Kubernetes, often abbreviated as “k8s,” is an open-source container orchestration platform designed to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It simplifies the complexities involved in managing applications that consist of multiple microservices and components running across clusters of servers and containers. With Kubernetes, users can define their desired application architecture, and the system takes care of the rest, including placing containers and restarting any that fail ³.

One of the key features of Kubernetes is its use of “Pods,” which are the smallest deployable units in the system. A Pod can contain one or more containers that share resources such as networking and storage. Kubernetes also introduces higher-level concepts like Replication Controllers and Deployment Controllers, which help manage the lifecycle and scaling of Pods ².

Kubernetes is widely recognized for its extensive documentation and community support, making it a popular choice among developers and operations engineers ².