Introduction
Google Kubernetes Engine, is a managed container orchestration service provided by Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
GKE provides a fully managed and production-ready ecosystem, enabling seamless deployment, administration, and scalability of containerized applications utilizing Google’s robust infrastructure.
GKE simplifies the process of running containerized applications on Google Cloud by abstracting away the underlying infrastructure management. With GKE, you can focus on deploying your applications and let Google Cloud handle the infrastructure, including cluster management, scaling, and security updates.
How does Kubernetes work?
Kubernetes manages a cluster of compute instances and schedules containers to run on the cluster, considering available compute resources and container resource requirements. Containers are organized into pods, enabling the running and scaling of multiple containers together.
The Kubernetes control plane software determines when and where to deploy pods, handles traffic routing, and scales pods based on defined utilization or metrics. It automatically starts pods based on resource requirements and restarts them if failures occur. Each pod receives an IP address and a DNS name, facilitating connectivity between services and external traffic.
Why do we use Kubernetes?
Kubernetes offers numerous advantages for managing containerized applications. Its open-source nature allows for seamless deployment across different environments without the need for significant tooling changes. With a thriving community of contributors, Kubernetes continuously evolves and improves. Furthermore, various open-source projects and vendor offerings are built around Kubernetes, providing opportunities to enhance and expand your application architecture.
- RUN APPLICATIONS AT SCALE: Kubernetes lets you define complex containerized applications and run them at scale across a cluster of servers.
- SEAMLESSLY MOVE APPLICATIONS: Using Kubernetes, containerized applications can be seamlessly moved from local development machines to production deployments on the cloud using the same operational tooling.
- RUN ANYWHERE: Run highly available and scalable Kubernetes clusters on AWS while maintaining full compatibility with your Kubernetes deployments running on-premises.
- ADD NEW FUNCTIONALITY: Kubernetes provides a flexible framework for adding new functionality to meet specific needs. With a wide community of developers and organizations, there are numerous extensions, integrations, and plugins available that enable Kubernetes users to enhance their capabilities and achieve more.
Cluster Architecture
- Cluster master– The cluster master in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) plays a crucial role in overseeing the functionalities of the Kubernetes control plane. This entails supervising essential components such as the Kubernetes API server, scheduler, and core resource controllers. GKE effectively handles the lifecycle of the cluster, including the creation and deletion of clusters.
- Cluster master and the Kubernetes API– The Kubernetes API serves as the central endpoint for managing the cluster. All interactions with the cluster are carried out through Kubernetes API calls. The cluster master, running the Kubernetes API server process, receives and handles these requests.
- Master and node interaction– The cluster master holds the responsibility of making decisions regarding the workloads running on the cluster’s nodes. This involves tasks such as workload scheduling, lifecycle management, scaling, and upgrades for containerized applications.
Key Features of Kubernetes
- Kubernetes applications– Kubernetes offers a wide range of prebuilt deployment templates that bring several benefits, including portability, simplified licensing, and consolidated billing. Google Cloud Marketplace provides access to not only container images but also a variety of open-source, Google-built, and commercial applications, enabling developers to enhance productivity.
- Pod and cluster autoscaling– Reduce development time and cost with pre-built integrations to the cloud services needed for application development.
- Workload and network security– GKE Sandbox offers an extra level of protection for containerized workloads in GKE, bolstering overall security for these workloads. GKE clusters inherently support Kubernetes Network Policy, allowing the restriction of traffic through pod-level firewall rules, bolstering network security.
Additional Features and Benefits
- Identity and access management-you can manage access control within the cluster using your Google accounts and role permissions. This allows you to effectively control who has access to the cluster and what actions they can perform.
- Hybrid networking– This allows the IP addresses used by your cluster to coexist seamlessly with private network IPs through integration with Google Cloud VPN. This enables you to create hybrid network environments that span across your on-premises infrastructure and Google Cloud.
- Security and compliance- GKE is supported by a team of more than 750 Google security experts and is compliant with HIPAA and PCI DSS regulations, providing robust security and compliance measures.
- Integrated logging and monitoring- Enable Cloud Logging and Cloud Monitoring effortlessly through simple checkbox configurations, allowing you to easily monitor and gain insights into the performance of your application.
Conclusion
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) simplifies containerized application deployment and scalability on Google Cloud Platform. With GKE, developers can focus on their applications while Google Cloud handles infrastructure management. GKE offers robust cluster architecture, key features like Kubernetes applications, autoscaling, and workload security, along with benefits such as identity management and hybrid networking. Kubernetes, as the underlying technology, enables seamless scaling, portability, and the addition of new functionalities. GKE and Kubernetes together empower developers to run applications at scale, effortlessly move them across environments, and enhance their capabilities.
