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Getting Started

Everything you need before you write your first real manifest: why Kubernetes exists, what it actually is, how its control plane works, how to get kubectl talking to a cluster, and how to go from a blank terminal to a running, reachable Deployment.

If you already know Kubernetes and want a specific answer, use Quick Reference or Troubleshooting instead — this section is for building the mental model once, in order.

Read in this order

  1. History and Why Kubernetes Exists — Borg, Omega, the 2014 open-source release, and the problem plain Docker doesn't solve
  2. What Is Kubernetes? — a precise definition, and where it sits next to Docker, Ansible, and Terraform
  3. Architecture and the Control Plane — kube-apiserver, etcd, scheduler, controller manager, kubelet, kube-proxy, and the reconciliation loop
  4. Installing kubectl and a Local Cluster — kubectl, kubeconfig and contexts, and choosing between minikube, kind, Docker Desktop, and Rancher Desktop
  5. Your First Deployment — create deployment → expose → rollout status → logs, with real output

If you're impatient

You can skip straight to Your First Deployment and come back for the "why" later — it's self-contained as long as you already have kubectl pointed at a running cluster. If you don't have a cluster yet, Installing kubectl and a Local Cluster gets you one in a few minutes, and full hands-on labs live in Labs.

Next

Once you have a running Deployment and a Service you can reach, continue to Core Concepts.