Organizations used to run their applications on physical servers. But not only was that inefficient, as some applications hogged most computing resources and left others scrambling to maintain reliable performance, it was difficult to scale, as allocating dedicated servers to each application was a costly alternative.
That’s where virtual machines (VMs) came in.
A VM is a whole machine with the resources it needs to run processes on top of its allocated hardware. In this way, VMs can help organizations run multiple applications on one physical server’s CPU. They also help:
- Keep apps from interacting with one another’s data
- Improve data security through virtualization
- Reduce physical hardware costs
VMs also improve scalability, as companies can add or reduce the number of VMs operating within a single physical server, as you need.
But then, the cloud computing era happened. Even as VMs improved some aspects of computing, virtualization is hardware-centric, meaning that scaling operations will, at some point, require you to buy new hardware. If you experience rapid growth, or want to deploy software rapidly using Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD), this can quickly become expensive.
So, how can you optimize your cloud applications and save costs, given these constraints?
You can take advantage of a Kubernetes development environment. Let’s explore Kubernetes in simple language, identify Kubernetes advantages, and explain how to use Kubernetes for development environments.
Kubernetes Explained: What are Kubernetes?
The Kubernetes platform and kubernetes cluster is an open-source container management system. Kubernetes helps orchestrate containers at scale and with minimal human intervention.
Think about the role of a conductor in an orchestra. The conductor unifies performers, shapes the ensemble’s sound and tempo, and controls how it interprets the music. Like the musical conductor, Kubernetes helps control clusters of containers running at the same time, together with related activities. The Kubernetes platform also makes it possible for developers to deploy containers in any environment — from on-premises to hybrid cloud, private cloud, and public cloud environments.
Like VMs, you can use Kubernetes to run multiple nodes on a single virtual server. In contrast to virtual machines, which run their own operating systems, Kubernetes lets applications running in containers share the host’s operating system. So, in the cloud, Kubernetes are lightweight compared to VMs.
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What is a Kubernetes Environment?
A Kubernetes environment helps developers use the scaling, automating, and container management and deployment powers of Kubernetes by default.
CYBRIC’s Co-founder and CTO, Mike Kail, once compared Kubernetes to a lunchbox.
Picture a traditional lunchbox, and then imagine that the lunchbox is an application development environment.
A lunchbox has several portion areas and often comes with a handle for carrying. It’s also reasonably airtight, and you can remove or add various food portions to isolated slots without affecting other portions. What would happen if the lunchbox didn’t have those isolated slots? Your food would end up so messy that you’d probably lose your appetite altogether!
Now, in your software development workflows, you have plenty of tools you can use to implement CI/CD; those tools are like the food portions in the lunchbox. You don’t want them to mix up, effectively letting each component do its own thing without control. Instead, you want each tool doing only what will help you develop better software, more rapidly and automatically, with less downtime and even less chaos.
Following this example, Kubernetes acts as a lunchbox by bundling clusters of applications, while isolating various software components. Kubernetes is portable in the same way a lunchbox is, since you can run it anywhere — on Ubuntu, the cloud, or on-premises.
A Kubernetes environment runs all of its programs in containers. As a result, programs can be isolated and developed and deployed more easily. In this environment, you can run multiple programs on multiple servers.
What is Kubernetes Development?
Kubernetes application development involves taking advantage of the Kubernetes orchestration layer to use containers for running workloads more effectively.
For example, distributed systems run on a Kubernetes framework are more resilient.
Developers leverage Kubernetes patterns to use Kubernetes as a runtime platform. They use Kubernetes patterns to build Kubernetes services and cloud-based applications. You can avoid downtime in a production environment by managing the containers that run your applications.
Kubernetes app development is effective because:
- It can let you describe a container state you desire and use a controlled rate to change the current state to your desired one (rollbacks and rollouts)
- Kubernetes replaces or restarts failed containers and kills those that do not respond to a predefined health check
- It can load-balance, so deployments remain stable
- Kubernetes helps store, manage, and update sensitive information such as passwords, SSH keys, and OAuth tokens — all without needing to rebuild container images
- It lets you mount your preferred storage system type — from a local to a public cloud system
- Kubernetes also help improve resource efficiency by fitting optimal containers in your nodes
Other advantages of using Kubernetes development include the following:
- Kubernetes ensures developers, testers, stagers, and production technicians are able to predict application performance at every stage
- It can also run equally well in the cloud as in a local development system, such as a laptop, ensuring consistency across various development environments
- Kubernetes supports agile application development and deployment by enabling developers to make rapid changes to isolated applications without affecting others
- It also supports DevOps workflows since developers can deploy rapid changes and rollback or rollout changes in a controlled manner
- Kubernetes development of software automation elements make all these crucial tasks possible, eliminating the manual labor it would take otherwise
What Next?
Developing with Kubernetes can help your organization take advantage of containerization technology to optimize your cloud-native applications.
By coordinating all the tools your DevOps teams need to develop, test, stage, and deploy applications faster, the platform can help your teams get more done in less time and budget.
Yet, developing Kubernetes applications can be especially tricky if your team lacks Kubernetes experience. Simpat Tech provides a pool of experienced Kubernetes developers you can trust with everything from small to complex Kubernetes projects, verifying each specialist’s background and matching the most fitting specialist with your needs.
Reach out today for more on how Simpat Tech can support your Kubernetes development projects so that you can get back to serving your customers and achieving other business priorities.
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