Kubernetes

Kubernetes (often shortened to k8s) is an open-source system for running containerized applications across a cluster of machines. You declare the state you want, and controllers work continuously to make the cluster match it.

#Name

The name comes from the Greek for helmsman or pilot.¹ The abbreviation k8s replaces the eight letters between the k and the s.

#Core ideas

• Declarative configuration: you describe the end state, not the steps.
• Controllers: loops that compare desired and actual state and act on the difference.
• Pods: the smallest schedulable unit. See Pods.

#See also

• React, often deployed on Kubernetes as a server-rendered app
• The Kubernetes docs on this site

#Footnotes

1. "Overview", Kubernetes documentation. https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/overview/ ↩