Kubernetes, the open-source container orchestration platform, has become a crucial component of modern IT infrastructure. It automates the deployment, management, and scaling of containerized software applications and services. With its widespread adoption, it’s important to understand the history and evolution of Kubernetes.

In a report by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), Kubernetes is recognized as the second largest open-source project in the world, following Linux. It is also the primary container orchestration tool for 71% of Fortune 100 companies. To fully appreciate Kubernetes’ dominance in the cloud computing and microservices marketplaces, we need to delve into its history and development.

The Beginnings of Kubernetes

The history of Kubernetes can be traced back to 2013 when three Google engineers, Craig McLuckie, Joe Beda, and Brendan Burns, proposed the idea of building an open-source container management system. Their aim was to incorporate Google’s internal infrastructure expertise into large-scale cloud computing and compete with Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Traditional IT Infrastructure vs. Virtual IT Infrastructure

To understand Kubernetes’ significance, it’s important to compare traditional IT infrastructure with virtual IT infrastructure. Previously, organizations ran their applications on physical servers, which had no system resource boundaries. This led to resource utilization issues, with some applications monopolizing server resources. To address this, businesses ran each application on separate physical servers, resulting in underutilized resources and scalability challenges.

Virtualization and Containers

Virtualization emerged as a solution, allowing multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run on a single physical server. However, VMs still consumed a significant amount of system resources, especially when running multiple VMs with individual guest operating systems. Containers, on the other hand, emerged as a lightweight alternative. They package application code along with all libraries and dependencies, allowing for quick and portable application deployment across various environments.

The Predecessor to Kubernetes: Borg

In the early 2000s, Google created Borg, the first unified container management system, to support its growing infrastructure and deliver its public cloud platform. Borg allowed Google to run various applications across multiple machines, achieving high resource utilization, fault tolerance, and scalability. Although Google still uses Borg internally, it introduced Omega, its second-generation container management system, in 2013.

Docker and Open-Source Containerization

In 2013, Docker, an open-source software tool for containerization, was released. It revolutionized cloud-native infrastructure by providing a simple way to package, deploy, and manage containerized applications. Docker’s lightweight container runtime inspired the founders of Kubernetes, who saw the need for a container orchestrator that could handle multiple containers across multiple machines.

The Birth of Kubernetes

Developers who had worked on Borg and Omega recognized the need for a container orchestrator and combined their knowledge to create Kubernetes. Named after a Star Trek character, Kubernetes incorporated lessons learned from Borg and Omega to create a less complex open-source tool with a user-friendly interface. The project was later donated to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) in 2015, marking its official launch as an open-source project.

Kubernetes and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation

Kubernetes became the CNCF’s first hosted project in 2016 and quickly gained traction. By 2018, it had become the CNCF’s first graduated project with over 700 actively contributing companies. Kubernetes surpassed competitors like Docker Swarm and Apache Mesos to become the industry standard for container orchestration.

The Continued Impact of Kubernetes

Since joining the CNCF, Kubernetes has experienced rapid growth. It now boasts over 8,000 contributors, and the annual KubeCon + CloudNativeCon conference attracts thousands of developers and users. Kubernetes has also paved the way for the development of cloud-native applications, enabling faster app development, automation, and increased productivity. According to a report by Gartner, more than 90% of organizations worldwide will be running containerized applications in production by 2027.

IBM and Kubernetes

IBM was one of the first major companies to join the Kubernetes open-source community in 2014. Today, IBM helps businesses navigate their cloud journeys by implementing Kubernetes container orchestration and other cloud-based management solutions. IBM Cloud® Kubernetes Service and Red Hat® OpenShift® on IBM Cloud® provide enterprises with robust containerization and deployment capabilities.

Conclusion

The history and evolution of Kubernetes highlight its significance in modern IT infrastructure. From its beginnings at Google to becoming an industry standard, Kubernetes has played a vital role in enabling cloud-native development and efficient management of containerized workloads. As its adoption continues to grow, Kubernetes remains at the forefront of container orchestration and application modernization.

FAQs

1. What is Kubernetes?

Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, management, and scaling of containerized software applications and services.

2. How did Kubernetes evolve?

Kubernetes evolved from Google’s internal container management system, Borg, and was inspired by the lightweight container runtime provided by Docker.

3. Why is Kubernetes important?

Kubernetes is important because it simplifies the management of containerized applications, allowing for efficient resource utilization, scalability, and automation. It has become the industry standard for container orchestration.

4. What is the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)?

The CNCF is a nonprofit organization that hosts open-source projects related to cloud-native computing. It was jointly created by leading computing companies, including Google, Docker, Microsoft, IBM, and Red Hat, to make cloud-native computing ubiquitous.

5. How is IBM involved with Kubernetes?

IBM has been actively involved with Kubernetes since 2014 and offers Kubernetes container orchestration as part of its cloud-based management solutions. IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service and Red Hat OpenShift on IBM Cloud are examples of IBM’s offerings in this area.