Kubernetes

In depth

Platform

Also known as: K8s

Container orchestration platform that automates deploying, scaling and managing containerised applications.

Kubernetes, explained

Written by EduVerse

Kubernetes (often written K8s) is an open-source platform that runs and manages containers across a group of machines, called a cluster. You describe what you want in YAML files, for example three copies of your API with a certain amount of memory, and Kubernetes works continuously to keep the cluster in that state.

Why teams use it

Running one container with Docker is easy. Running dozens across several servers, restarting the ones that crash and rolling out new versions without downtime is not, and Kubernetes takes over that work. It does add real complexity, so a small app on one server is often better off with something simpler, like Docker Compose.

An example from work

You change the image tag in deployment.yaml, run kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml, and then kubectl rollout status deployment/orders-api. Kubernetes replaces the old containers with new ones a few at a time, so the service keeps answering requests while the new version rolls out.

Our own explanation, not a quote from the book.

In the book

Sentences from The Software Realm, Decoded that mention Kubernetes, exactly as printed.

Senior developer
“Kubernetes is not just a way to run containers.”
Chapter 9 · 9.7 Kubernetes: The Desired State Engine · p. 204Open in the free preview

8 more passages about Kubernetes in the full book

Read every conversation where Kubernetes comes up, with the interactive slides and demos.

See the book

Where it fits

Orchestrating containers in production at scale

Coverage in the book