Best Practices When Using Kubernetes

Best practices for Kubernetes involve using namespaces for resource isolation, setting resource requests and limits, and implementing horizontal pod autoscaling. These practices enhance manageability, scalability, and resource allocation in Kubernetes clusters. By adhering to these guidelines, we effectively orchestrate containerized applications, streamline deployment, and optimize resource utilization. We’ll discuss them further below.

Use namespaces

Namespaces are a way to partition and organize resources within a Kubernetes cluster. They provide logical separation and isolation of components, environments, or teams, helping manage complexity and improve security. By using namespaces, we can create distinct environments for development, testing, and production within the same cluster while keeping resources separate and avoiding naming conflicts.

Specify resource requests and limits

Specifying resource requests and limits is essential for effective resource management in Kubernetes. Resource requests indicate the amount of CPU and memory that a container needs, ensuring adequate allocation. Resource limits, on the other hand, cap the maximum amount of CPU and memory a container can use. This helps prevent resource starvation and cost optimization and ensures fair resource distribution.

Use horizontal pod autoscaling

Horizontal pod autoscaling (HPA) is a feature that allows Kubernetes to automatically adjust the number of pod replicas based on observed CPU or memory utilization. Implementing HPA is crucial for cost effectiveness, performance optimization, and ensuring that applications can handle fluctuations in traffic.

Define the probes and readiness checks

Liveness and readiness probes are essential for monitoring the health of Pods. Liveness probes determine if a Pod is healthy and should be restarted if it becomes unresponsive. Readiness probes indicate when a Pod is ready to serve traffic. It prevents traffic from being directed to a Pod that’s not yet fully operational, reducing downtime. By defining these checks, we improve the reliability and responsiveness of our applications, ensuring they start and stay available when they should.

Use ConfigMaps and Secrets

ConfigMaps and Secrets provide a way to separate configuration data and sensitive information from application manifests. This practice promotes security and maintainability. By using ConfigMaps and Secrets, we reduce the risk of exposing sensitive data in our code and facilitate efficient configuration management.

Create backup and disaster recovery plans

Kubernetes clusters and their data are critical components of our infrastructure. Creating backup and disaster recovery plans is essential for preserving data and configurations. Regularly backing up our cluster data and configurations ensures that we can recover from data loss, system failures, or other unforeseen disasters. Having a setup of storage with CronJobs helps with this.