Kubernetes adoption is growing at a rapid clip, yet this is still new technology for most folks. That means that many people in IT, from the C-suite through the most junior positions, are still getting up to speed on the basics and what comes next: What is Kubernetes, what do IT teams use it for, what are the overlapping trends, what are the day-to-day realities, and so forth.
Fortunately, many accessible resources can help you smooth out the learning curve. Below, we curate some of our favorites. The goal here isn’t to achieve deep technical expertise, but rather to help you beef up your general Kubernetes IQ.
Doing so can help IT leaders and their teams better understand why Kubernetes has become one of the hottest open source projects around. You’ll also want to delve into its relationship with other significant trends such as containers, cloud-native development, multi-cloud, and hybrid cloud – and yes, dig into the nuts and bolts of the technology itself.
Kubernetes resources
First, allow us to recommend, well, ourselves.
Kubernetes Essential Guide: 10 Must-Reads –The Enterprisers Project
We’ve been writing about Kubernetes quite a bit lately and recently collected some of our top posts in a single place. This provides a quick and accessible crash course in everything from how to define and talk about Kubernetes in plain terms to some of the common missteps and misunderstandings organizations encounter when they’re just getting started. We also tackle recent containerization trends.
Bonus reading: We also recently covered some of the biggest Kubernetes developments to expect in 2019 as well as tips for better Kubernetes security.
Kubernetes Standardized Glossary –Kubernetes official site
Like certain other technologies, Kubernetes comes with its own particular vocabulary: Clusters, and pods and jobs and nodes and – well, you get the picture. The official Kubernetes project site includes a helpful standardized glossary of these and other key terms. And if you later find yourself having to explain Kubernetes to a wider audience, check out our post, How to explain Kubernetes in plain English, where K8s experts share their best advice for defining the platform in everyday terms.
Kubernetes: Up and Running: Dive into the Future of Infrastructure –by Kelsey Hightower, Brendan Burns, and Joe Beda
This book (available in both electronic and physical editions) is considered one of the better introductions to Kubernetes fundamentals, especially for beginning audiences. It’s written by noted K8s expert Kelsey Hightower along with two of the orchestrator’s original creators at Google: Brendan Burns, and Joe Beda.
Kubernetes Official Documentation –Kubernetes official site
Most IT pros have some kind of documentation horror story to share, from the unreadable to the hopelessly outdated to the altogether nonexistent. Fortunately, Kubernetes on its own isn’t likely to produce another of those stories. The official documentation is clean and readable and, of course, easily accessible from anywhere and to anyone online. The vibrant community around the project makes it a good bet to stay that way too.
PodCTL podcast –Brian Gracely, director of product strategy, Red Hat OpenShift
Red Hat’s Brian Gracely and guests take a deep dive on a wide range of Kubernetes-relevant topics in the PodCTL podcast, which is now up over 60 episodes and counting. You can access the podcast directly via the OpenShift blog, as well as via iTunes and other podcast venues.
Kubernetes Podcast –Google
Google produces a regular podcast (hosted by Craig Box and Adam Glick) about goings-on and new developments in the Kubernetes community. The most recent episode, Kubernetes Failure Stories, might touch a particular nerve with organizations navigating the earlier phases of a move to containers and orchestration.
