We explain basic concepts of Kubernetes.
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What is Kubernetes (K8s)?
Kubernetes (often abbreviated as ‘K8s’) is an open source platform for automating the deployment, scaling and management of containerised applications. It was originally developed by Google and is now managed by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).
Fun fact: The abbreviation K8s comes from the fact that there are eight letters between the ‘K’ and ‘s’ of Kubernetes.
Important functions of Kubernetes:
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Container orchestration: Kubernetes controls and manages containers running in environments such as Docker. It helps to coordinate multiple containers on different hosts.
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Auto-scaling: Kubernetes can automatically scale the number of running containers depending on the load to meet the requirements.
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Self-healing: If a container crashes, Kubernetes restarts or replaces it to ensure the availability of the application.
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Load balancing: It automatically distributes network traffic across multiple containers to ensure optimal performance and availability.
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Deployment and rollbacks: It enables incremental updates of applications and, if necessary, simple rollbacks if problems occur.
Application scenarios:
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Cloud-native applications: Kubernetes is ideal for microservices architectures and cloud-based applications as it greatly simplifies development and operations.
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CI/CD: Kubernetes is used in continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines to enable automated tests, deployments and rollbacks.
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Software development: In software development, Kubernetes enables the easy creation of multiple identical application instances, laying the foundation for efficient development processes.
Overall, Kubernetes helps to efficiently manage complex container environments and reliably run applications on a large scale.