{"id":12166,"date":"2020-11-17T10:56:14","date_gmt":"2020-11-17T09:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.codemotion.com\/magazine\/?p=12166"},"modified":"2022-01-05T20:06:47","modified_gmt":"2022-01-05T19:06:47","slug":"kubernetes-monitoring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.codemotion.com\/magazine\/backend\/kubernetes-monitoring\/","title":{"rendered":"Kubernetes: Monitoring, Alerting, Observability, and More"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTable Of Contents\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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  1. What is Kubernetes and why is it used?<\/a>
  2. Why is Kubernetes important?<\/a>
  3. Observability<\/a>
  4. Monitoring and alerting<\/a>
  5. Best practices<\/a><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n

    Originally released<\/span> in 2014, Kubernetes<\/span><\/strong> has become a leading containerization<\/span> service, especially for organizations expanding on-premise operations<\/span> into the cloud<\/a>. Portable, open-source<\/a>, and extensible, Kubernetes<\/span> provides for a simplified deployment<\/span> compared to traditional, virtualized deployment<\/span> models. As with any complex technology<\/span>, companies may still run into issues when deploying Kubernetes<\/span> \u2014 particularly in terms of observability, monitoring<\/span><\/strong>, and alerting. These issues can be addressed through Kubernetes best practices<\/span><\/strong>, as well as through engaging with Kubernetes and containerization<\/span> specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What is Kubernetes and why is it used?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Originally designed by Google<\/span> and now maintained by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Kubernetes<\/span> is an open-source platform<\/span> designed for the orchestration of containerized services<\/span><\/strong>. Unlike Docker<\/a>, Kubernetes<\/span> is able to run across a cluster<\/span> \u2014 and it’s intended to be fully scalable<\/span> from ten to tens of thousands of containers<\/span>. As organizations grow their infrastructure<\/span>, Kubernetes<\/span> has become an increasingly important facet of network architecture<\/span>. Through Kubernetes<\/span>, organizations are able to streamline the deployment<\/span> of containerized applications<\/span>, automating a significant portion of the necessary processes<\/span>, and maintaining visibility throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"kubernetes\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Before containerization<\/span> became popular, most systems<\/span> were virtualized<\/span>. Operating systems<\/span> were run through Hypervisor<\/span>, which in turn ran multiple virtual machines<\/span>, each with their own operating system<\/span>, library, and application<\/span>. Through containerization<\/span>, a singular operating system<\/span> maintains a container<\/span> runtime<\/span>, and each individual container<\/span> runs an application<\/span> and library. Applications<\/span> are further segregated from each other \u2014 leading to better stability<\/strong> \u2014 while the operating system<\/span> layer is no longer made to be redundant. Overall, this reduces the amount of resources that need to be used, while also improving the reliability<\/span>, security<\/a>, and privacy of the applications<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why is Kubernetes important?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Kubernetes<\/span> makes it easier for developers<\/span><\/strong> to focus on their applications<\/span> rather than the expanding environment around their applications<\/span>. The containerization<\/span> provided through this technology<\/span> makes the process<\/span> of deployment<\/span> simpler even in more complex environments, without the overhead<\/span> previously required by virtual machines<\/span>. Organizations are able to use Kubernetes<\/span> to extend their cloud strategy, enabling them to run Kubernetes on-premise while still building out a hybrid cloud infrastructure<\/span>. Kubernetes<\/span> makes the process<\/span> of resource-management and load-balancing simpler and more reliable, by deploying additional resources for spikes in demand. In the past, virtual machines<\/span> may have been used as the solution to many of these issues \u2014 but containers<\/span> are less resource-intensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Observability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    In any complex, containerized<\/span> environment, observability<\/span><\/strong> becomes important. Kubernetes observability<\/span> runs into the same challenge as other containerized<\/span> systems<\/span>. There is no singular machine in charge; rather, there are independent modules and systems that are working together. When issues occur, context<\/span> is lost. It can be difficult to determine where the issue occurred and why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To improve upon Kubernetes observability<\/span>, systems<\/span> need to be designed first with context<\/span> in mind. Detailed logs need to be preserved, logs need to be searchable, and all log messages have to give as much context<\/span> as possible regarding the environment in which the incident occurred. Kubernetes observability<\/span> is not fundamentally different from observability<\/span> under any other system<\/span>, but because Kubernetes<\/span> is deployed<\/span> by organizations with dense infrastructures<\/span>, developers<\/span> need to be more conscientious about observability<\/span> from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Monitoring and alerting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Kubernetes<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Observability<\/span> is not a replacement for monitoring<\/span>. A monitoring solution<\/a> can make it far easier for administrators<\/span> to retain control over their Kubernetes environment. Through a monitoring solution, administrators<\/span> can be alerted to issues before they occur. Metrics can show potential degradation or escalating issues that have to be addressed \u2014 and make it easier for administrators<\/span> to optimize their system<\/span>. With better monitoring and alerting, organizations can achieve both better stability and improved scalability<\/span>. Monitoring and alerting provides for greater levels of real-time visibility and faster root cause analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Best practices<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    As organizations become more complex, it becomes even more important to follow best practices<\/a>. Some Kubernetes best practices<\/span> include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n