Containerization and Orchestration

Container Technology Fundamentals

• What you Need to Know

  • Container Concepts and Architecture

    • Understanding containers vs. virtual machines
    • Container runtime engines (Docker, containerd, CRI-O)
    • Image layers, filesystems, and storage drivers
    • Resources:
      • Container Technology Overview - Red Hat - Container fundamentals and architecture
      • Docker Architecture - Docker engine and container runtime
      • Container Standards - OCI - Open Container Initiative specifications

  • Container Security and Best Practices

    • Container image security and vulnerability scanning
    • Runtime security and access controls
    • Container isolation and namespace security
    • Resources:
      • Container Security Guide - NIST - Container security guidelines
      • Docker Security Best Practices - Docker security configuration
      • Container Image Security - Aqua - Image security practices

  • Container Networking and Storage

    • Container networking models and drivers
    • Volume management and persistent storage
    • Container registry and image distribution
    • Resources:
      • Docker Networking - Container networking concepts
      • Container Storage Interface - Storage standards for containers
      • Harbor Container Registry - Enterprise container registry

Docker Mastery and Advanced Usage

• What you Need to Know

  • Docker Image Creation and Optimization

    • Dockerfile best practices and multi-stage builds
    • Image layer optimization and caching strategies
    • Base image selection and security considerations
    • Resources:
      • Dockerfile Best Practices - Optimized image creation
      • Multi-Stage Builds - Build optimization techniques
      • Docker Image Security Scanning - Vulnerability detection in images

  • Docker Compose and Multi-Container Applications

    • Docker Compose file structure and services
    • Service dependencies and networking
    • Environment-specific configurations and overrides
    • Resources:
      • Docker Compose Documentation - Multi-container application orchestration
      • Compose File Reference - Complete compose file specification
      • Docker Compose Examples - Sample multi-container applications

  • Container Registry and Image Management

    • Public and private registry setup and management
    • Image tagging strategies and lifecycle management
    • Registry security and access control
    • Resources:
      • Docker Registry Documentation - Container image registry
      • Amazon ECR - AWS container registry service
      • Azure Container Registry - Azure registry management

Kubernetes Architecture and Components

• What you Need to Know

  • Kubernetes Cluster Architecture

    • Master node components (API server, etcd, scheduler, controller manager)
    • Worker node components (kubelet, kube-proxy, container runtime)
    • Cluster networking and service discovery
    • Resources:
      • Kubernetes Architecture - Cluster components and architecture
      • Kubernetes Concepts - Core concepts and abstractions
      • Kubernetes the Hard Way - Manual cluster setup tutorial

  • Kubernetes Objects and Resources

    • Pods, Services, and Deployments
    • ConfigMaps, Secrets, and persistent volumes
    • Namespaces, labels, and selectors
    • Resources:
      • Kubernetes Objects - Object model and specifications
      • Pod Lifecycle - Pod states and management
      • Service Types - Service discovery and load balancing

  • Kubernetes Networking and Storage

    • Cluster networking models (CNI plugins)
    • Service mesh integration (Istio, Linkerd)
    • Persistent volume claims and storage classes
    • Resources:
      • Kubernetes Networking - Networking concepts and implementation
      • Container Network Interface - CNI specification and plugins
      • Kubernetes Storage - Storage concepts and management

Kubernetes Deployment and Management

• What you Need to Know

  • Application Deployment Strategies

    • Rolling updates and deployment strategies
    • Blue-green and canary deployments
    • StatefulSets for stateful applications
    • Resources:
      • Kubernetes Deployments - Application deployment management
      • Deployment Strategies - Update strategies and rollbacks
      • StatefulSets - Stateful application management

  • Configuration Management and Secrets

    • ConfigMaps for application configuration
    • Secrets management and encryption
    • External secrets integration (Vault, AWS Secrets Manager)
    • Resources:
      • ConfigMaps - Configuration data management
      • Kubernetes Secrets - Sensitive data management
      • External Secrets Operator - External secrets integration

  • Resource Management and Scaling

    • Resource requests and limits
    • Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) and Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA)
    • Cluster autoscaling and node management
    • Resources:
      • Resource Management - CPU and memory management
      • Horizontal Pod Autoscaler - Automatic scaling
      • Cluster Autoscaler - Node scaling automation

Managed Kubernetes Services

• What you Need to Know

  • Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)

    • EKS cluster setup and configuration
    • AWS Load Balancer Controller and ingress
    • EKS Fargate for serverless containers
    • Resources:
      • Amazon EKS User Guide - Complete EKS documentation
      • EKS Workshop - Hands-on EKS learning
      • AWS Load Balancer Controller - EKS ingress management

  • Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

    • AKS cluster provisioning and management
    • Azure Container Instances integration
    • Azure Active Directory integration
    • Resources:
      • Azure Kubernetes Service - AKS documentation and tutorials
      • AKS Best Practices - AKS optimization and security
      • Azure Container Instances - Serverless containers on Azure

  • Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)

    • GKE cluster creation and management
    • GKE Autopilot for managed Kubernetes
    • Google Cloud integration and services
    • Resources:
      • Google Kubernetes Engine - GKE documentation
      • GKE Autopilot - Fully managed Kubernetes
      • GKE Best Practices - GKE optimization guide

Container Orchestration Patterns

• What you Need to Know

  • Microservices Architecture with Containers

    • Service decomposition and containerization
    • Inter-service communication and API gateways
    • Data management in microservices
    • Resources:
      • Microservices Patterns - Chris Richardson - Microservices design patterns
      • Building Microservices - Sam Newman - Microservices architecture guide
      • API Gateway Pattern - Service communication patterns

  • Service Mesh Implementation

    • Istio service mesh setup and configuration
    • Traffic management and security policies
    • Observability and distributed tracing
    • Resources:
      • Istio Documentation - Complete service mesh guide
      • Linkerd Service Mesh - Lightweight service mesh
      • Consul Connect - HashiCorp service mesh solution

  • Event-Driven Architecture

    • Message queues and event streaming
    • Event sourcing and CQRS patterns
    • Serverless functions and event processing
    • Resources:
      • Event-Driven Architecture - Martin Fowler - EDA principles and patterns
      • Apache Kafka on Kubernetes - Event streaming platform
      • NATS Messaging - Cloud native messaging system

CI/CD for Containerized Applications

• What you Need to Know

  • Container Build Automation

    • Automated image building and testing
    • Multi-architecture builds and cross-compilation
    • Image vulnerability scanning and compliance
    • Resources:
      • Docker Buildx - Multi-platform builds
      • Kaniko - Container builds in Kubernetes
      • Trivy Security Scanner - Container vulnerability scanning

  • GitOps and Kubernetes Deployment

    • ArgoCD for GitOps continuous deployment
    • Flux for automated synchronization
    • Helm charts and application packaging
    • Resources:
      • Argo CD Documentation - GitOps continuous deployment
      • Flux Documentation - GitOps toolkit for Kubernetes
      • Helm Documentation - Kubernetes package manager

  • Progressive Delivery and Deployment Strategies

    • Canary deployments with Flagger
    • Feature flags and A/B testing
    • Rollback and disaster recovery automation
    • Resources:
      • Flagger Progressive Delivery - Automated canary deployments
      • Argo Rollouts - Progressive delivery controller
      • Feature Flags in Kubernetes - Feature toggle implementation

Monitoring and Observability for Containers

• What you Need to Know

  • Container and Kubernetes Monitoring

    • Prometheus metrics collection and alerting
    • Grafana dashboards and visualization
    • Node and cluster monitoring setup
    • Resources:
      • Prometheus Operator - Kubernetes-native monitoring
      • Grafana for Kubernetes - Kubernetes monitoring dashboards
      • kube-state-metrics - Kubernetes object metrics

  • Application Performance Monitoring

    • Distributed tracing with Jaeger and Zipkin
    • Application metrics and custom instrumentation
    • Error tracking and debugging in containers
    • Resources:
      • Jaeger Tracing - Distributed tracing system
      • OpenTelemetry - Observability framework
      • Sentry for Kubernetes - Error monitoring

  • Log Management and Analysis

    • Centralized logging with ELK stack
    • Fluentd and Fluent Bit for log collection
    • Log aggregation and analysis strategies
    • Resources:
      • Elasticsearch on Kubernetes - Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes
      • Fluentd Documentation - Log collection and forwarding
      • Loki Logging - Prometheus-inspired log aggregation

Security and Compliance for Containers

• What you Need to Know

  • Container Runtime Security

    • Runtime threat detection and response
    • Container behavior monitoring
    • Security policies and enforcement
    • Resources:
      • Falco Runtime Security - Runtime security monitoring
      • OPA Gatekeeper - Policy enforcement for Kubernetes
      • Pod Security Standards - Kubernetes security policies

  • Network Security and Policies

    • Network policies and micro-segmentation
    • Service mesh security and mTLS
    • Ingress security and Web Application Firewall
    • Resources:
      • Kubernetes Network Policies - Network security controls
      • Calico Network Security - Advanced network security
      • Istio Security - Service mesh security features

  • Compliance and Governance

    • CIS Kubernetes benchmarks and hardening
    • Compliance scanning and reporting
    • Audit logging and forensics
    • Resources:
      • CIS Kubernetes Benchmark - Security configuration standards
      • kube-bench - CIS benchmark validation
      • Kubernetes Audit Logging - Audit trail configuration

Advanced Container Orchestration

• What you Need to Know

  • Multi-Cluster Management

    • Cluster federation and management
    • Cross-cluster service discovery
    • Multi-cluster networking and security
    • Resources:
      • Kubernetes Cluster API - Declarative cluster management
      • Admiralty Multi-Cluster - Multi-cluster scheduling
      • Submariner Networking - Cross-cluster connectivity

  • Edge Computing and IoT

    • Edge Kubernetes distributions (K3s, MicroK8s)
    • IoT device management and orchestration
    • Edge-to-cloud connectivity and synchronization
    • Resources:
      • K3s Lightweight Kubernetes - Edge Kubernetes distribution
      • KubeEdge - Kubernetes for edge computing
      • OpenYurt - Edge computing platform

  • Serverless Containers and Functions

    • Knative for serverless workloads
    • Function-as-a-Service on Kubernetes
    • Event-driven scaling and processing
    • Resources:
      • Knative Documentation - Kubernetes-based serverless platform
      • OpenFaaS - Functions as a Service on Kubernetes
      • Fission - Serverless functions for Kubernetes

Performance Optimization and Troubleshooting

• What you Need to Know

  • Container Performance Tuning

    • Resource optimization and rightsizing
    • Container startup time optimization
    • Network and storage performance tuning
    • Resources:
      • Kubernetes Performance Tuning - Cluster performance optimization
      • Container Performance Guide - Google - Performance best practices
      • Docker Performance Tuning - Container resource optimization

  • Troubleshooting and Debugging

    • Kubernetes debugging tools and techniques
    • Container log analysis and debugging
    • Network troubleshooting in containerized environments
    • Resources:
      • Kubernetes Troubleshooting - Debugging guide and tools
      • kubectl Debugging - Command-line debugging techniques
      • Container Debugging Tools - Network troubleshooting container

  • Capacity Planning and Scaling

    • Resource usage analysis and forecasting
    • Cluster capacity planning and optimization
    • Cost optimization for containerized workloads
    • Resources:
      • Kubernetes Resource Recommendations - VPA for resource optimization
      • Cluster Capacity Planning - Capacity management strategies
      • Cost Optimization - Kubecost - Kubernetes cost analysis

Ready to Continue? Complete your DevOps Engineering journey with Module 5: Monitoring and Observability to master system monitoring, alerting, and performance optimization!