Kubernetes, or k8s, makes it easier to manage applications and helps automate operational tasks in container management. It has built-in commands for deploying apps and various changes, it can also help scale your applications either up or down, and help monitor performance.
Kubernetes is used in a wide range of projects and applications across various industries. In this article, we will analyze the advantages of using k8s in your projects and the most recent solutions we came up with to help with your platform and app management.
Compared to traditional monolithic architectures, microservices allow for rapid changes and new feature implementation, without the need to refactor large parts of the code. When discussing large architectures, it is easier to work with microservices rather than in a monolith.
If you need to change part of the code in a monolith where a high number of developers are working at the same time, this can cause further issues in development. The microservices architecture provides the opportunity to have smaller teams of devs working simultaneously on different microservices; this is also known as service decoupling and allows for parallel software development.
These microservices communicate with each other through APIs, such as REST or gRPC, and work together to ensure the final application works seamlessly.
This type of architecture brings a lot of benefits to the table, and improves not only the development process for everyone involved, but also the end results.
We can now understand why the move from monolithic architecture towards microservices.
But what about containers? Microservices did not share resources based on need, which led to under or over utilization of CPU, memory, and/or other computing resources. That’s where containers come in - isolated from each other and portable, they could also share resources when needed.
Let’s take a look at the main aspects of microservices and containers.
So microservices are an architectural style for developing applications, while containers are a technology that can be used to package and deploy those applications, including microservices, in a consistent and isolated environment.
Managing one container - ok, managing two containers - ok, but how can one manage thousands of containers and easily scale up or down? That's the reason why Kubernetes gained so much popularity within the community in the last years since it can handle larger projects.
First of all, I hope it’s all clear by now that you can have containers without Kubernetes, but you can’t have Kubernetes without containers.
Secondly, let’s take a look at the below list of advantages of using k8s in your project.
Kubernetes helps automate the deployment, scaling, and operation of application containers across clusters of hosts. It is usually used in complex IT projects since automation can help simplify the management of such applications.
Each microservice works individually, and adding new microservices whenever needed does not thwart the rest of the application from working continuously. K8s provides features such as horizontal scaling, which allows you to scale your application up and down with a simple command, or automatically, as mentioned above.
High availability eliminates the issue of single points of failure (SPOFs) due to the backup systems that can step in in case of failure. When it comes to a microservices architecture - by having two nodes that can do the same thing - one node can take over if the other encounters issues. Since each is separate from each other, they can work individually, with no impact on other areas of the application, which offers the much needed high availability.
High availability will mean your apps are accessible without significant downtime, and that the system can withstand failures of its components.
And how can Kubernetes achieve the above-mentioned scalability and high availability? By making use of load balancing, which distributes traffic among multiple nodes and pods.
Resource efficiency in k8s refers to the effective utilization and optimization of computing resources within a cluster, to ensure that applications are running smoothly without wasting their resources. This can be achieved in various ways, among which we can mention: bin packing, horizontal and vertical pod scaling, cluster autoscaler, and more.
Kubernetes has several ways in which it performs self-healing, for instance: k8s can restart containers that fail, replace them in case they need updates, kill containers that don't respond to your pre-defined health checks, or prevent showing containers to clients until they are ready to serve.
Recently, the trend has been towards multi-cloud or hybrid cloud, since according to various business requirements, data needs to be stored and analyzed in other ways. We are glad to say that k8s works on any cloud - public, private, hybrid, or multi-cloud - so that you can run such applications on any number of combined environments.
It’s clear that from a performance point of view, the benefits of k8s are incontestable. But Kubernetes also helps with cost control and cost efficiency. By setting precise resource requests and limits for each pod, your team can maintain efficient resource utilization and, thus, prevent overspending.
While cloud repatriation is a growing trend, Kubernetes was more prevalent in the cloud than on-premises in 2022. One of the reasons for this is that many organizations lacked in-house skills - according to Statista, 48% of the surveyed organizations mentioned this challenge. Moreover, according to Dynatrace, the Kubernetes infrastructure models differ between cloud and on-premises.
Another challenge in the same survey touches upon the incompatibility with legacy systems, with 32% of respondents mentioning this issue. As mentioned earlier, designing a stable, scalable, and fail-proof infrastructure requires skilled professionals setting up the infrastructure from the start.
To better come to your help we’ve designed an off-the-shelf product, ready to implement immediately. Why would you and your team be interested in KubeSol?
??? it's free and open source, with optional commercial license, on request, and different support levels;
??? with operations based on Ansible playbooks, it simplifies the setup of Kubernetes clusters;
??? it speeds up cluster deployments with pre-configured essential components.
Designed by DevOps engineers for DevOps engineers, KubeSol is easy to understand and helps bring operational efficiency to your projects.
We can help you set up your own k8s cluster. We can install, configure, and manage your deployments with k8s, be it on-premises or in the cloud of your choice - AWS, GCP, or Azure, depending on each project’s requirements.
Take a look at the below case studies to find out more about a few of our projects:
With a proven track record of over 100 projects in microservices and Kubernetes, we know these technologies inside and out. Is the off-the-shelf product not what you need? Then check out our full range of DevOps or infrastructure services we can provide for you, and let’s talk!
An enthusiastic writing and communication specialist, Andreea Jakab is keen on technology and enjoys writing about cloud platforms, big data, infrastructure, gaming, and more. In her role as Social Media & Content Strategist at eSolutions.tech, she focuses on creating content and developing marketing strategies for eSolutions’ blog and social media platforms.
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