Kubernetes
Container Orchestration
The open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
GitHub Stars
110k+
5.2% this month
Active Contributors
3,700+
12.8% this year
Open Issues
1,245
3.1% this week
Release Version
v1.28.0
Released 2 weeks ago
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes, also known as K8s, is an open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
Kubernetes was originally designed by Google and is now maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. It groups containers that make up an application into logical units for easy management and discovery.
With Kubernetes, you can efficiently manage applications consisting of hundreds or thousands of containers, across multiple environments from physical machines to virtual machines and cloud environments.
Kubernetes provides a container-centric management environment. It orchestrates computing, networking, and storage infrastructure on behalf of user workloads.
Origin & Founders
The story behind Kubernetes and the people who created it.
Project Origin
Kubernetes emerged from Google's experience running containers in production. Google had been running containerized workloads for over a decade, creating systems like Borg and Omega to manage them.
In 2014, Google decided to open-source its container orchestration technology, releasing Kubernetes as an open-source project. The name "Kubernetes" comes from the Greek word for "helmsman" or "pilot."
Key Founders
Joe Beda
Co-founder of Kubernetes
Former Google engineer who led the Kubernetes project. Now CTO at Heptio, which was acquired by VMware.
Brendan Burns
Co-founder of Kubernetes
Principal Engineer at Microsoft, previously at Google where he helped create Kubernetes.
Craig McLuckie
Co-founder of Kubernetes
Former Google product manager who helped launch Kubernetes. Founded Heptio with Joe Beda.
Technical Stack
Technologies that work with and complement Kubernetes.
Container Runtimes
- Docker
- containerd
- CRI-O
- rkt
CI/CD Tools
- Jenkins
- GitLab CI
- GitHub Actions
- ArgoCD
Storage Solutions
- PersistentVolumes
- Longhorn
- Ceph
- Amazon EBS
Service Meshes
- Istio
- Linkerd
- Consul Connect
- Traefik Mesh
Monitoring Tools
- Prometheus
- Grafana
- ELK Stack
- Jaeger
Cloud Providers
- Amazon EKS
- Google GKE
- Azure AKS
- DigitalOcean K8s
Container Orchestration Comparison
Pros & Cons
Understanding the advantages and limitations of Kubernetes.
Advantages
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Automated Operations
Automates deployment, scaling, and operations of application containers across clusters of hosts.
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Self-healing Capabilities
Restarts containers that fail, replaces and reschedules containers when nodes die.
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Horizontal Scaling
Scale your applications up and down with a simple command, UI, or automatically based on CPU usage.
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Service Discovery & Load Balancing
Kubernetes can expose a container using the DNS name or using their own IP address.
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Portability & Extensibility
Runs on any cloud provider or on-premises, with a robust ecosystem of extensions and add-ons.
Limitations
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Complexity
Steep learning curve and complex setup compared to simpler container solutions.
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Resource Overhead
Requires significant resources for the control plane and node components.
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Overkill for Small Projects
May be unnecessary for simple applications that don't require complex orchestration.
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Operational Complexity
Requires ongoing maintenance, updates, and monitoring expertise.
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Configuration Complexity
YAML configuration files can become complex and difficult to manage at scale.
Getting Started for Free
How to start using Kubernetes without any cost.
Local Setup
Run Kubernetes on your own machine with these tools:
- Minikube
- Kind (Kubernetes IN Docker)
- k3d
- Docker Desktop (with K8s)
Free Tiers
Cloud providers offering free Kubernetes tiers:
- Google Cloud GKE
- Amazon EKS (free tier eligible)
- Azure AKS (free tier eligible)
- DigitalOcean (free credits)
Learning Resources
Free tutorials and documentation:
- Kubernetes Official Docs
- Kubernetes.io Tutorials
- KodeKloud Free Courses
- Katacoda Interactive Labs
Basic Setup Steps
-
1
Install kubectl
Download and install the Kubernetes command-line tool from the official documentation.
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2
Set up a cluster
Choose a local or cloud-based solution to create your first Kubernetes cluster.
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3
Deploy your first application
Use kubectl to deploy a sample application with
kubectl create deployment. -
4
Expose your application
Make your application accessible with
kubectl expose. -
5
Scale your application
Adjust the number of replicas with
kubectl scale.
Community & Updates
What the community is saying and the latest developments.
Community Comments
Sarah Johnson
DevOps Engineer @ Spotify
"Kubernetes transformed how we deploy and scale our microservices. The learning curve was steep, but the payoff in operational efficiency has been tremendous."
Michael Chen
CTO @ StartupXYZ
"We moved from a traditional VM setup to Kubernetes last year and haven't looked back. The ability to scale automatically and deploy with zero downtime has been game-changing."
Alex Rodriguez
Platform Engineer @ EnterpriseCorp
"The ecosystem around Kubernetes is what makes it truly powerful. From service meshes to monitoring tools, there's a solution for almost every problem you'll encounter."
Latest Updates
Kubernetes v1.28 Released
The latest version introduces improvements to container runtime interface, storage, and networking.
2 weeks ago
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon 2023
The world's largest Kubernetes conference will take place in Chicago this November.
1 month ago
New Learning Paths Available
The official documentation now includes new learning paths for beginners and advanced users.
3 weeks ago
Security Audit Completed
Third-party security audit finds no critical vulnerabilities in the core Kubernetes components.
4 weeks ago
Ready to start your Kubernetes journey?
Join millions of developers and organizations using Kubernetes to deploy and scale their applications with ease.