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50 Best Kubernetes Architecture Tutorials

by Natalie Walsh on April 18, 2019

Kubernetes is a multi-functional, container-centric platform for managing workloads and services. Given the fact that containers and container orchestration can dramatically improve costs, flexibility, and resilience, it’s no mystery why Kubernetes has soared in popularity since Google open-sourced it in 2014.

On one hand, it’s a powerful orchestration tool; on the other, it’s not a silver bullet that will solve all your problems. In fact, at the same time that it helps to manage dynamic infrastructure, it also introduces new vulnerabilities that pose a threat to security. To understand the value of Kubernetes, how to integrate it in a way that improves operational efficiency, and how to guard against the new vulnerabilities that container orchestration introduces, it’s critical that you have more than a passing knowledge.

So if you’re ready to start diving into Kubernetes, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ve curated a list of 50 top quality tutorials to help you fully understand Kubernetes architecture and best practices.

Note: The training resources listed in this post are not ranked in terms of perceived value or quality of content. The intent is simply to provide you with resources that we feel could be helpful in helping you develop or add to your knowledge of Kubernetes.

1. Introduction to Kubernetes

Organization: The Linux Foundation

Twitter: @edXOnline

Price: Free, $99 for a certificate

This is a self-paced course that you can complete in as little as five weeks if you work on it for two to three hours every week

If your team is beginning to use Kubernetes for container orchestration and you need guidelines on how to start transforming your organization with Kubernetes and cloud native patterns, if you’d like to simplify software container orchestration and find a way to expand your use of Kubernetes without adding infrastructure complexity, this course is for you.

What you will learn:

The origin, architecture, primary components, and building blocks of Kubernetes
How to set up and access a Kubernetes cluster using Minikube
Ways to run applications on the deployed Kubernetes environment and access the deployed applications
Usefulness of Kubernetes communities and how you can participate

2. Deploy, Scale And Upgrade An Application On Kubernetes With Helm

Organization: Bitnami

Twitter: @bitnami

This how-to is a bit more granular than many others on the list. Instead of an overview and definition of terms, this is for a specific Kubernetes tool, called Helm.

This tutorial covers how to:

Validate the cluster and install Helm and Tiller
Explore K8s and Helm
Balance traffic and perform rolling updates

3. Kubernetes Cluster Tutorial

Organization: Clocker

Clocker has created a straight forward but detailed tutorial for one purpose — to deploy a “production ready” Kubernetes cluster.

In this how-to, you’ll get:

Step-by-step cluster deployment instructions
Downloads to help the process
Further documentation for those who need a deeper explanation

4. The Architecture of a Multi-Cloud Environment with Kubernetes

Organization: CNCF

Twitter: @CloudNativeFdn

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) has published this recorded presentation to tackle the tricky process of configuring Kubernetes on multiple cloud environments. Brian Redbeard, of CoreOS, discusses and shows a great overview of the process.

In the talk, he covers:

The importance of using open source tools for development
Likely problems that you’ll encounter while attempting multi-cloud configuration
Multiple steps to avoid issues during deployment

5. Kubernetes Tutorial: Getting Started with Containers & Clusters

Organization: CodeShip

Twitter: @CodeShip

CodeShip gives one of the most detailed tutorials that covers quite a bit of ground for a 10-minute read. Images and simple language make this great for those who know what Kubernetes is, but those who are fuzzy on the topic may want to start with a tutorial that explains more “what” than “how” first.

In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to:

Define the number of nodes to deploy and which platform to install K8s on
Setting up kubectl
Deploying an application
Testing

6. Kubernetes Architecture – Master Node Components

Organization: Coding Compiler

A very useful resource from Coding Compiler explaining node components in detail. This is one in a series of articles showing everything Kubernetes.

In this article, you’ll find:

Detailed definitions of all terms relating to Kubernetes architecture
Diagrams to further illustrate components
A video tutorial solely devoted to architecture

7. Kubernetes Deconstructed: Understanding Kubernetes by Breaking it Down

Organization: Coding Tech

Twitter: @yuriymatso

This list includes a number of detailed, written breakdowns of Kubernetes architecture. Our next entry is a video tutorial version of many of the written posts.

This video from Coding Tech covers:

A top down look at Kubernetes going from broad to more detailed
Descriptions of common elements (i.e., Namespaces, Deployments, Ingress Rules, etc.)
Deeper level topic treatments including infrastructure and network infrastructure

8. Kubernetes Concepts and Architecture

Organization: Contino

Twitter: @ContinoHQ

This talk from Contino is more of an overview that provides the basics for those less familiar with Kubernetes. However, there is also a demo, showing more of the how-to that can be replicated.

The video covers:

Kubernetes architecture elements
Kubernetes concepts (both beginner and advanced)
Demo of running a basic pod through Minikube

9. Multi-Cluster Kubernetes: Planning for Unknowns

Organization: CoreOS

Twitter: @CoreOS

Dan Wilson, Principal Architect of Concur delivers this show-and-tell style talk. Running multi-cluster Kubernetes isn’t the easiest thing to get setup, and learning from someone with experience is always valuable.

Some of the topics Wilson covers include:

Why use Kubernetes (or K8s)
How using CoreOS could be helpful for multi-cluster setups
How Concur implemented K8s

10. Kubernetes 110: Your First Deployment

Speaker: Daniel Sanche

Twitter: @DanSanche21

If you’re looking for a Kubernetes tutorial, how about a Google engineer actively working “on improving the Kubernetes Engine developer experience”? This is exactly what Dan Sanche writes about on the Google Cloud Platform blog on Medium.

In this tutorial, Dan shows how to:

Set up a cluster
Deploy an app
Use YAML

11. Set Up a Production-Quality Kubernetes Cluster on AWS in 15 Minutes

Organization: DataWire

Twitter: @datawireio

Kubernetes is a very useful platform, and AWS is an incredibly popular infrastructure. Both of these factors will make this tutorial valuable to many.

A few of the topics covered include:

Defining the type of development projects that could benefit from K8s and AWS
A full discussion of all the technical design components
A full, step-by-step process for deployment on AWS

12. An Introduction to Kubernetes

Organization: Digital Ocean

Twitter: @digitalocean

With over half a million views, this introduction from Digital Ocean is one of the most popular resources for learning the basics of Kubernetes. It’s kept up-to-date and contains long, detailed definitions.

Topics in the article include:

A nice overview of Kubernetes architecture
A thorough look at components
Kubernetes objects and workloads

13. Kubernetes Administration

Organization: Duckademy

Cost: $15

As one of the few paid options on our list, this provides a full set of curriculum and videos detailing every step and providing all the necessary instructions to guide students. By the end, you’ll have learned all Kubernetes basics first hand.

Students learn how to:

Build a cluster
Determine network configuration
Deploy applications
Configure the storage

14. Kubernetes Architecture and Concepts Tutorial

Organization: Duckademy

Duckademy is known for really helpful IT tutorials, some of which (including this one) are free. While this video is only one in a full course, it’s still very helpful and offers a more academic style of training.

In this intro course, you’ll learn:

Core elements of Kubernetes
Concepts for K8s
Using Kubernetes with other connections and applications

15. Kubernetes Architecture | Understanding Kubernetes Components

Organization: Edureka

Twitter: @edurekaIN

Edureka has created a wonderfully colorful and helpful introduction to Kubernetes components and basic architecture. This is a really good option for visual learners who want to get a grasp on K8s.

This video covers:

Basics of K8s and Kubernetes architecture
And explanation of and components of nodes
Setting up the network

16. Understanding Kubernetes Architecture

Organization: Edureka

Twitter: @edurekaIN

This tutorial will help you understand how the various building blocks of Kubernetes work and how the components integrate to form a functioning Kubernetes unit.

This tutorial will teach you:

The various components of Kubernetes and the work that they perform
How to make sure that the Kubernetes components are working smoothly
The various terms associated with Kubernetes and how they integrate into the system
How various technology companies such as Luminis have used Kubernetes to run their applications

17. What Is Kubernetes? An Introduction To Container Orchestration Tool

Organization: Edureka

Twitter: @eudrekaIN

This is another tutorial from Edureka with a fun approach and a particular spin. This resource has tons of graphic elements and illustrations to help learners get a real grasp on the subject matter. There is also a series of videos to help you move through the content.

A few of the topics covered include:

Reasons for using Kubernetes
Features and benefits of Kubernetes
A case study of Pokemon Go using Kubernetes

18. Running a Virtually Distributed Application

Organization: Google

Twitter: @googlecloud

In the tutorial, you will learn how to package and deploy your very own web application by using GKE (Google Kubernetes Engine). It focuses on packaging the application in a Docker container image and running that image on the GKE cluster, creating a server pool that users can utilize according to their scaling requirement.

Some of the things you’ll learn from this tutorial are:

Basics about creating a Docker image and using containers
Creating container clusters
Successfully deploying a GKE web application

19. Launching a Container on Kubernetes with Ease

Organization: Google

Twitter: @googledevs

With this simple tutorial, learn to launch a Node.js web application, create replicas for the same container by creating a cluster, and use Docker to build your Node.js container and register it safely using Google Container Registry.

Here’s what you’ll understand after going through this tutorial:

The concept of Google Kubernetes Engine
Launching a Node.js Container (Single)
Launching multiple replicas of the container (Multiple)

20. Using Minikube, Docker, and Kubernetes Launch a Node.js Web Application

Organization: HackerNoon

Twitter: @hackernoon

This tutorial explains how to develop a Node.js API that can run on multiple operating systems using Google Kubernetes Engine and its tool, Minikube. The tutorial uses a MacOs; however, following the tutorial is easy even on Linux and Windows with slightly different codes.

At the end of this tutorial, you’ll understand the basics about:

Minikube, a tool that makes running Kubernetes locally hassle free
Docker and how it operates
Launching an API using all these platforms

21. Deploy a Microservice by Creating an AWS EKS Cluster

Organization: HackerNoon

Twitter: @hackernoon

In this tutorial you will learn how to quickly create an Amazon EKS cluster using AWS CloudFormation. Before you begin, here is a list of some accounts and utilities that are required: AWS Account, EC2 Key Pair, cim.sh, AWS CLI, and kubectl and AWS IAM authenticator for Kubernetes.

After completing the tutorial, you learn about:

Amazon Elastic Container Service for Kubernetes
AWS CloudFormation
Deploying your first microservice

22. Deploy a Kubernetes Cluster in IBM Cloud

Organization: IBM

Twitter: @IBMcloud

This tutorial uses the example of a public relations firm to show how the firm deploys a containerized application using IBM Cloud and Kubernetes. The tutorial also goes through the process of managing Docker images in the IBM Cloud.

At the end of the step-by-step tutorial (it takes about 40 minutes to complete), you’ll have learned how to:

Deploy a Kubernetes cluster in IBM
Create a cluster with one worker node and worker pool each
Create an image repository (in IBM Cloud)
Learn how to add the Tone Analyzer Service

23. Using IBM Cloud, Deploy Applications into Kubernetes Clusters

Organization: IBM

Twitter: @IBMcloud

This tutorial explains how to use IBM Cloud Services to deploy applications into clusters.

At the end of this tutorial you’ll understand how to:

Create a simple “Hello World” Application
Use replica sets to monitor the application’s performance
Make a publicly accessible web application using Kubernetes Clusters and IBM Cloud Services
Use the container registry plug-in

24. What is Kubernetes | Kubernetes Architecture

Organization: IntelliPaat

Twitter: @Intellipaat

This video, from Intellipaat, provides a “hands on” view of a Kubernetes implementation.

This tutorial covers:

Kubernetes from scratch (the basics)
Kubernetes architecture (taking understanding to the next level)
Kubernetes implementation shown visually

25. Kubernetes Webinar Series – Kubernetes Architecture 101

Speaker: Janakiram MSV

Janakiram MSV has created one of the more well-liked tutorials on Kubernetes architecture, at least on YouTube. Many of the commenters praise the ease of understanding and his detailed explanations.

The tutorial covers many subjects, including:

A detailed overview of core components before diving into the code
A walk through building and deploying applications
Best practices to get everything up and scaled

26. Learn What Kubernetes is and What it Does

Organization: KeyCDN

Twitter: @ KeyCDN

In this tutorial the learner will learn the basics of Google Kubernetes Engine, along with the best Kubernetes architecture tutorial that consists of 5 layers: Master Server, Nodes, Container Runtime, Network, and a Kubernetes API.

Here’s what you’ll learn from this tutorial:

Kubernetes basics
More about the necessity of Kubernetes
Kubernetes Architecture
How to get started with GKE

27. Deployment of an Auto-Scalable Node.js in Kubernetes

Organization: Kloia

Twitter: @kloia_com

This tutorial explains how to deploy a Node.js web application in a Kubernetes cluster using the Minikube tool and also how to allow the cluster to adapt to the load from external sources by automatically scaling in size.

You will also learn how to:

Deploy a simple Node.js application using Kubernetes Cluster
Use Minikube and run Kubernetes locally
Install and sse the kubectl command-line tool

28. Kubernetes Architecture

Organization: Knoldus

Twitter: @Knolspeak

Klondus Inc. has put together a very in-depth look at Kubernetes architecture components with detailed slides and visual cues to help everyone understand.

In this video tutorial, you’ll learn:

Basic and advanced terminology with visual aids
Networking inside Kubernetes
How to set up a cluster

29. What are the Kubernetes Objects?

Organization: Kubernetes

Twitter: @kubernetesio

In this tutorial you’ll learn about Kubernetes Objects and their representation and how every object has two predefined fields: Object Spec and Object Status. It also guides beginners in describing and expressing them in .yaml format.

Here is what you’ll learn:

Basics about Kubernetes Objects
How to express the Kubernetes objects in .yaml format
What Object Spec and Object Status really are

30. The Three Kubernetes Components

Organization: Kubernetes

Twitter: @kubernetesio

At the end of this tutorial, you will have learned all about the three main Kubernetes components (Master Components, Node Components, and Add-ons) and how these components are essential in delivering a working Kubernetes cluster.

By the end of the tutorial, you will have learned that:

Master Components are responsible for the control plane of the cluster
Node components are present at every node in the cluster
Add-ons implement and extend the Kubernetes functionality

31. Interactive Tutorial – Creating a Cluster

Organization: Kubernetes

Twitter: @kubernetesio

Here’s a fantastic, interactive tutorial from Kubernetes.io. It is primarily aimed at beginners and should only take about 10 minutes to complete. It’s an online terminal and “a pre-configured Linux environment.”

Taking this tutorial will:

Help you get “hands-on” experience
Actually deploy a cluster using minikube
Learn to check whether minikube is installed correctly

32. Under the Hood: An Introduction to Kubernetes Architecture

Organization: Kublr

Twitter: @kublr

Rather than being a fully developed tutorial on Kubernetes, this is more of a definition of terms and a look at the anatomy of Kubernetes. It’s pretty thorough and should give a developer with little knowledge a good conceptual understanding of Kubernetes.

The “Under the Hood” tutorial provides:

Detailed definitions of every architectural component
Explanations on the workings of Kubernetes
How to use the components like building blocks
An exploration of the potential of Kubernetes

33. How to Install a Single Master Kubernetes (k8s) Cluster

Organization: Kublr

Twitter: @kublr

This is a step-by-step tutorial (with images) explaining the process of installing a single master Kubernetes cluster. If you’re interested in using Kublr, the tutorial obviously mentions and suggests using their product, but it’s a solid explanation.

The tutorial explains:

How to install Docker and the helper package
How to protect against bad or fake repositories
Best practices to alleviate common problems

34. Set Up a CI/CD Pipeline with Kubernetes

Organization: Linux Foundation

Twitter: @linuxfoundation

Not surprisingly, Linux gives one of the most detailed tutorials on the list. This one is for advanced users and isn’t for those not familiar with Kubernetes.

In the article, Linux teaches:

All the necessary installations (Docker, minikube)
Running a test pod
Setting up a local image registry

35. Kubernetes Tutorial – Learn K8s in 5 Minutes

Organization: LogDNA

Twitter: @LogDNA

This concise tutorial covers the basics of Kubernetes in 5 minutes – less time if you’re a quick reader and have some background.

The quick guide shows:

All core terms and definitions
An unbiased look at alternatives to Kubernetes
Explanations of how to manage logs

36. Kubernetes Tutorial: How to Install and Deploy Applications at Scale on K8s

Organization: Mapr

Twitter: @mapr

This is actually the second part of an overall tutorial on Kubernetes. Specifically, the article details installing and deploying multi-node clusters. The entire series is great, but this one is for those familiar with Kubernetes and looking to become better at scaling development.

This part of the tutorial series covers:

All necessary downloads and installations before getting started
Installing Kubernetes on RedHat/CentOS 7.x
Troubleshooting in the event of a problem

37. How to Deploy Spinnaker on Kubernetes: a Quick and Dirty Guide

Organization: Mirantis

Twitter: @MirantisIT

Spinnaker is an open-source deployment tool developed by Netflix and can be used with Kubernetes in many different ways. It’s a newer tool, and using it can be tricky the first go around. This how-to is meant to help.

In this article, you’ll learn how to:

Create the objects necessary for Spinnaker to run properly
Create the pod in which Spinnaker runs
Configure and deploy Spinnaker

38. Introduction to YAML: Creating a Kubernetes Deployment

Organization: Mirantis

Twitter: @MirantisIT

Yet Another Markup Language (YAML) is a data serialization standard for all programming languages (source). It’s a great little tool to save some dev time. This tutorial aims to help developers shave time and get more done during sprints by using YAML.

In this tutorial, it shows:

Exactly how YAML can help you with Kubernetes
The basics of YAML maps and lists
Creating a pod with YAML

39. A Tutorial Introduction to Kubernetes

Organization: OK I Give Up

Twitter: @morphotactics

Many of the tutorials on our list are full of short definitions and quick get-started guides. This article has long-form answers with deep explanations about terms and procedures. The writing is a bit dry, but not unreadable.

This deep tutorial includes:

A first-person retelling of how the author learned Kubernetes
In-depth looks at the most important concepts
Help to avoid potential beginner pitfalls

40. Learn the Kubernetes Key Concepts in 10 Minutes

Speaker: Omer Dawelbeit

Twitter: @omerio

All the tutorials in this list are helpful in different ways. Most were created by companies that make tools to help developers and have at least one product mention in them. This resource was created by a developer to help other developers.

This article provides:

Brief, to-the-point definitions
Clear explanation for topics the author himself found difficult
Many other linked resources to read and watch

41. How to Run a Kubernetes Cluster in OpenStack

Organization: Open Stack

Twitter: @OpenStack

This tutorial aims to provide a guide to Kubernetes using Magnum’s OpenStack system.

With this tutorial, you will learn:

How to set up a magnum bay using Kubernetes
How to use various Kubernetes package installers such as Helm
How to manage packages using simple command line tools
Various terms connected with Kubernetes and how they apply

42. Deploy to Self-hosted Kubernetes Cluster using kubectl

Organization: Shippable

Twitter: @BeShippable

This tutorial explains how to use kubectl commands to apply a Docker Container on a Kubernetes cluster.

The tutorial will help you learn how to:

Add integrators to help connect your shippable workflow with external providers
Provide authentication information to kubectl to aid in interaction with Kubernetes
Ensure that the Kubernetes spec files are available on the assembly line

43. A Kubernetes quick start for people who know just enough about Docker to get by

Organization: Sourcerer.io

Twitter: @sourcerer_io

This tutorial is a guide to the basics of using Kubernetes, providing explanations of all the basic terms and processes pertaining to Kubernetes.

This tutorial will help you learn:

How to create your own Kubernetes cluster
How to set up a Kubernetes cluster in the cloud
How to ensure that the components of Kubernetes are running smoothly

44. Deploying a Node App to Google Cloud with Kubernetes

Organization: Test Driven

Twitter: @testdrivenio

This tutorial provides a step by step analysis of to how you should apply a microservice to a Kubernetes cluster. The tutorial focuses on how to apply a microservice on a Google Kubernetes Engine.

The tutorial will help you learn the benefits of orchestration as well as how to:

Use various tools used for orchestration
Run Kubernetes using Google Cloud Platform
Interpret and apply the basic Kubernetes mods
Use Kubernetes tools to manage information

45. Blue/Green Deployment With Kubernetes and Istio

Organization: The New Stack

Twitter: @thenewstack

This tutorial teaches how to use Istio to quicken communication between microservices functioning in Kubernetes.

This tutorial will help you learn how to:

Configure Istio to run on Minikube
Install and configure Istio within Kubernetes
Configure Istio to deploy a single app as two different ones
Use Istio to direct the flow of traffic without delays

46. Configuring Kubernetes Cluster Federation to Create a Global Deployment

Organization: The New Stack

Twitter: @thenewstack

This tutorial is meant to show you how to create a Kubernetes cluster that runs across different regions or environments.

This tutorial teaches you how to:

Use Google Cloud to create a zone for a specific domain
Create and apply your own GCP identity
Create a federated control panel using kubefed CLI
Ensure that the clusters have been successfully registered

47. The Kubernetes Master-Node Architecture

Organization: Tutorial Linux

Twitter: @tutoriaLinux

This tutorial is designed to teach you the basics of a Kubernetes cluster.

This tutorial teaches you how masters and nodes work in Kubernetes and how to:

Use the scheduler to run Kubernetes
Use the controller manager to ensure that Kubernetes is running on optimum
Run different modes within the nodes

48. Kubernetes – Architecture

Organization: Tutorials Point

Twitter: @tutorialspoint

This tutorial is meant to teach you the basics of Kubernetes in the simplest ways possible.

The tutorial will teach you:

The different components that make up Kubernetes and how they work together
How the master components of Kubernetes integrate and communicate with each other
How to manage the different components of Kubernetes to ensure optimum performance
How the node components work on Kubernetes

49. Kubernetes Microservices

Organization: Udemy

Twitter: @udemy

Cost: $10.99

Another paid option, this tutorial is meant to teach you:

The relationship between the various Kubernetes building blocks
How to create your own personal Kubernetes cluster and how to set it up on the cloud
How to use various programs such as Grafana to monitor live clusters
How to deploy components such as containers to Kubernetes structures

50. 9 Steps to Awesome with Kubernetes

Organization: Voxxed

Twitter: @voxxed

All the tips and strategies in this video are meant to “take you from cloud newbie to cloud native.”

Some of the content includes:

How to install and get started
Building and running Linux
Configuration techniques

Further Resources

If you’ve gotten up to speed on Kubernetes and want to learn more about how you can leverage Kuberetes in your environment, check out the tutorials provided by Kubernetes, review Kubernetes documentation, and take a look at Kubernetes case studies to discover how other companies are putting Kubernetes to use. If you have specific questions or a problem you’re trying to solve, the Kubernetes Community is also a great resource for DevOps professionals.

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