Kubernetes & DevOps Dictionary
The worlds of Kubernetes and DevOps are filled full of jargon and acronyms that can be a minefield for everyone, not just newbies! Here’s a handy reference list of some of the most common terms and their meanings.
Immutable Infrastructure
Immutable Infrastructure is a modern approach to managing infrastructure where servers and other components are never modified after deployment. Instead of updating or patching an existing system, a new, fully configured system is built and deployed to replace the old one. This ensures that every deployment is consistent and reproducible,...
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Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a practice in which infrastructure — such as servers, storage, networks, and other IT resources — is managed and provisioned through machine-readable configuration files, rather than through manual hardware configuration or interactive configuration tools. IaC enables the automation of infrastructure management by treating it the...
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Ingress
What is Ingress?Ingress in Kubernetes is a resource that manages external access to services within a cluster, typically HTTP and HTTPS traffic. It provides a way to expose multiple services under a single IP address or hostname, enabling advanced routing configurations like URL-based routing, SSL termination, and load balancing. Ingress...
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Istio
What is Istio?Istio is an open-source service mesh platform that helps manage, secure, and observe microservices in a cloud-native environment. It provides a transparent and efficient way to control the flow of traffic and API calls between services, ensuring security, reliability, and visibility. Istio works particularly well with Kubernetes but...
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Jenkins
Jenkins is an open-source automation server used to automate parts of the software development lifecycle, such as building, testing, and deploying applications. Jenkins is a key tool in implementing Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery/Deployment (CD) pipelines, allowing developers to integrate code into a shared repository frequently and ensuring the...
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JSON
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based data format used to represent structured data. It is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. Although JSON is derived from JavaScript, it is language-agnostic, meaning it can be used with most modern programming...
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K8s
What is K8s? K8s is a commonly used shorthand for Kubernetes, an open-source platform for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. The term "K8s" comes from the abbreviation of the word "Kubernetes," where the "8" represents the eight letters between "K" and "s." Kubernetes is widely used...
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Kibana
What is Kibana? Kibana is an open-source data visualization and exploration tool that is part of the Elastic Stack (ELK). It provides an intuitive user interface for visualizing data stored in Elasticsearch and allows users to create custom dashboards, perform data analysis, and monitor system performance in real time. Kibana...
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Kube-proxy
What is Kube-proxy?Kube-proxy is a network component of Kubernetes that runs on each node in the cluster. It manages network traffic, ensuring that communication between services and pods happens smoothly. Kube-proxy works by maintaining network rules on each node and forwarding traffic to the appropriate pods based on the service’s...
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Kubeconfig
What is kubeconfig? kubeconfig is a configuration file used by Kubernetes to manage access to clusters. It contains information such as cluster API server addresses, authentication credentials, and user preferences. kubeconfig enables users to seamlessly interact with multiple Kubernetes clusters by specifying which cluster and user context to use for...
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Kubectl
What is kubectl? kubectl is the command-line interface (CLI) tool used to interact with Kubernetes clusters. It allows users to deploy applications, manage cluster resources, and view logs directly from the terminal. kubectl provides an easy way to execute commands that communicate with the Kubernetes API server, enabling users to...
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Kubelet
What is a Kubelet? The Kubelet is a core component of Kubernetes that runs on each worker node in a Kubernetes cluster. It acts as an agent responsible for managing containers and ensuring that the containers specified in Pod definitions are running and healthy. Essentially, the Kubelet ensures that the...
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Kubernetes
Kubernetes is an open-source platform designed to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It helps in running applications in a highly available, scalable, and efficient manner, especially across clusters of machines. Key Concepts in Kubernetes: Containers: Kubernetes manages applications that are packaged into containers. Containers bundle the...
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Kubernetes Cluster
What is a Kubernetes Cluster?A Kubernetes Cluster is a set of nodes (physical or virtual machines) that work together to run containerized applications managed by Kubernetes. It consists of a control plane and a collection of worker nodes. The control plane oversees the cluster, managing workloads and ensuring that the...
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Kubernetes Dashboard
What is Kubernetes Dashboard? The Kubernetes Dashboard is a web-based user interface (UI) that allows users to manage and interact with their Kubernetes clusters visually. It provides an intuitive way to deploy containerized applications, monitor resource usage, and manage cluster resources without relying solely on command-line tools like kubectl. The...
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Kubernetes Master
What is a Kubernetes Master?The Kubernetes Master is the central control entity of a Kubernetes cluster, responsible for managing the cluster's overall state and coordinating all the activities of the worker nodes. The master consists of several components that handle key tasks such as scheduling, maintaining the desired state of...
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Kubernetes Node
What is a Kubernetes Node? A Kubernetes Node is a physical or virtual machine within a Kubernetes cluster that runs the necessary components to host and manage pods. Nodes are the workers that perform the tasks assigned by the Kubernetes control plane, and they are essential for running the containers...
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Kubernetes Pod
What is a Kubernetes Pod?A Kubernetes Pod is the smallest and most basic deployable unit in Kubernetes. It represents a single instance of a running process in your cluster and can contain one or more tightly coupled containers that share the same network namespace, storage volumes, and configuration. Pods are...
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KubeScheduler
What is KubeScheduler? KubeScheduler is a core component of the Kubernetes control plane responsible for assigning newly created pods to appropriate nodes within a cluster. It ensures that workloads are distributed efficiently across the cluster based on resource requirements, constraints, and scheduling policies. The KubeScheduler plays a vital role in...
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Load Balancer
What is a Load Balancer?A Load Balancer in Kubernetes is a mechanism used to distribute incoming network traffic across multiple pods or services to ensure reliability, scalability, and high availability. It provides a single point of access for clients while automatically balancing the workload to prevent any single pod or...
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