What is the maximum number of pods that can be run in a single Kubernetes cluster?

The maximum number of pods in a single Kubernetes cluster depends on the version and configuration of the cluster, as well as the resources of the nodes. The official Kubernetes documentation states that a cluster can support up to 5000 nodes and approximately 150,000 pods in total.

However, in practice, the limits may be lower due to resource and performance constraints. For example, it is generally recommended to run no more than 110 pods per node to avoid degradation.

Therefore, the maximum number of pods in a cluster is the product of the number of nodes and the number of pods per node, considering the recommendations and infrastructure capabilities.