Kubernetes Concepts

3 minute read

Great question! Let’s break it down:

Pods Vs Container

Container: A lightweight, standalone, executable package that includes everything needed to run a piece of software, including

  • the code,
  • runtime,
  • libraries, and
  • dependencies.

Containers are isolated from each other and the host system.

Pod: The smallest deployable unit in Kubernetes, a pod can contain one or more containers.

  • Pods share the same network namespace, meaning they can communicate with each other using localhost.

IP Address and Port:

Container:

  • Each container typically gets its own IP address when running in a non-Kubernetes environment.
  • Containers can expose ports to allow external access to the services they run.

Pod:

  • In Kubernetes, each pod gets a unique IP address within the cluster.
  • Pods have a single IP address shared by all containers within the pod.
  • Containers within the same pod share the same network namespace, IP address, and port space.
    • They can communicate with each other directly via localhost and do not need to expose ports to communicate internally.
Example:

Imagine a pod with two containers:

  • Container A runs a web server on port 80.
  • Container B runs a database server on port 5432.

Both containers can communicate with each other using localhost, and they share the pod’s IP address.

External services can access the web server via the pod’s IP address and port 80, and the database server via the pod’s IP address and port 5432.

Deployment

A deployment manages the creation and updating of instances of your application (pods).

  • It ensures that the desired number of pod replicas are running at all times.
  • Kubernetes handles the rollout and scaling of these pods.

Example: If you have a Spring Boot application, you would create a deployment to ensure multiple instances of your application are running for high availability.

deployment.yaml

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: springboot-deployment
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: springboot
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: springboot
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: springboot-container
        image: nitinkc/k8s-helloworld:k8s-hw-v6
        ports:
        - containerPort: 8080

Types of Services:

ClusterIP (default):

Exposes the service on an internal IP within the cluster. This type of service is only accessible from within the cluster.

  • Use Case: Ideal for internal communication between services within the cluster. 
    apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: springboot-service
spec:
  selector:
    app: springboot
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 80
      targetPort: 8080
  type: ClusterIP

NodePort:

Exposes the service on each Node’s IP at a static port (the NodePort). This makes the service accessible from outside the cluster using <NodeIP>:<NodePort>.

  • Use Case: Useful for exposing services for external access during development or testing. 
      apiVersion: v1
  kind: Service
  metadata:
    name: springboot-service
  spec:
    selector:
      app: springboot
    ports:
      - protocol: TCP
        port: 80
        targetPort: 8080
        nodePort: 30007
    type: NodePort

LoadBalancer:

Creates an external load balancer (if supported by the cloud provider) and assigns a fixed, external IP to the service.

  • A service provides a stable endpoint to access your pods from outside the cluster.
    • It abstracts away the details of the pods and provides a consistent way to access them, even as pods are created and destroyed.
    • YAML file specifies the type (e.g., ClusterIP, NodePort, LoadBalancer), the selector to match pods, and the port to expose.

Example: If your Spring Boot application needs to be accessible from outside the cluster, you would create a service to expose it, allowing users to interact with your application.

  • Use Case: Ideal for production environments where you need to expose services to the internet. 
      apiVersion: v1
  kind: Service
  metadata:
    name: springboot-service
  spec:
    selector:
      app: springboot
    ports:
      - protocol: TCP
        port: 80
        targetPort: 8080
    type: LoadBalancer

ExternalName:

Maps a service to a DNS name by returning a CNAME record with the specified external name. This type of service does not use selectors.

  • Use Case: Useful for integrating with external services that are not part of the Kubernetes cluster. 
    apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: external-service
spec:
  type: ExternalName
  externalName: my.external.service.com

Summary:

  • ClusterIP: Internal access within the cluster.
  • NodePort: External access via <NodeIP>:<NodePort>.
  • LoadBalancer: External access via a cloud provider’s load balancer.
  • ExternalName: Maps to an external DNS name.

Access the Service: Open your browser and navigate to http://:

# Find the NodePort
kubectl get service springboot-service
kubectl get endpoints springboot-service

# Get the Node IP:
minikube ip

# Inspect Pod Health and Readiness:
kubectl get pods
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

# Test Connectivity from Within the Cluster
kubectl run -it --rm --restart=Never busybox --image=gcr.io/google-containers/busybox sh
wget -qO- http://<pod-ip>:8080

# Inspect Logs
kubectl logs <pod-name>

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