Kubernetes: Just the Essentials!

At work, I suddenly found myself needing to use Kubernetes. That was because I had come across Helm charts. The magical promise of making it incredibly easy to build a complex operational environment! But when I tried to modify the Helm chart configuration, I was completely lost. With nothing but the Docker and docker-compose knowledge I had been using, I couldn’t touch anything. So I quickly headed to a bookstore and bought a book. I read through it diligently over the Lunar New Year holidays.

Starting point

• Clueless about Kubernetes. I only knew that such a thing existed.
• I used Docker and docker-compose occasionally.

Target audience: people who, like me, know nothing about Kubernetes

Pros

• The writing is clean and reads well. The author has excellent command of Korean.
• Compared to other beginner books, it covers a lot about Helm, which makes it practical.
• It even covers CI/CD, which makes it practical.

Cons

• The content on permissions (Chapter 13, Access Control) is hard to understand. Permissions are always difficult…
• Custom resources (Chapter 16, User-Defined Resources) are hard to understand. So I’m not sure how I’m supposed to use them.
• There are occasional typos, incorrect commands, and incorrect comments.

Result

• I became a Kubernetes beginner.
• After reading the book, I confidently opened Rasa X’s Helm chart, but it’s still difficult… As expected, to use it skillfully in real-world work, you probably need to be more than a beginner.

It was a book well worth investing the holidays in.

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