Containers are becoming ever-more ubiquitous in enterprise-level applications and microservice architectures, thanks in large part to their numerous benefits. In particular, containerisation facilitates rapid and potentially automated scaling, making deployment quick and painless for businesses. Furthermore, compared to more conventional, monolithic programs, containers offer superior automation capabilities.
Regardless of why you’ve chosen to adopt containerised applications, it’s only a matter of time before you find yourself drawn to Kubernetes.
Kubernetes is a comprehensive framework designed to manage the deployment of containerised applications, providing both granular oversight and significant scalability. Can you share more information about it?
It’s entirely possible that your team can start using Kubernetes with no prior experience or preparation. However, as a manager or supervisor, you can play a crucial role in supporting your team and ensuring they feel comfortable with the technology, thereby reducing the likelihood of costly mistakes.
What’s the reasoning behind this guideline? As one of the most intricate pieces of software they’re likely to face, Kubernetes can pose significant challenges for even the most experienced development teams.
Now, let’s discuss how you can help your teams get started with Kubernetes.
Getting started with Docker.
Unfortunately, Kubernetes no longer supports Docker, despite previously having had a strong symbiotic relationship with the containerisation tool. When it came to getting up and running with containers, Kubernetes was heavily reliant on Docker and straightforward to use as a result.
Although Kubernetes is no longer paired with Docker, it can still be useful for onboarding new development teams. Thanks to Docker’s user-friendly interface, developers can get to grips with containerised applications in no time.
Get to Know the Components
Your development teams should be well-versed in the different runtime components that make up Kubernetes, including Docker, Podman, containerd, and other relevant elements. Here’s a brief overview of what each component entails:
- kube-apiserver acts as a gateway to the Kubernetes API, allowing you to communicate with the cluster.
- etcd is a distributed key-value store that stores information about clusters.
- kube-scheduler is responsible for scheduling pods on worker nodes.
- By checking that the existing state of cluster objects meets the specified criteria, kube-controller-manager guarantees their consistency.
- By employing cloud-controller-manager, it’s easy to link your cluster to a cloud service provider.
- kubelet is the Kubernetes component responsible for all communication-related tasks.
- All nodes in a cluster can share a single network proxy service named kube-proxy.
- A “node” is a device that belongs to the cluster’s workforce.
JSON
Every Kubernetes manifest must conform to the JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format, which forms the basis for all manifests.
Ensuring consistency in indentation is critical for the success of the layout, and it’s critical to understand its workings. Inconsistent indentation patterns in manifests may result in unsuccessful deployments.
Command Prompt 101
Knowing the command-line interface (CLI) is crucial for developers deploying containerized applications and microservices, whether they’re deploying to their own data centre or a third-party cloud service provider like AWS or Azure. While there are various effective graphical user interface (GUI) tools available for Kubernetes, the CLI is an invaluable asset.
This is particularly true if you intend to incorporate Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD).
GitHub
For your company to implement agile workflows and automated deployments through CI/CD, your development teams must be proficient in using GitHub. This necessitates knowledge of both the command line and the graphical user interface. To guarantee consistent and agile automation, your teams must be able to connect a GitHub repository to your Kubernetes cluster and work from it.
Starting Small is Ideal
By providing a simple approach for installing a local Kubernetes cluster on macOS, Linux, and Windows, MiniKube simplifies the process of becoming familiar with Kubernetes for teams. This enables your engineers to gain experience with the platform without the need for setting up a live deployment.
Make use of Minikube as a practice environment to assist your team of developers in becoming proficient in this technology. Once they’ve acquired an acceptable level of expertise, it will be time to move on to the next stage.
Conclusion
Kubernetes can be a complicated platform, but with enough planning and training, your engineers should be able to keep your company competitive. However, without proper guidance, the process may become chaotic.
