When developing, upgrading, and deploying important applications, efficiency can make all the difference. An efficient process keeps you on schedule, optimizes your use of limited resources, and keeps your team and client base operating without gaps in service.
Kubernetes (also abbreviated as K8s) is a tool that allows developers and programmers to run key application processes in containerized environments either in the cloud or on a local server.
If you are a layperson, that explanation may confuse you. So, what is Kubernetes? We will break down the specifics of K8s, including a brief look at its history, what the architecture looks like, and how Kubernetes can benefit an organization like yours.
Before getting into our Kubernetes tutorial, we should take a look at how K8s became such a valuable tool. It started as an internal project at Google to automate container deployment tasks, and it proved very effective.
Kubernetes is now an open-source container application platform. Despite its start at Google, anyone who needs the value K8s brings can access it at will. Many organizations have taken advantage of that open-source status to reap significant benefits.
The architecture of K8s allows for smoother DevOps automation. For example, it adjusts the number of pods depending on your operations' needs and schedules activity on pods that meet a specific set of factors. Kubernetes facilitates application development and deployment in many other ways.
By taking a closer look at how Kubernetes works, we can see how the benefits of Kubernetes take shape.
In order to give the automation, scalability, and deployment benefits that Kubernetes is known for, every element of the platform needs to work in concert. Let’s take a closer look at what those elements are and how they interact.
The key to Kubernetes cluster management is the control plane. As the name implies, the control plane keeps all the different parts of a K8s system operating in harmony. The control plane has four major components.
We have mentioned nodes several times already, but it is imperative that a K8s user understands what they are. Nodes are the machines — either virtual or physical — that host Kubernetes pods.
Master nodes help coordinate worker nodes so that their tasks can be performed efficiently and in concert. Within each node are important components that make things like Kubernetes networking possible.
A kubelet runs communication between a node and its control plane. It also pulls container images and kickstarts its node in response to scheduling.
Nodes will also have a kube-proxy. This is used to configure your networking system to allow traffic to reach your nodes, pods, and clusters.
This basic architecture then combines and builds together to form the pods and containers that make Kubernetes so effective.
When you are asking, “what is Kubernetes,” this is where the bigger picture takes shape. We have looked at the basics, but how do the core concepts of Kubernetes actually work? Beyond the nuts and bolts, how does Kubernetes operate?
While nodes are the individual machines upon which K8s operates, pods are collections of containers. Nodes host pods. Having multiple containers within a pod allows the applications being run to continue uninterrupted if a container fails and must be replaced or allows containers which perform different functions in tandem with each other (such as sidecar logging for an application) to be logically grouped together.
When a group of pods are scheduled and deployed to run a service, that group is called a ReplicaSet. ReplicaSets allow more than one pod to conduct an operation at the same time based on the volume and redundancy you need to build into your development and deployment.
Speaking of deployments, how do they work in a container orchestration platform? A Deployment object in K8s simply tells the cluster that a certain number of pods should exist in the cluster and if that number is not met, it creates new pods. This is useful if a pod crashes or if a pod needs to be manually restarted. As updates are made to applications running on nodes in a cluster, the container images are changed. Those container images are picked up in the control plane and existing instances of the applications are replaced with the new versions in rolling updates.
A service in Kubernetes is a consistent way to provide access to a pod. When pods are created, they’re assigned a sequence of numbers to ensure uniqueness. A service has a consistent name and uses tags to identify which pod traffic should be directed into.
One way that Kubernetes resources can be identified and sorted through is Namespaces. In the same way no two coworkers can have the same email address, no two components in the same Kubernetes Namespace can have the same name.
So, in two separate pods in one cluster, you could use the name “application” but they would need to be in separate namespaces. If you are running two containers in one pod, they will need to be separated into “application1” and “application2.” It may not seem like it's all that complex, but namespace delineation makes the effectiveness of Kubernetes high-level functioning work accurately.
Deploying to K8s primarily consists of using yaml files and kubectl to make changes to the cluster configuration. Kubectl is used to push every type of resource including pods, services, namespaces, and much more. It’s also possible to use the templating language Helm to create helm charts which automatically generate and push yaml files to your cluster. This simplifies keeping Kubernetes resources consistent and allows you to deploy many similar applications without needing to manage yaml files for every application.
There are a lot of options and decisions that you need to make in order to effectively implement K8s in your technology stack. It is an open-source technology. There are many ways to get started with Kubernetes.
Some organizations look at going with Kubernetes vs Docker Swarm (another tool that involves containerized applications). Though that can be a false dichotomy because they can work together very well.
The best choice an organization can make to get started with K8s is to work with an experienced partner. The experts at TEAM IM are already well-versed in Kubernetes best practices and can streamline any Kubernetes troubleshooting issue you may encounter. Thanks to a wealth of experience, TEAM IM can make your Kubernetes into one of the most effective tools your organization employs.
Read More: Advanced Concepts in Kubernetes: Scaling, Networking, and Security
So, what is Kubernetes? It is an open-source system that makes containerized application environments for development and deployment possible and viable as a strategy. It uses relatively simple components to perform incredibly complex operations effectively and efficiently.
TEAM IM can help you use Kubernetes to optimize your services and activities. Learn more about our cloud migration solutions and see how Kubernetes can improve your operations.
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