Introduction

What is Kubernetes

• Kubernetes (k8s) - popular container orchestrator

• Container orchestration - make many servers act like one

• Released by Google in 2015, maintained by large community

• Runs on top of Docker (usually) as a set of APIs in containers

• Provides API / CLI to manage containers across servers

• Many clouds provide it for you

• Many vendors make a "distribution" of it

Why Kubernetes

• Orchestration: Next logical step in journey to a faster DevOps

• First, understand why you may need orchestration, as not every solution needs orchestration

• Number of servers + change rate = benefits of orchestration

• Then, decide which orchestrator

• If Kubernetes, decide which distribution

  • cloud or self-managed (Docker Enterprise, Rancher, OpenShift, Canonical, VMWare PKS)

  • don't usually need pure upstream version of k8s from Github

Kubernetes or Swarm

• Kubernetes and Swarm are both container orchestrators

• Boths are solid platforms with vendor backing

• Swarm: easier to deploy / manage

• Kubernetes: More features and more flexibility

• Understand both and know your requirements

Advantages of Swarm

• Comes with Docker, single vendor platform

• Easiest orchestrator to deploy / manage yourself

• Follows 80/20 rules (somewhat), 20% of features compared to k8s cover 80% of use cases

• Run anywhere Docker does

  • local, cloud, datacenter

  • ARM, Windows, 32-bit, etc

Advantages of Kubernetes

• Clouds will deploy / manage Kubernetes for you

• Infrastructure vendors are making their own distributions

• Widest adoptions and community

• Flexible: covers widest set of use cases

• "Kubernetes first" vendor support

• "No one ever got fired for buying IBM"

  • picking solutions isn't 100% rational

  • trendy, will benefit your career

  • CIO / CTO checkbox