yes	No	Yes

Last update: April 1, 2026
Created: April 1, 2026