KASLIN FIELDS: Kubernetes is an open-source container
orchestration tool, which has gained immense popularity
over the last several years.
As more companies began to adopt Kubernetes,
there came to be a demand for Kubernetes to be
provided as a managed service.
That's where Google Kubernetes Engine comes in.
I'm Kaslin Fields, and I'm a developer
advocate here at Google Cloud, where
I focus on Google Kubernetes Engine, or GKE, as well
as open-source Kubernetes.
And today, we're going to take a look at some GKE essentials
around the different types of cluster
modes available through GKE.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Kubernetes is a platform for running applications
by using the Kubernetes software to create
a cluster of machines, allowing you
to run your applications while abstracting
the hardware that the applications are running on.
When running open-source Kubernetes clusters
from scratch, there are a number of components of the cluster
itself which you will need to understand.
These include the control plane, which itself is made up
of several components; as well as
provisioning and management of the underlying compute nodes;
security and networking configuration of the nodes,
as well as the cluster as a whole;
patching and upgrades of both the cluster software
and the compute nodes that make up the cluster;
monitoring or observability components, as well
as management tools, such as policy-configuration
capabilities; scaling tools, such as pod-level and cluster
or node-level autoscalers; and availability and reliability
capabilities and tools.
Some of these components are built into Kubernetes itself
and some are essential capabilities which
may require additional tooling.
When running Kubernetes from scratch,
you will need to develop a level of proficiency
across all of these categories and be prepared
for the maintenance, configuration,
and exploration running a do-it-yourself cluster will
require.
Google Kubernetes Engine, or GKE,
is a managed Kubernetes service from Google Cloud.
It allows you to spin up a Kubernetes cluster quickly,
with many of the more complex components of the system being
deployed and managed by Google.
This way, you can focus more on running the applications that
matter to you on Kubernetes, rather than spending
as much time understanding Kubernetes itself.
There are two modes of operation in GKE.
Each is designed to allow users different levels of involvement
with Kubernetes itself.
Both Autopilot mode and Standard mode GKE clusters
take some of the management overhead of Kubernetes clusters
off your hands.
Standard mode offers a higher degree of control.
The Kubernetes control plane and some other considerations
are handled behind the scenes by Google,
but you will still need to manage the nodes
of the Kubernetes cluster.
GKE Autopilot mode provides an even more hands-off experience.
With smart defaults and even less management overhead,
GKE Autopilot lets you have more time and resources to spend
on your own applications.
If you want minimal cluster-management overhead
in order to focus more of your time and resources
on the applications you need to run,
you may prefer GKE Autopilot mode.
Autopilot mode GKE clusters provision infrastructure
resources as needed for Kubernetes workloads.
This means that you pay per-pod or per-workload, rather
than per-node.
The nodes of the Kubernetes cluster
are automatically provisioned and managed,
which means that there should be no need
to dedicate time and resources to node management
and upgrades.
Any infrastructure autoscaling will be handled automatically
by the Autopilot mode cluster.
However, you'll need to configure any desired
autoscaling at the workload or pod level.
If you've been using Kubernetes for some time
and have developed skills and processes that require greater
control and insight into the cluster,
you may prefer Standard mode.
In Standard mode, the control plane and some aspects
of monitoring and management are handled for you,
but the user still must manage the nodes of the Kubernetes
cluster themselves.
This means that, in Standard mode,
you'll pay per-node for the instance types that you select.
Standard mode clusters will require
you to dedicate some time and resources to node management
and upgrades.
For securing and maintaining your GKE Standard mode
cluster's worker nodes, be sure to familiarize yourself
with the "GKE Hardening Guide," which
is available in the Google Cloud documentation.
All four dimensions of autoscaling
are available to standard mode clusters,
but you'll have to manually configure any desired
autoscalers at both the workload and infrastructure
levels for each cluster.
As a managed Kubernetes service, Google Kubernetes Engine
provides users with an easier path
to getting started running their applications with Kubernetes.
Between Standard mode and Autopilot mode,
GKE provides different levels of control and flexibility,
depending on how hands-on teams want
to be with managing their Kubernetes clusters.
With the concepts discussed in this video,
we're confident you'll be on your way
to building a GKE cluster that suits your needs.
You can get started with GKE by visiting Google Cloud Console
and checking out the links below.
And stay tuned for our next videos, where we dive deeper
into GKE topics.
[MUSIC PLAYING]