Kubernetes architecture

Kubernetes orchestrates containers across clusters, providing a scalable, resilient system to manage modern applications. It abstracts infrastructure complexity, letting teams focus on deploying applications instead of managing environments. 

Core Components: 

• Control Plane: Manages the cluster, with the API Server, Scheduler, and Controller Manager. These components work together to maintain cluster health and balance workloads across nodes.  

• Cloud Controller Manager (CCM): Found in managed Kubernetes environments such as Amazon EKS, Azure AKS, and Google GKE, the CCM integrates cloud-specific functionality, enabling seamless interaction between Kubernetes and the underlying cloud provider. 

• Worker Nodes: Nodes provide the resources (CPU, memory) for running applications and are managed by the kubelet  — an agent that runs on each worker node and communicates with the control plane. 

• Pods: The smallest deployable units, pods can host one or more containers that share resources and network, helping streamline application scaling. 

• Namespaces: A form of soft multi-tenancy used to separate resources. Namespaces allow teams to organize applications and maintain security boundaries within shared environments. Other forms of multi-tenancy include (but are not limited to): 

  • Soft multi-tenancy: Using k8s namespaces, separate node pools, etc. 

  • Middle multi-tenancy: vCluster for virtualizing the control plane 

  • Hard multi-tenancy: Separate k8s clusters 

Kubernetes allows engineers to automate scaling, monitor system health, and ensure fast recovery from failures. By providing robust cluster management, Kubernetes is essential for running resilient applications at scale. Its architecture, with defined roles and efficient resource handling, supports a high level of automation and operational stability, making it a cornerstone in cloud-native infrastructure. However, achieving these benefits requires proper configuration, as Kubernetes operates under a shared responsibility model. While Kubernetes provides the tools and capabilities, it is up to the user to implement and maintain configurations that fully leverage its features.