Programming

How Does Kubernetes Benefit Developers?

    Boris Dzhingarov
    Share

    Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that facilitates the deployment, management, and scaling of containerized applications. It has the power to distribute systems resiliently through the provision of a framework. In this article, we’ll discuss how Kubernetes can be used by developers to improve reliability, productivity, scalability, and portability.

    We created this article in partnership with ESBO. Thank you for supporting the partners who make SitePoint possible.

    Table of Contents

    Increased Productivity

    Scaling, load balancing, and deploying containerized apps is a challenging prospect for any developer, but this is where Kubernetes comes to the rescue with the power of automation. With the weight lifted off developers’ shoulders, they’re free to focus on improving the application and writing more effective code. Some of the more specific ways Kubernetes increases developer productivity include:

    • Self-healing. Failed containers can be rescheduled to healthy nodes, which helps increase the availability of the app.
    • Simplified deployment. Any infrastructure that supports Kubernetes can have containerized applications deployed to them. All developers have to do is push containers into a registry.
    • Consistent development. Helps to create a local development environment that’s similar to a production environment, which decreases unforeseen circumstances during deployment.
    • Automatic scaling. Kubernetes scales applications as required depending on demand, which reduces developer error and saves time.

    Enhanced Portability

    Kubernetes applications can be deployed to public clouds, on-premises clouds, and hybrid environments, as long as Kubernetes is supported. This feature makes moving applications between environments — such as from development to production — feel much easier. Portability is beneficial to developers in the following ways:

    • Improved disaster recovery. Kubernetes gives organizations the power to strengthen disaster recovery by making the movement between environments much easier. If anything disastrous were to happen, this portability would mean the app is always available.
    • Increased agility. By simplifying deployment and management within various environments, organizations can respond quickly to requirements and shifts in demand.
    • Reduced costs. Kubernetes makes it much easier to move applications between cloud providers or on-location infrastructures, which helps access the best features and prices.

    When moving Kubernetes applications between different environments, it’s essential to follow Kubernetes security best practices, which involve high-end encryption, API keys, and role-based access control (RBAC).

    Improved Reliability

    When containers fail, Kubernetes automatically restarts applications by switching nodes, which helps boost availability. In addition, Kubernetes can balance traffic between various versions of an application, which helps to keep servers intact. Updates sent via Kubernetes roll out without causing application downtime.

    More Effective Collaboration

    Collaboration makes for a more effective team, and this is something Kubernetes encourages. By providing a shared platform for developers to create, test, and deploy, projects can be completed more efficiently and within a tighter timeframe. Here are some specific ways Kubernetes improves developer collaboration:

    • Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD). Kubernetes has the potential to implement CI/CD pipelines, which are used for build, test, and deployment automation.
    • Version control. Version control monitors application changes, which helps to ensure all developers are working on up-to-date applications within a controlled environment.
    • Shared testing and development. A shared environment for development and testing allows developers to communicate and collaborate more effectively.

    Simplified Development

    With several capabilities and features designed to improve efficiency and productivity, Kubernetes can be used to simplify the entire development process. For example, Kubernetes uses a declarative API to describe desired application states, which allows developers to define how applications should be managed and deployed. Other ways that Kubernetes simplify development include:

    • Simplified scaling and development. To scale and deploy applications using Kubernetes, all developers have to do is build and push their containers into a registry, and Kubernetes will manage everything else.
    • Consistent production and development environments. Helps reduce the number of unforeseen issues that may arise during deployment or production.
    • An ecosystem of rich plugins and tools. As Kubernetes improves, there’s a growing ecosystem of plugins and tools, which developers can use to perform anything from debugging to managing applications.

    Case Studies for Kubernetes

    Kubernetes is used by a large number of brands from humble startups to large enterprises. For example, Google harnesses the power of Kubernetes to run its enormous global infrastructure including YouTube, Gmail, and search engines. With the ability to quickly scale, develop, and deploy applications, Google’s applications are 100% available even when there are issues with certain nodes.

    Global streaming platform Spotify faced challenges managing enormous demand, especially considering it relied on a homegrown container orchestration system called “Helios”. By the end of 2017, Spotify recognized the need for something more powerful, which is when it transitioned to Kubernetes alongside Envoy and gRPC.

    Endnote

    Kubernetes is a powerful asset for developers that improves reliability, boosts productivity, enhances portability, simplifies development, and makes collaboration more effective. It’s used by a number of organizations and companies to help with scalability and reliability, which satisfies users and reduces costs. If you’re a developer or organization facing issues with cloud-based application development, learn more about what Kubernetes has to offer.