Kubernetes is a popular technology in the world of application and infrastructure management. It has become the most preferred solution for managing and orchestrating complex applications with high scalability.
Kubernetes Engine provides useful features such as automation. This feature allows users to optimize application performance, improve reliability, and reduce the time and effort required to manage infrastructure.
In addition, with Kubernetes Engine, users can easily increase or decrease the number of application instances as needed without disrupting the performance of running applications.
In this article, CDT will explore more about the Kubernetes Engine, from its definition, features, components, benefits, and how it works.
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is an open-source platform that is useful for managing a collection of containers that reside on a cluster of servers. It was first developed by Google with the purpose of managing its own proprietary platform. Currently, Kubernetes is managed by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).
Kubernetes is used to schedule and run containers on physical or virtual servers. A container is an environment for an application that comes with resources, file system, and CPU. As a result, the application does not easily experience downtime when problems arise.
Kubernetes is designed to address the complexity of managing distributed applications running in containers. In this context, Kubernetes enables developers and administrators to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
2 Kubernetes Components
There are two main components in Kubernetes that make the platform functional.
1. Clusters
A group of physical servers or Virtual Private Servers (VPS) that run Kubernetes. It consists of master node and worker node servers.
- Master node: The main server that manages all cluster operations with three components: kube apiserver, kube controller manager, and kube schedule.
- Worker nodes: Non-master servers that operate on Pod objects (kubelets), maintain rules and forward connections to hosts (kube proxy), and maintain container creation files (dock image).
2. Object
Entities that represent the state of a cluster. There are four basic objects that exist in a Kubernetes cluster.
- Pod: The smallest object that supports the Dock image
- Service: Used to direct requests to multiple Pods using an IP address.
- Volume: A container’s data storage.
- Namespace: Object used to separate resources or cluster environments
How Kubernetes Engine Works
Kubernetes works by using a control plane to manage a cluster of worker nodes. The control plane is responsible for maintaining the desired state of the cluster, while the worker nodes are responsible for running containerized applications.
For simplicity, Kubernetes can be analogized to an orchestra group with different musical instruments and musicians. In this analogy, Kubernetes takes the position of a conductor. Meanwhile, the musicians and instruments are like the Docker containers in the Kubernetes cluster.
Just like a conductor, Kubernetes is responsible for organizing the applications in the system to run on command. Similarly, if the music director has a score as a guide, Kubernetes also has a command file to run in the Kubernetes cluster system.
7 Benefits of Kubernetes Engine
To make application development easier, Kubernetes is equipped with the following seven excellent features.
1. Service Discovery
Automatically discover containers using DNS names or server IP addresses.
2. Load Balancing
Load balancing capabilities that can manage traffic so that when there is a spike in traffic, Kubernetes is able to share the load so that the application can run more stably.
3. Storage Orchestration
Users can mount the storage they want, whether it’s on local storage or in the cloud.
4. Automated Rollout and Rollback
Deployment uses YAML files so users can describe the preferred deployment in advance. In addition, users can rollback if there are problems with the deployment because it is documented and can be done automatically.
5. Automatic Bin Packing
Set a specific CPU and RAM capacity for each container. Once the capacity limit is set, the application will not compete for existing resources, saving resources.
6. Self-healing
The ability to inspect containers, restart containers that are down, or replace containers that cannot respond to requests. Kubernetes does not serve traffic to a container until it is ready to receive requests.
7. Secret and Configuration Management
Store sensitive data such as passwords, SSH keys, and authentication tokens in the Kubernetes Secret. Users can also create and update the Secret without having to rebuild the container image in the configuration.
4 Advantages of Kubernetes Engine for Running Applications
When it comes to container orchestration, Kubernetes is often compared to Docker. In fact, both have the same important role, which is to deploy containers in a cluster. However, Kubernetes is one of the most popular with its four advantages, namely.
1. Portability
Kubernetes is so portable and flexible that it can run on any infrastructure, including on-premises data centers, public clouds, private clouds, or hybrid clouds.
2. Scalability
Kubernetes automatically scales clusters as needed to save resources and costs.
3. Deployment Consistency
Kubernetes can be deployed consistently across the entire infrastructure. All the setup and various things needed to run the application can be included in the container and configured the same way every time, so programmers don’t have to spend a lot of time debugging.
4. Automation
Automation is a very stable system that does not affect the performance of the operations team. In addition, containers will save developers time by applying the rapid iteration cycle technique.
Linode Kubernetes Engine, Akamai’s Kubernetes Choice
Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE) is a fully managed K8s container orchestration engine for deploying and managing containerized applications and workloads. LKE combines ease of use and simple pricing with efficient infrastructure. With LKE, users can set up and run infrastructure and workloads in minutes, not days.
By leveraging the Akamai infrastructure, the Linode Kubernetes Engine can provide optimal performance and scalability. Moreover, LKE provides a high-availability control plane, provides additional replicas and guaranteed 99.99% uptime for the Kubernetes control plane and worker nodes.
Linode Kubernetes Engine is said to be the right choice for developers who want to easily deploy and manage containerized applications. Here are five other benefits of the Linode Kubernetes Engine.
- Automated and efficient orchestration
- Scalability with high availability
- Efficient resource management
- Portability and flexibility
- Robust network and service management
Deploy Applications on Linode Kubernetes Engine with CDT
It’s time to easily deploy your applications with Linode Kubernetes Engine. As an authorized partner of Akamai, Central Data Technology (CDT) will help you manage your applications on Linode Kubernetes clusters quickly and efficiently.
Supported by a professional, experienced and certified IT team, CDT will also help you through the stages of consulting, deployment, management and post-sales support to eliminate trial and error when implementing Linode Kubernetes Engine. Contact us by clicking here.
Author: Wilsa Azmalia Putri
Content Writer CTI Group
