Originally developed by the engineers at Google, Kubernetes is a descendant of Borg, an internal cluster management system used by Google. Kubernetes was inspired by Borg, using containers, separating infrastructure and application concerns, and automating deployment and scaling.

Over time, Google open-sourced Kubernetes and donated it to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). Since then, Kubernetes has become one of the most popular container orchestration platforms in the world, with a vibrant community of contributors and users driving its development and evolution.

In this article, we’re going to explain what Kubernetes is, what it is used for and some helpful resources which you can use to learn how to use it!

What is Kubernetes?

Kubernetes, also known as “k8s”, is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It works by providing a way to define how your applications should be deployed and managed, and then taking care of the details to make it happen.

You can tell k8s what you want to do, and it makes sure it gets done. To deploy a web app on k8s, specify the containers, resources required and instance count. k8s schedules containers to suitable hosts, manages networking, storage, and ensures app availability and health.

If anything goes wrong, k8s will automatically take action to fix the issue, such as restarting a container or rescheduling it to a different host.

Kubernetes makes it easy to manage large numbers of containers across multiple hosts. So, you can focus on developing your applications rather than worrying about the underlying infrastructure.

What is Kubernetes used for?

Some of the most common Kubernetes use cases include:

Large-scale app deployment

Kubernetes simplifies the container management process, allowing for efficient bundling and deployment of numerous containers. As a result, developers can better isolate containers and their processes from each other, optimizing resource usage.

As a potent tool for building enterprise-level solutions, k8s also offers fast scalability and robustness. When the workload increases, software developers can respond quickly by adding more containers or nodes to the cluster. It ensures the app’s functionality and prevents downtimes caused by component failure.

Managing microservices

With Kubernetes, developers can easily deploy and manage containerized microservices. It provides features such as automatic scaling, load balancing, and self-healing, making it easier to manage microservices architecture.

Developers can quickly add or remove containers based on traffic demand, ensuring each microservice is available when needed. Moreover, k8s also provides tools for deploying, updating, and rolling back microservices, making it easier to manage the entire architecture.

Big data processing

Kubernetes is used for managing big data workloads, such as Hadoop and Spark clusters. Kubernetes provides features such as automatic scaling and self-healing, which helps ensure that data processing jobs run smoothly and efficiently.

Moreover, it also enables developers to quickly and easily allocate resources to specific data processing tasks based on their needs, optimizing the use of resources and reducing costs.

Kubernetes can also be used to manage data processing workflows, making it easier to orchestrate complex data processing pipelines.

Kubernetes vs. Docker

Commonly perceived as competing technologies, Kubernetes and Docker actually work together to run containerized applications.

Docker allows you to package all the components necessary to run an application into a container, while k8s manages the containers and ensures they are running efficiently. It’s quite common for organizations and individuals to develop their apps using Docker, but to run them using k8s.