Course

Introduction to Kubernetes

Docker containers solve the “works on my machine” problem, but what happens when you need to run dozens of containers across multiple servers, ensuring they stay healthy, scale automatically, and update without downtime? Kubernetes is the industry-standard orchestration platform that automates these operational challenges. This course teaches you Kubernetes fundamentals through hands-on practice with realistic data engineering scenarios. You’ll deploy applications to local clusters, implement self-healing systems, configure zero-downtime rolling updates, and add production safeguards like health checks and resource limits. Whether you’re preparing applications for shared production clusters or building resilient data pipelines that need high availability, you’ll learn when Kubernetes adds value and how to use it effectively without over-engineering simple problems.

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Part of the Data Engineer (Python) path.

4.8 (359 reviews)

4 learners enrolled in this course.

Intermediate friendly
6 hours
Self paced
3 lessons

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Otávio Silveira

Data Analyst @ Hortifruti

Introduction to Kubernetes

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Course overview

Kubernetes transforms container management from manual tasks into automated systems. This course teaches you to orchestrate containerized applications at scale through hands-on practice with realistic scenarios. You’ll start by deploying applications to local clusters and watching Kubernetes automatically replace crashed pods. Then you’ll solve the networking puzzle—how applications find each other when pods constantly restart with new IP addresses—using Services and performing rolling updates for zero-downtime deployments. Finally, you’ll add production safeguards: health checks that prevent broken applications from receiving traffic, resource limits that protect clusters from runaway workloads, and ConfigMaps and Secrets for secure configuration management. By the end, you’ll understand when Kubernetes adds value over Docker Compose and how to build applications that are good citizens in shared production clusters.

Key skills

Deploying containerized applications to Kubernetes with self-healing capabilities
Configuring stable networking and zero-downtime updates for production workloads
Implementing health checks and resource boundaries for cluster-safe applications
Managing configuration and sensitive data securely without rebuilding containers
Understanding when to choose Kubernetes over Docker Compose based on actual requirements

Course outline

Introduction to Kubernetes [3 lessons]

Introduction to Kubernetes 2h

Lesson Objectives

Explain what problems Kubernetes solves beyond Docker alone
Understand core components: clusters, nodes, pods, and deployments
Set up local Kubernetes environment using Minikube
Deploy applications and witness self-healing behavior in action
Determine when to choose Kubernetes over Docker Compose

Kubernetes Services, Rolling Updates, and Namespaces 2h

Lesson Objectives

Explain why Services provide stable networking for Pods
Perform zero-downtime deployments using rolling updates
Use Namespaces to separate different environments
Understand DNS resolution for cross-namespace Service communication
Configure resource requirements and scheduling constraints for Pods

Kubernetes Configuration and Production Readiness 2h

Lesson Objectives

Configure readiness and liveness probes for application health monitoring
Set resource requests and limits to prevent cluster resource contention
Implement non-root container execution using securityContext for enhanced security
Manage application configuration using ConfigMaps and Secrets without image rebuilds
Understand production-readiness patterns for shared Kubernetes cluster environments

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