Role of Kubernetes in DevOps

What is DevOps?

Application size, requirements, and complexities are growing bigger and bigger. On the contrary, the 'time to delivery' and software development cycle are getting shorter and shorter. Software companies readily looking for solutions for a simple, more effective process; DevOps comes out as a solution by introducing an agile approach to IT processes.

It intends to unify Java application development by automating tasks and managing configurations, thereby contributing to the software development lifecycle in terms of planning, strategy, building, coding, testing, deploying, launching, and monitoring. But, the real hurdle arises when the applications become more micro and diverse. Here is where containers and Kubernetes come into play.

Containers and Kubernetes

Simply put, a container is a portable environment that simplifies the hosting and managing of the life cycle of web applications. It is designed to deliver efficiency, productivity, and consistency. Although containers and DevOps are different in terms of concepts, they are part of the same conversation.

Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that supports numerous containers to work together, thereby reducing operational load. Features of this platform include rolling deployment, auto-scaling, volume storage, and computer resource. It can run in a data center, or in a public, private, or hybrid cloud.

Why is Kubernetes important for DevOps?

So now, the question is, how Kubernetes can be helpful to DevOps? Kubernetes allows developers to share their dependencies and software with IT operations; thus, it reduces workload and resolves contradictions between several environments. It enables developers to respond to customer requirements while depending on the cloud for a load of functioning applications.

All in all, Kubernetes helps simplify container tasks, including rolling updates, canary deployment, and horizontal auto-scaling. Thus, it can streamline building, testing, and deploying pipelines in?DevOps Managed Services.

Kubernetes Architecture

Uses master-slave architecture

Kubernetes master contains the following architecture components:

1. Etcd
2. API server
3. Scheduler
4. Controller manager

Kubernetes client contains the following architecture components:

1. Kubelet
2. cAdvisor
3. Pod
4. Kube-Proxy

Kubernetes Components

Pod is a basic scheduling unit in Kubernetes. Each pod comprises one or more containers that can be initialized on any host. Each pod is assigned a unique IP using which we can redirect traffic from outside to the pod. Pods are managed using the kubelet command line in a Kubernetes cluster

Kubernetes attaches key value pairs called labels for various objects such as services, pods, and nodes. These labels can be used to locate a specific resource. Same label can be used for multiple objects, so you should define and create unique labels for Kubernetes objects

Controllers bring pods to a specific state. ReplicationController replicates and scales pods across Kubernetes clusters. Controllers take care of availability of pods, and if it fails, a replacement pod gets created automatically. DaemonSetcontroller ensures only one pod runs on each node. Job controller manages all the batch jobs of pods which are executed in a Kubernetes cluster. Controllers manage pods using labels and selectors to identify resources

Collection of pods are bundled together in a service. Kubernetes allocates a unique port and DNS to each service. The port and DNS details are changed only if the service object is recreated. There can be multiple replicated pods in a service. In case of multiple pods, an in-built load balancer is used to share the load between pods running on different nodes. A service implements high availability and load share for containerized applications. If a pod is terminated, a replacement pod will be initialized automatically

Here is how Kubernetes can empower DevOps processes.

1. Makes development, testing, deployment, and production environment consistent
2. Offers seamless updates
3. Supports multiple frameworks
4. Effortless scalability
5. Less time is taken to onboard new application
6. Enhances a developer's productivity and efficiency
7. Helps in handling infrastructural challenges
8. Efficient server usage
9. Quick delivery of software with improved compliance?
10. Facilitates continual enhancement
11. Enhances collaboration and transparency across the team(s) that are responsible for delivering the software.?
12. Effectively reduce development costs and security risks

Challenges with Kubernetes

Although Kubernetes offers a plethora of benefits, there is a challenge that turns the scenario. Kubernetes is complex and hard to set up and use; you will need a highly-skilled resource to manage it. To someone who is not familiar with containers or Kubernetes in particular, the setup might look simple and easy to implement and run.

But in reality, you will require additional functionality such as maintenance, backups, and disaster recovery to make it production-ready. Therefore, if you are contemplating opting for Kubernetes, make sure you have the highly skilled resources to give an edge to your organization.