What is Kubernetes, and why is it used?
Before the era of cloud-native applications, applications ran on physical hardware, such as servers. Some applications can be more resource-intensive than others, meaning they slow down all the other applications running on the same server. The solution? To run each application in its own virtualized container that prevents downtime, reduces costs, and can be managed and scaled more easily.
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is an automated container orchestration platform used to make deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications easier. Inspired by their internal cluster management system, Borg, Google created Kubernetes (or K8s for short) in 2014, combining decades of best practices to support production workloads.
Kubernetes is now the industry standard to deploy and operate containerized applications, with 80% of organizations running Kubernetes in their production environments. The orchestrator is reshaping how organizations create, customize, and deploy cloud-native applications, helping to improve the efficiency of day-to-day operations.
What is a Kubernetes pod and cluster?
Kubernetes pods and clusters form part of the platform’s basic architecture. A Kubernetes pod is a group of one or more containers that share storage and network resources. Pods are the unit of replication within Kubernetes, meaning if pods need to be added to meet usage, Kubernetes deploys replicas of the pod to the cluster.
A Kubernetes cluster contains many pods and is managed by a control plane. Clusters automatically distribute workload among their nodes (a set of work machines), should any be added or removed. Programmers don’t have to worry about which nodes contain which code, as the cluster will move around work for them.
Think of it like this: Clusters -> Nodes → Pods.
What is Kubernetes used for?
Deploy applications faster, at scale
Kubernetes is built to help organizations scale their applications up or down depending on their needs. The platform can automatically change the size of a cluster to run a service depending on the demand for that service. Autoscaling helps to improve the efficiency of applications and provide a better experience for customers.
Run applications anywhere
Kubernetes can run anywhere — be it on public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud, or multi-cloud. This means companies can move their applications from on-premises to the cloud, and switch cloud providers without overhauling their configuration. For organizations on multi-cloud architectures, Kubernetes lets them deploy and manage containerized applications without restriction, once configured to do so.
Improve cost and resource efficiency
As mentioned earlier, Kubernetes automatically allocates and shares resources between pods — ensuring each application has the right amount of storage, CPU, and memory it needs to run effectively. Using Kubernetes also reduces costs by preventing overprovisioning resources, and reducing an organization’s reliance on expensive, specialized hardware.
OpenShift vs Kubernetes
OpenShift vs Kubernetes is a common debate for organizations. Just like Kubernetes, OpenShift is a container orchestration platform that’s widely used. The tools share many similarities, but which to choose depends on an organization’s specific needs.
Whereas Kubernetes is built by Google, OpenShift is built by Red Hat. OpenShift uses Kubernetes as its basis, and provides further support throughout the software development lifecycle, including the CI/CD pipeline and version control.
But greater support comes at a greater cost. Kubernetes is completely free to use for any cloud environment, whereas OpenShift has an enterprise pricing model and can only be used on Red Hat distributions and therefore has its limitations. Find out more about the differences between OpenShift and Kubernetes.
Hands-on Kubernetes training with LabLabee
Getting started with Kubernetes, especially in a telco cloud setup, can be a challenge for many organizations. While it’s a powerful tool for managing and orchestrating containers, it also comes with a steep learning curve that can put pressure on teams if they’re not properly prepared.
At LabLabee, we believe that learning by doing is the best way to build knowledge and expertise. Which is why our hands-on training labs, like Telco Cloud Orchestration with Kubernetes, and Telco Cloud Infrastructure: Core Concepts and Deployment, are designed to give teams real-world experience in using Kubernetes in a guided environment.
Whether you're new to Kubernetes or looking to grow your skills, our hands-on training helps teams build the confidence and know-how to integrate cloud-native tech into your organization. Explore our full catalog of training, learning paths, and skills tests.
