Containerization & Orchestration

Containerization & Orchestration #

Containers package applications with dependencies for consistency across environments. Orchestration platforms manage containers at production scale.

Docker essentials #

  • build minimal, secure images
  • use multi-stage builds
  • run as non-root users
  • scan images in CI pipelines

Kubernetes essentials #

  • workloads (Deployments, StatefulSets, Jobs)
  • networking (Services, Ingress, Gateway)
  • configuration and secrets management
  • autoscaling and rollout strategies

Production best practices #

  • enforce resource requests/limits
  • set health probes and disruption budgets
  • standardize manifests with Helm or Kustomize
  • use policy-as-code for guardrails

Deep-dive guide #

Suggested learning sequence #

  1. Container fundamentals and Dockerfile design
  2. Kubernetes core objects and cluster operations
  3. Progressive delivery strategies (canary/blue-green)
  4. GitOps-based cluster reconciliation