Kubernetes

TechExec Week 14 - Friday Edition

Author

Gaurav Singh
July 14, 2023

(Total read time: 3 minutes)

Hey there,

Welcome to Week 14 of TechExec - the newsletter that turbocharges your growth to become a Tech Executive!

As always, we are sharing a new set of BLTs this week

  • 💼 B - a Business concept / theory / story

  • 💝 L - a lifestyle advice

  • 🤖 T - a Tech explainer

Here is the schedule:

Monday —>💼 B - a Business concept / theory / story

Wednesday —> 💝 L - a lifestyle advice

Friday —> 🤖 T - a Tech explainer

This week we covered the Osborne Effect on Monday, and the conundrum of Decision Quality vs Decision Outcome on Wednesday.

Today’s Tech Explainer is on Kubernetes!

💼 T - Kubernetes

Have you ever been to an orchestra and marveled at how harmoniously all the instruments play together, producing a beautiful symphony? Now, imagine the orchestra is your software application, and the skilled conductor is Kubernetes. Kubernetes takes the lead in coordinating a symphony of containerized applications to run your applications smoothly. But what are containers now? Well, they are isolated user spaces that are used to package applications within, and thus run the exact same way irrespective of the host operating system.

Essentially, Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration system. It automates the deployment, scaling, and management of applications, ensuring that they are always up and running at their optimum capacity.

Kubernetes has its hands in many pies when it comes to applications. Need to scale your application to handle sudden traffic spikes? Kubernetes will clone your containers faster than a sci-fi movie. Want to roll out a new feature without disrupting services? Kubernetes will smoothly roll out updates and roll back if anything goes awry. Got a vast microservices architecture? Kubernetes has got your back, ensuring all your services communicate effectively without stepping on each other's toes.

However, like most things in the world, Kubernetes has its limitations too. For starters, it has a steep learning curve that might make even seasoned developers break into a cold sweat. It's like trying to ride a unicycle on a tightrope—tricky! Moreover, it’s not designed to handle stateful applications (those that save client data from the activities of one session for use in the next session) as efficiently as it does stateless ones. The complexity of handling persistent storage is like asking it to juggle while riding a unicycle on a tightrope.

Additionally, Kubernetes can be overkill for small applications. Plus, its multi-layered security features can sometimes feel like you're trying to break into Fort Knox just to update your application.

Takeaway: Kubernetes serves as an open-source container orchestration system that automates the essential tasks of deploying, scaling, and managing applications. With Kubernetes, you can effortlessly handle sudden traffic spikes, smoothly roll out updates, and facilitate efficient communication among microservices. However, Kubernetes has a steep learning curve, and pose challenges in managing stateful applications and persistent storage. For smaller applications, considering the complexity involved, alternative solutions may be more suitable.

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