Containers Beginner 10 h 40 min 46 items

Kubernetes Basics

Learn Kubernetes hands on, entirely on your own Linux machine: cluster architecture, Pods, Deployments, Services, configuration, storage, health checks and a first look at Helm, all practiced on a local kind cluster with no cloud account needed.

About this course

Learn Kubernetes on your own machine, one building block at a time

Kubernetes runs containers for some of the largest systems in the world, but its core ideas are surprisingly approachable once you see them working. This course teaches those ideas hands on. You build a real multi-node cluster on your own Linux machine with kind (Kubernetes in Docker), and every example, command and manifest in the course runs on it.

No cloud account is needed, and nothing costs money to run. The course deliberately avoids AWS, Google Cloud and Azure so that you learn Kubernetes itself rather than one provider's extras. Everything you learn carries over to any cluster later.

What you will learn

  • Explain what Kubernetes does and how the control plane and worker nodes cooperate
  • Install Docker, kind and kubectl on Linux and create single-node and multi-node clusters
  • Write YAML manifests and manage objects declaratively with kubectl apply
  • Run, inspect, debug and troubleshoot Pods, including multi-container Pods
  • Scale applications, roll out new versions and roll back with Deployments
  • Connect and expose applications with Services and cluster DNS
  • Organize work with namespaces, and configure apps with ConfigMaps and Secrets
  • Keep data with PersistentVolumeClaims and run stateful apps with StatefulSets
  • Add health probes and resource limits, and run Jobs, CronJobs and DaemonSets
  • Install, configure, upgrade and roll back applications with Helm
  • Build your own container image, load it into kind and deploy a complete two-tier app

How the course works

  • 10 modules of short, practical lessons, with lab checklists you tick off as you go
  • Every module ends with a quiz with explanations for each answer. Score 70% to unlock the next module, and retake it as often as you like
  • A capstone project where you deploy a web app and a Redis database with everything you learned
  • A timed final exam, a printable kubectl cheat sheet (PDF) and a certificate of completion

The course was tested with kind v0.33, Kubernetes 1.37 and Helm 4.

Syllabus

From containers to orchestration Lesson
Inside a cluster: control plane and nodes Lesson
Desired state, objects and manifests Lesson
Module 1 quiz: Why Kubernetes Quiz

Installing Docker, kind and kubectl Lesson
Your first cluster Lesson
Building the course lab cluster Lesson
kubectl essentials Lesson
Module 2 quiz: Your local lab with kind Quiz

Your first Pod Lesson
Logs, exec and port forwarding Lesson
Labels, selectors and annotations Lesson
Multi-container Pods and init containers Lesson
Troubleshooting Pods Lesson
Module 3 quiz: Pods Quiz

Deployments and ReplicaSets Lesson
Scaling Lesson
Rolling updates and rollbacks Lesson
Module 4 quiz: Deployments and ReplicaSets Quiz

How Pods talk to each other Lesson
ClusterIP Services and DNS Lesson
Exposing apps outside the cluster Lesson
Module 5 quiz: Services and networking Quiz

Namespaces Lesson
ConfigMaps Lesson
Secrets Lesson
Module 6 quiz: Namespaces, ConfigMaps and Secrets Quiz

Volumes Lesson
PersistentVolumes and claims Lesson
StatefulSets Lesson
Module 7 quiz: Storage and stateful apps Quiz

Liveness, readiness and startup probes Lesson
Resource requests and limits Lesson
Jobs, CronJobs and DaemonSets Lesson
Module 8 quiz: Health, resources and other workloads Quiz

What Helm is and why it exists Lesson
Installing and managing a chart Lesson
Inside a chart Lesson
Module 9 quiz: A first look at Helm Quiz

The project: a visit counter Lesson
Building the image and loading it into kind Lesson
Deploying Redis Lesson
Deploying and testing the web app Lesson
Changing configuration and shipping v2 Lesson
Cleaning up and next steps Lesson
Final exam Quiz