Introduction
Kubernetes has become the mainstream open-source orchestration tool for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Designed initially by teams at Google and released in 2014, Kubernetes is now officially maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. Kubernetes has quickly turned into the gold-standard of container orchestration.
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes comes from the Greek word for "helmsman," (someone who steers a ship, like a container ship), which explains why the iconic symbol for Kubernetes (or K8s) is a ship wheel. Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration tool that allows developers to deploy, scale, and manage containerized applications quickly at their cloud server providers.
Kubernetes Plugins
Because Kubernetes is cloud-agnostic, each server provider is responsible for offering two core plugins. These are vital to gain the full benefits of the cloud you're running on. You'll find RCS's core plugins here:
RCS Condor is a Terraform module that provisions a Kubernetes cluster with the RCS CCM and CSI. When you deploy RCS Condor both plugins are preconfigured. In other words, your cluster quickly becomes RCS-ready.
Other Kubernetes Plugins to consider:
Common Kubernetes Terms
Before running with Kubernetes, there are some key terms to understand:
- Kubernetes cluster is a set of nodes that run containerized applications.
- Kubernetes operator is an extension to Kubernetes that lets you build custom resources.
- Kubernetes node is a worker node, either virtual or physical, depending on the cluster.
- Kubernetes pod is the smallest, most basic deployable object in Kubernetes. A pod holds one or more containers.
- Kubernetes secrets let you store and manage sensitive information, such as passwords, OAuth tokens, and SSH keys.
- Kubernetes service is used if you want a deployment/pod(s) to be accessible from within the cluster (or outside).
- Kubectl is the Kubernetes command-line tool that allows you to run commands against Kubernetes clusters.
- Minikube is a tool that lets you run Kubernetes locally.
About RCS's Kubernetes Engine
Ready to get started building with RCS Kubernetes? Gain all the benefits of K8s and RCS together. Access the RCS plugin to Terraform here.
Join the Kubernetes conversation
Spin up your RCS Kubernetes cluster! Deploy Terraform RCS Condor and browse the Terraform RCS Modules for additional resources.
