Kubernetes, often abbreviated as K8s, is an open-source platform designed to automate deploying, scaling, and operating application containers. With Kubernetes, you can quickly and efficiently respond to customer demand by deploying your applications quickly and predictably, scaling your applications on the fly, seamlessly rolling out new features and limiting hardware usage to required resources only.
DevOps, on the other hand, is a set of practices that combines software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops). It aims to shorten the system development life cycle and provide continuous delivery with high software quality. DevOps is complementary with Agile software development; several DevOps aspects came from Agile methodology.
Definition of Kubernetes and DevOps
Kubernetes is a portable, extensible, open-source platform for managing containerized workloads and services, that facilitates both declarative configuration and automation. It has a large, rapidly growing ecosystem. Kubernetes services, support, and tools are widely available.
DevOps is a set of practices that combines software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops). It aims to shorten the system development life cycle and provide continuous delivery with high software quality. DevOps is complementary with Agile software development; several DevOps aspects came from Agile methodology.
Understanding Kubernetes
Kubernetes provides a container-centric management environment. It orchestrates computing, networking, and storage infrastructure on behalf of user workloads. This provides much of the simplicity of Platform as a Service (PaaS) with the flexibility of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and enables portability across infrastructure providers.
Kubernetes provides a framework to run distributed systems resiliently. It takes care of scaling and failover for your applications, provides deployment patterns, and more. For example, Kubernetes can easily manage a canary deployment for your system.
Understanding DevOps
DevOps is a culture which promotes collaboration between Development and Operations Team to deploy code to production faster in an automated & repeatable way. The word 'DevOps' is a combination of two words 'development' and 'operations.'
DevOps helps to increase an organization's speed to deliver applications and services. It allows organizations to serve their customers better and compete more strongly in the market. In simple words, DevOps can be defined as an alignment of development and IT operations with better communication and collaboration.
History of Kubernetes and DevOps
Kubernetes was born out of Google, inspired by a decade and a half of experience running production workloads at scale using a system called Borg. It is designed to handle the types of workloads Google runs, and it is designed to integrate with the key features of Google's infrastructure: storage systems, network infrastructure, a strong emphasis on security and more.
DevOps, as a concept, was first introduced in 2008 by Andrew Shafer and Patrick Debois. They named it "Agile System Administration" or "Agile Operations". It was during the Agile 2008 conference in Toronto that the term "DevOps" was coined. Since then, the popularity and adoption of DevOps has grown exponentially.
The Birth of Kubernetes
Kubernetes was first announced by Google in mid-2014, and the first stable version was released in July 2015. The project was donated to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), a vendor-neutral foundation under the Linux Foundation, in August 2015. Since then, Kubernetes has become the standard for container orchestration and has widespread industry support.
Google's experience with Borg was the primary influence behind many of Kubernetes' concepts. Kubernetes was designed to address many of the scalability, reliability, and efficiency issues that Google encountered with Borg over the years.
The Evolution of DevOps
DevOps has evolved over the years from a niche concept to a mainstream software development approach. The term "DevOps" was popularized through a series of "devopsdays" starting in 2009 in Belgium. Since then, there have been devopsdays conferences held in many countries worldwide.
DevOps has been characterized by the widespread use of automation and software-defined infrastructure. It has a strong emphasis on collaboration, communication, and integration between software developers and IT operations. The goal is to break down "silos" and promote open communication and collaboration between these two groups.
Use Cases of Kubernetes and DevOps
Kubernetes has a number of use cases in the modern world. It is used by small startups and large enterprises alike to scale their applications and manage their workloads. Some of the most common use cases for Kubernetes include managing microservices, batch processing, and machine learning applications.
DevOps, on the other hand, is used to streamline the software development process. It brings together the development and operations teams to collaborate on the entire application lifecycle, from development and test to deployment to operations. In doing so, it helps organizations deliver software faster and more reliably.
Kubernetes in Action
One of the most common use cases for Kubernetes is managing microservices. Microservices are a design pattern in which a large application is broken down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Each of these pieces, or "services," can be developed, deployed, and scaled independently. Kubernetes provides the orchestration and management capabilities needed to run these services at scale.
Another common use case for Kubernetes is batch processing. In this scenario, Kubernetes can be used to manage and scale workloads that process large amounts of data in parallel. This is particularly useful in scenarios where the processing needs to be done in a short amount of time, or where the workload needs to be distributed across a large number of processors.
DevOps in Practice
DevOps is used in many different scenarios, but one of the most common is in the development and deployment of software. In this scenario, the development and operations teams work together to automate the process of software delivery and infrastructure changes. This allows for more frequent, reliable software releases.
Another common use case for DevOps is in the management of infrastructure. With the rise of cloud computing and infrastructure as a service (IaaS), many organizations are now managing their infrastructure as code. This allows them to automate the process of provisioning and managing their servers, networks, and other infrastructure components.
Examples of Kubernetes and DevOps
There are many examples of companies using Kubernetes and DevOps in their operations. For instance, Google itself uses Kubernetes to power some of its most popular services, like Gmail and YouTube. Other companies like IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon also use Kubernetes to manage their cloud services.
On the other hand, companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Facebook are well-known for their use of DevOps. These companies have large, complex systems that require a high level of coordination between development and operations to ensure that they can deliver new features quickly and reliably.
Google's Use of Kubernetes
Google, the company that originally developed Kubernetes, uses the platform to manage its massive, global infrastructure. Kubernetes allows Google to manage its services at a massive scale, deploying changes to millions of users in seconds.
One of the key benefits of Kubernetes for Google is its ability to manage containers. Containers allow Google to package its applications and their dependencies into a single, portable unit that can be run on any machine. This makes it easy for Google to scale its applications across its vast infrastructure.
Netflix's Use of DevOps
Netflix is a well-known example of a company that uses DevOps principles. Netflix is a large, complex system that requires a high level of coordination between development and operations. By using DevOps, Netflix is able to quickly and reliably deliver new features to its millions of users.
One of the key practices that Netflix uses is continuous delivery. This is a DevOps practice that involves automatically deploying all code changes to production after a series of automated tests have been passed. This allows Netflix to release new features and updates quickly and reliably.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Kubernetes and DevOps are two powerful tools that can help organizations deliver software more quickly and reliably. Kubernetes provides a platform for managing containerized applications at scale, while DevOps brings together the development and operations teams to streamline the software development process.
While they are each powerful on their own, Kubernetes and DevOps can also be used together to create a truly agile, efficient, and effective software delivery pipeline. By using Kubernetes to manage your applications and DevOps to streamline your development process, you can achieve a level of speed and reliability that was previously unattainable.