What is Kubernetes? - Definition & Meaning

Definition

Kubernetes (also known as K8s) is an open-source platform for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Originally developed by Google, it is now the most widely used container orchestration system in the world.

Technical explanation

Kubernetes organizes containers into logical units called Pods, which run together on a Node within a Cluster. A Deployment defines the desired state of an application, such as the number of replicas, and the Kubernetes controller continuously ensures this state is maintained. Services provide stable network access to Pods regardless of where they run. Ingress controllers manage external HTTP/HTTPS traffic and route requests to the appropriate services. Kubernetes offers built-in capabilities for automatic horizontal scaling (HPA) based on CPU or memory usage, rolling updates for zero-downtime deployments, and self-healing by automatically restarting failed containers. ConfigMaps and Secrets separate configuration from application code. Namespaces provide multi-tenancy and resource isolation within a cluster. Helm Charts simplify deploying complex application stacks through reusable templates.

How MG Software applies this

MG Software deploys Kubernetes for clients requiring scalable, highly available applications. We deploy microservice architectures on managed Kubernetes clusters with cloud providers such as AWS (EKS), Google Cloud (GKE), and Azure (AKS). We standardize deployments with Helm Charts and automate the entire release process through GitOps workflows via ArgoCD. For smaller projects we often recommend simpler alternatives, but when scalability and uptime become critical, Kubernetes is our default choice.

Practical examples

• A fintech startup using Kubernetes to automatically scale their payment platform from three to thirty instances during peak hours, then scaling back down to save costs.
• An e-commerce company performing rolling updates with Kubernetes so new features go live without customers experiencing any downtime.
• A healthcare organization using Kubernetes Namespaces to securely separate different environments (development, staging, production) within a single cluster.

Related terms