Emily Clarke

What is Kubernetes?

In software development, containerized applications and microservices are the way of the future. Many companies are already adopting the microservices approach, and there are many reasons why. Containerized applications provide greater flexibility and more resilience.

But have you ever wondered how developers manage microservices and containerized applications? That's where the Kubernetes platform comes in.

Kubernetes is an open-sourced platform that manages containerized applications, workloads and services. It's a portable, lightweight and extensible platform that makes the microservices architecture possible.

What Does Kubernetes Do?

Simply put, Kubernetes gives you the framework to run distributed systems resiliently. Containers are a fantastic way to bundle and run applications. However, you still need a way to run them and manage deployment. Kubernetes takes care of that for you. It handles issues like scaling and failover, creates the deployment patterns you need to run your applications smoothly and more.

Load Balancing

The Kubernetes platform is a game-changer for load balancing. Applications can experience spikes in traffic and demand, putting strain on specific containers. When that happens, Kubernetes can distribute the network traffic to avoid issues. This load-balancing process ensures that deployment remains stable.

Self-Healing Capabilities

Containers and microservices are great for flexibility but also create more points of failure. If one container fails, how can your application continue running? Once again, Kubernetes saves the day. It kills containers that don't respond to health checks. It can also replace containers or restart them.

Bin-Packing

Another important function of Kubernetes is automatic bin-packing. After you provide Kubernetes with a cluster of nodes to run containerized applications and microservices, it fits those services onto them to optimize your resources. You define the CPU and memory each container needs, and Kubernetes does the rest.

Scaling

The microservices approach is a game-changer for scaling your application as your needs change. But Kubernetes takes things further by taking care of that task for you. Kubernetes allows you to scale up or down with nothing more than a simple command. You can also use Kubernetes to scale automatically based on CPU usage and other factors.

Author Resource:-

Emily Clarke writes about the different platforms providing high-quality developer and test environments. You can find her thoughts at Kubernetes solution blog.