Core Components of Kubernetes Explained Simply

Introduction If you’re just getting started with Kubernetes, its architecture can feel a bit overwhelming. Let’s break it down into understandable pieces. Kubernetes is like a well-organized team — and each component has a specific role. Control Plane vs Node Components Kubernetes is divided into two major layers: Control Plane – the brain of the cluster, makes decisions. Node Components – the workers, run the actual workloads. 🧠 Control Plane Components 1. API Server (kube-apiserver) The API server is the front door to your cluster. Everything — kubectl, dashboards, even internal components — talks to the cluster via this API. ...

July 14, 2025 · 2 min · 364 words · John Cena

What is kube-scheduler in Kubernetes and How It Works

Introduction Have you ever wondered how Kubernetes decides where to run your pods? That’s where the kube-scheduler comes into play. It’s one of the most important — yet often overlooked — components in the Kubernetes control plane. Let’s explore how it works in plain English. What is kube-scheduler? kube-scheduler is the default scheduler for Kubernetes. Its job is simple but critical: 🧠 It picks a node for every pod that doesn’t yet have a node assigned. ...

July 14, 2025 · 2 min · 352 words · John Cena

Amazon Cloud Services vs Cloudflare: Key Differences for DevOps

Amazon Web Services vs Cloudflare: What’s the Difference? Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Cloudflare are both major cloud providers, but they serve different purposes. AWS offers a full suite of cloud computing services, while Cloudflare focuses on performance and security at the network edge. Quick Overview Feature AWS Cloudflare Core Purpose Full cloud computing (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) Edge CDN, DNS, and security Popular Services EC2, S3, Lambda, Route 53 CDN, DNS, WAF, DDoS Protection Global CDN Amazon CloudFront Built-in and faster at the edge DNS Route 53 Fast DNS with built-in proxy/security DDoS Protection AWS Shield Included with Cloudflare proxy SSL/TLS ACM or manual setup Free and automatic Pricing Model Pay-as-you-go, complex Free tier + flat pricing When to Choose AWS Full infrastructure deployment (compute, storage, DB) Custom cloud-native app architecture Need for serverless (Lambda), container services (ECS, EKS) When to Choose Cloudflare CDN + DNS + WAF + DDoS on top of existing hosting Protect origin servers from attacks Easy HTTPS setup and caching without managing infrastructure Combined Approach (Best Practice) Often, they’re used together: ...

June 16, 2025 · 2 min · 275 words · John Cena

Best Practices for Writing Dockerfiles

Why Dockerfile Best Practices Matter Poorly written Dockerfiles lead to large, insecure, and hard-to-maintain container images. Following best practices ensures faster builds, smaller images, better security, and improved maintainability. 1. Use Official or Minimal Base Images Choose minimal or well-maintained base images like: FROM alpine:3.19 # or FROM python:3.11-slim 2. Pin Versions Explicitly Avoid surprises by pinning versions of dependencies and packages: RUN apt-get install -y curl=7.68.0-1ubuntu2.6 3. Combine RUN Commands Reduce layers by chaining commands: ...

June 16, 2025 · 2 min · 224 words · John Cena

Gradle vs Maven: Which Build Tool Should You Use?

Introduction In the Java ecosystem, Gradle and Maven are the two most popular build tools. Each offers a different approach to dependency management, configuration, and build automation. Gradle Overview Gradle uses a Groovy or Kotlin-based DSL. It’s highly customizable and optimized for performance via incremental builds and caching. Pros Faster builds with incremental compilation and daemon Flexible scripting with Groovy/Kotlin DSL Strong integration with Android Cons Steeper learning curve Harder to debug in complex configurations Maven Overview Maven relies on XML (pom.xml) for configuration. It’s declarative and standardized, which makes onboarding easier. ...

June 16, 2025 · 1 min · 176 words · John Cena