If you have any interest in the IT world, you’ve probably heard of the term Kubernetes (also known as k8s or “kube”) being thrown around- or you’ve read it in an article at least. To answer one of the biggest questions around this, it is pronounced coo-ber-net-ees and not coo-ber-nets. It is an open source platform that aids with the orchestration and automates Linux container operations so that you can eliminate the manual process of involved in deploying and scaling containerized applications,
What is Kubernetes?
In simple terms Kubernetes is an operational tool of sorts that makes sure a containerized system runs as it is intended. Now that we keep mentioning ‘containers’ lets take a dive into what that means. No we do not mean the plastic containers from the multi-level marketing American company that your mom is obsessed with. We are talking about Linux Containers which is an operating-system-level virtualization method for running multiple isolated Linux systems on a control host. Think of containers as the storage platform and Kubernetes as the tool that manages and maintains all the systems within not just one, but multiple containers. The best and easiest definition comes from Mike Kail, CTO and cofounder at CYBRIC. This is how he explains it: “Let’s say an application environment is your old-school lunchbox. The contents of the lunchbox were all assembled well before putting them into the lunchbox [but] there was no isolation between any of those contents. The Kubernetes system provides a lunchbox that allows for just-in-time expansion of the contents (scaling) and full isolation between every unique item in the lunchbox and the ability to remove any item without affecting any of the other contents (immutability).”
Benefits of Kubernetes
Even the most complex containerized applications are easier to configure, deploy, manage, and monitor using Kubernetes. It also aids IT professionals in managing container lifecycles, as well as concerns such as high availability and load balancing.
1.Automatic load balancing
If a container receives a lot of traffic, Kubernetes is able to load balance and disperse the traffic to keep the deployment stable.
2. Storage orchestration
Kubernetes allows you to mount any storage system you choose, including local storage, public cloud providers, and more.
3. Auto-healing
Kubernetes restarts failing containers, replaces them, destroys containers that don’t respond to a user-defined health check, and doesn’t broadcast them to clients until they’re ready to serve.
4. Flexi-solution
Kubernetes is compatible with almost any container runtime. The programme that actually runs containers is known as a runtime. On the market today, there are a few possible options. Furthermore, as long as the host operating system is Linux or Windows, Kubernetes may function with nearly any form of underlying infrastructure (whether it’s a public cloud, a private cloud, or an on-premises server).
In conclusion, if your application comprises several, independent services that you need to scale, or if you construct a solution that focuses on infrastructure and virtual machines, Kubernetes is a must-have. This is especially true if the system consists of many services that must be scaled up and down based on a variety of parameters. It’s easier to manage those using a solution like Kubernetes than it is with traditional infrastructure.
