What you need to know about Kubernetes Posted on : Sep 02 - 2020

Jack Wallen offers up advice to those who are considering diving into deep waters of Kubernetes.

Kubernetes. It. Is. All. The. Rage. So are single word sentences, but that doesn't mean they're right for you. Where was I? Oh yeah, Kubernetes.

Business technology evolves faster than most admins can keep up. You wake up one day and Tech X is where it's at. The next day, Tech X has morphed into Tech Y, but it's a completely different thing that promises the holy grail of simplicity, scalability, and reliability. It is the thing you should be using and the testimonials across the board prove it so.

But then you dig into Tech Y, only to find it to be a wholly different beast.

Such is the case with many who finally dive into the waters known as Kubernetes.

What is Kubernetes?

First, let's get the definition out of the way. Kubernetes is an open source container orchestration system used for automating computer application deployment, scaling, and management. In other words, you use Kubernetes to make serious magic with containers.

It's really easy to start taking baby steps with Kubernetes. Of course, those baby steps should probably begin with understanding containers. To that end, you might want to dive into Docker. Thing is, after spending a bit of time with Docker and Docker Swarm, you're going to assume that Kubernetes will be on the same level.

It's not.

Not even close.

In fact, there are some things you should know about Kubernetes, things they don't bother to tell you before you launch yourself down that particular rabbit hole. Let me fill you in.

Where I'm coming from

Before I give you a fresh scoop of reality from my own personal dog and pony show, let me tell you where I'm coming from. You see, I write about technology, but I'm not just a tech journalist--I'm more of a tech documentation specialist. I work with the technology I write about, with the idea of taking difficult concepts and making them simple to understand. That's been my shtick for over 20 years.

When I started writing about Kubernetes some time ago, I began working my way up that particular food chain slowly. I've hit plenty of obstacles along the way, but at this point I have a somewhat solid understanding of what this technology is. View More