📄️ Table of contents
Free discovery course on Kubernetes in 7 pedagogical lessons. Understand container orchestration, the history from Borg at Google, the Pod/Deployment/Service trinity, the cluster architecture, YAML manifests, the CNCF ecosystem and the EKS/GKE/AKS managed offerings.
📄️ 1 · The problem Kubernetes solves
Before Kubernetes, Docker alone was no longer enough once you exceeded a few dozen containers. This lesson explains precisely the orchestration problem Kubernetes came to solve: placement, resilience, scalability, updates, networking.
📄️ 2 · What is Kubernetes?
Rigorous definition of Kubernetes: an orchestration engine, an API, an ecosystem and the CNCF community. History from Borg at Google in 2003, opening to the world in 2014, CNCF adoption in 2015, and world domination in 2026.
📄️ 3 · Pod, Deployment, Service, Namespace
Understand the 4 fundamental Kubernetes objects: Pod (base unit), Deployment (replica management and updates), Service (stable networking), Namespace (isolation). Concrete YAML examples and pedagogical analogies.
📄️ 4 · Architecture of a cluster
Understand the internal architecture of a Kubernetes cluster: the control plane (API Server, etcd, Scheduler, Controller Manager) and the worker nodes (kubelet, kube-proxy, container runtime). Clear diagrams and detailed roles.
📄️ 5 · YAML manifests and kubectl
Understand Kubernetes' declarative workflow: YAML manifests, the kubectl command, idempotence, GitOps and Helm. Concrete example of a complete web application in YAML with detailed explanations.
📄️ 6 · Ecosystem and alternatives
Complete overview of the Kubernetes ecosystem in 2026: CNCF, Helm, Argo CD, Flux, Istio, Prometheus, cert-manager. Honest comparison of the EKS, GKE, AKS managed offerings. Kubernetes vs Docker Swarm, Nomad, ECS, OpenShift.
📄️ 7 · Real use cases + FAQ
Where Kubernetes is used in 2026: Netflix, Uber, Airbnb, Spotify, ByteDance. Real use cases in microservices, batch, AI/ML, edge computing. Plus 14 frequent questions to get started with confidence.
📄️ 🏆 Quiz and attestation
Test your Kubernetes knowledge with a free 5-question quiz, corrected and explained: pod, Service, Deployment, etcd, difference with Docker.