Best of 2021 – Kubernetes Pods Vs. Deployments

As we close out 2021, we at Container Journal wanted to highlight the most popular articles of the year. Following is the sixth in our series of the Best of 2021.

If you are familiar with containerized applications, chances are you know what Kubernetes is.

It’s an open-source application management technology that works at a container level, rather than at a hardware level.

It was created to automate manual processes and manage containerized services. With the rise in container and cloud technologies, Kubernetes’ popularity is only increasing, and it is rapidly becoming the new standard for deploying and managing software in the cloud. Recent reports from the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) suggested that nearly 80% of organizations surveyed are using Kubernetes in some manner.

But with all the power and capabilities that Kubernetes offer, there’s a steep learning curve.

There are several intricacies involved in making up the entire system, and it can be challenging to prioritize the aspects that matter the most.

In this article, you will read about a simplified view of Kubernetes and how pods and deployments form the core of a large-scale Kubernetes environment. You will also learn the differences between them and their roles in building and managing containerized applications.

What is Kubernetes?

Containers were created to solve for the issues encountered when running software after moving it from one environment to another. This could be with regard to moving the software from a private server to a cloud machine, for example. Containers serve as the perfect solution to run applications, and see that they run smoothly. But containers are prone to backup system vulnerabilities.

Thankfully, as the container experts from Cloud Defense confirm, you don’t need to be an expert to run container scanning, because a single command is all that’s needed to execute a container scan, with final reports delivered to you in a matter of seconds.

That’s why Kubernetes is the most effective solution when it comes to managing these containers efficiently. Google Cloud created it to deploy the containerized infrastructure more efficiently, and it is now a part of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).

Kubernetes is an open-source platform that is designed to deploy and scale container operations. It offers a framework to manage clusters of hosts running Linux containers, while making sure that users do not experience downtime.

It’s not exactly a conventional platform-as-a-service (PaaS) tool, but Kubernetes still offers several features that are common with PaaS. These features include deployment, scaling and integration of monitoring or alerting services.

Additionally, Kubernetes can help you save money and make apps more powerful, which means human resources to organize and manage IT infrastructures are not needed. Whether you want to run Kubernetes on-premises or in the cloud, it makes it easy for you to move your apps between cloud and internal platforms.

Let’s move on to the core elements of the Kubernetes environment: pods and deployment.

What Are Kubernetes Pods?

A Kubernetes pod is the smallest unit of deployment. It’s a cluster of one or more containers that share the same storage space, and even the same network resources.

Each Kubernetes pod has a unique IP address, constant storage volumes and specific configuration information for running the containers. A pod that consists of more than one container makes it easier to share data and communicate seamlessly between them. Moreover, the same network resource enables the containers to locate each other through localhost.

Each pod in the Kubernetes deployment is tasked with running a single aspect of a specific application, and is created by controllers that oversee rollout, replication and healing in case a pod fails. This means that the controllers make pods using the pod template and manage them throughout their life cycle.

What Are Kubernetes Deployments?

A Kubernetes deployment specifies the application’s life cycle, including the pods assigned to the app. It provides a way to communicate your desired state to Kubernetes deployments, and the controller works on changing the present state into your desired state.

In simple terms, a Kubernetes deployment is a tool that manages the performance and specifies the desired behavior or traits of a pod.

Administrators and IT professionals use deployments to communicate what they want from an application. After this, Kubernetes takes all the necessary steps to create the desired state of the application.

For example, Kubernetes deployments can be used to roll out a ReplicaSet to create pods and check their health to see if they are working optimally.

Their Role in Building and Managing Software

As we now know, a pod is the smallest unit of Kubernetes used to house one or more containers and run applications in a cluster, while deployment is a tool that manages the performance of a pod. If a pod fails, Kubernetes immediately rolls out a replica of the pod to take its place in the cluster, while deployment oversees the cluster in case a pod fails during the process.

Kubernetes is responsible for running one aspect of a pod, but it can also create multiple cases of the same pod through ReplicaSets. This is where deployments come in; defining the number of copies of a specific pod. For example, if you want to change the container image in a pod, using deployment to notify Kubernetes allows it to perform the task automatically with a single command.

This means that if you use Kubernetes deployment, you don’t have to handle the pods manually. You can specify your desired state, and Kubernetes updates it automatically.

How Can Kubernetes Help You?

Several enterprises worldwide are rapidly employing Kubernetes, as it scales applications and takes care of any potential app failures beforehand.

The following are some reasons why Kubernetes is becoming so popular:

Improves app development

Kubernetes allows you to break down the development process so that your team can focus on a microservice, making the process more agile.

Cuts infrastructure costs

With a container-based infrastructure, companies can minimize their infrastructure-based expenses by handling unexpected issues and scale containerized applications automatically.

Increases scalability

If an application cannot scale, it will not perform well. As a management system, Kubernetes improves app performance and enhances its scalability.

Secure your containers

When shifting towards a cloud environment, Kubernetes enables a smoother transformation process. Not only this, it also uses encryption, or the process of making your data impossible to read through the use of public key cryptography. Encryption today is an absolute necessity to ensure that data is secured during the entire process to reduce the risks of data theft.

Thanks to its scalable features, Kubernetes is now one of the most popular container management systems employed by several noteworthy enterprises worldwide. As containers take over the world of software development, the popularity of Kubernetes is also increasing.

After becoming the go-to container management system, Kubernetes is now focusing on enhancing its capabilities and expanding the features and integrations that it offers. These improvements pave the way for further acceleration and growth of this management system. Moreover, this increases the creation and adoption of different software development practices and deployment patterns.