Kubernetes is an open-source framework for deploying and managing workloads and services, facilitating automation, and eliminating many manual processes during the deployment and scalability of containerized applications. In this sense, it offers greater simplicity in platforms as a service (PaaS) and greater flexibility in infrastructure as a service (IaaS), allowing portability between infrastructure providers. It can be deployed in different cloud environments and supports several running times for containers.

Although Google was  the origin of this interesting portable and extensible platform and in charge of the development and design, in 2014, the technology giant decided to release the project and donate it to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (Linux Foundation). Like Docker, Kubernetes has become one of the standards as a software container manager within the industry.

What the history and objectives of Kubernetes?

Kubernetes is just a few years old, but an outstanding reputation has already been established. This is due, at least in part, to its relationship with Google. At the time, the company started this open-source project, and some Google employees helped develop Kubernetes. However, many other non-Google developers have worked on the software as well. In 2015, the first version of Kubernetes was finally released. Many different cloud services, such as Azure or AWS, are currently support the tool.

The starting point at Google was the Borg and Omega systems, with which the internal clusters had to be managed. Back then, virtual cloud applications had not even been considered. Later, however, it was decided to release an open-source version and thus make Kubernetes a public development.

This open-source project has always been very committed to the cloud, which is also evident in its development. Today, Google continues to push it forward in collaboration with other companies under the Cloud Native Computing Foundation umbrella, with the help of a very large community.

How does Kubernetes work?

Kubernetes is an orchestration framework for containers, which means that the software is not responsible for developing and controlling them. Kubernetes applies process automation to do this, making it easier for developers to evaluate, manage, or publish software.

The Kubernetes architecture consists of a clear hierarchy, made up of the following elements:

Container:  includes the applications and software environments.

Pod:  This element of the Kubernetes architecture is responsible for grouping those containers that need to work together to operate an application.

Node- One or more pods run on a node, either a computer or a physical system.

Cluster: Nodes in Kubernetes are clustered together into clusters.

The architecture of Kubernetes, is based on the master and slave concept. The nodes described are used as slaves; that is, they are the controlled parts of the system and are under the management and control of the Kubernetes masters.

One of the tasks of a teacher, is to distribute pods across nodes. Through constant monitoring, the master can intervene as soon as a node fails and clone it to compensate for the failure. The actual state is always compared to the desired state and adjusted if necessary. Such processes happen automatically. The teacher is also the access point for administrators and serves to orchestrate the containers.

Both the master and the nodes have a specific structure.

Kubernetes node

A physical or virtual server active on one or more containers is a slave. In the node is the runtime environment of the containers. The so-called kubelet is also active, a component that allows communication with the teacher. Additionally, this service starts and stops the containers. With the advisor service, the kubelet records the use of resources, which is very interesting for analysis. Finally, the node contains the Kube-proxy implementation, which takes care of system load balancing and enables network connections via TCP or other protocols.

Kubernetes Master

The teacher is also a servant. To guarantee the control and supervision of the nodes, the controller manager runs on the master, a component that, brings together several processes:

The node controller monitors the nodes and reacts in case of failures.

The endpoint controller takes care of the endpoint object, responsible for connecting pods and services.

The service account and token handlers control the namespace and generate tokens for API access.

Why use Kubernetes?

Keeping containerized applications running can be complex, as they typically include many containers deployed on various machines.

Kubernetes offers a way to schedule and deploy these containers and scale them and control their lifecycles to the desired state. To deploy your container-based apps in a lightweight, scalable, and extensible way, use Kubernetes.

Make portable workloads

When running on Kubernetes, since container applications are independent of the infrastructure, they become portable. You can switch them between your local environment, a hybrid environment, and various platforms from local machines to output, all while retaining environment-wide consistency.

Scale containers with ease

Define complex containerized applications and deploy them with Kubernetes over a server cluster or even several clusters. As Kubernetes scales applications to the desired state, it automatically monitors containers and keeps them healthy.

Create more extensible applications

Many developers and open source companies actively create extensions and plug-ins that add functionality to Kubernetes, such as security, monitoring, and management. Additionally, the Certified Kubernetes Conformance Program requires each version of Kubernetes to offer APIs that make those community offerings easy to use.

Why is it so important to know Kubernetes?

Kubernetes provides all the infrastructure necessary for developers or DevOps to build a container-focused development environment, including such important features as autoscaling, self-replication, or automatic restart. If we implement Kubernetes in Docker, we can schedule and run all our containers in physical or virtual machines. Thanks to these containers or pods, we obtain greater agility in the creation and deployment of applications, greater efficiency, and density in the use of resources, and greater consistency between development, test, and production environments. Furthermore, portability between clouds and distributions greatly simplifies the process.

Building on Kubernetes with TechSur

Developing, building, and deploying modern containerized applications is easy with TechSur Solutions. TechSur offers an enterprise-grade, reliable runtime for Kubernetes that you can deploy anywhere. This helps us centralize life cycle and policy management for all your Kubernetes clusters, regardless of where they reside. TechSur enables you to transform your teams and your applications while simplifying operations across a multi-cloud infrastructure.