This book teaches Kubernetes the way you'd explain it on a whiteboard: with pictures first and jargon second. It follows the official curriculum for the Certified Kubernetes Application Developer exam (CKAD), one idea at a time, until every topic on it is covered.
The name gives the theme away. Kybernētēs is ancient Greek for the helmsman who steers a ship, and Kubernetes is the helmsman of your apps. So the whole book is set at sea, in ancient Greece: computers are warships, apps are their crew, and a lighthouse guides the customers in.
Podysseus, “call me Pod”
A little hoplite and the hero of the book. He is a
Crash Loop Cyclops
Grumpy, one-eyed and always asking the awkward question you were about to ask. He sinks ships, smudges scrolls and throws boulders, so he also stands for everything that goes wrong in production. He never wins the argument.
Every Kubernetes idea gets one picture and one color, and keeps them for the whole book. Once you've learned a drawing, you can read it at a glance.
a crew member
a warship
the whole fleet
the lighthouse
a scroll of orders
a sealed amphora
the harbor gate
a city-state
a storehouse
a sea chest
a pottery ticket
Request
a merchant boat
The problem. Each chapter opens with something going wrong in your little web shop, usually thanks to the Cyclops.
New words on deck. Every new term is introduced with its drawing before the chapter uses it. Concept words are always in their own color, like
Step by step. The idea shown one picture at a time, with the real YAML and commands next to it.
Your turn. An interactive page where you sink ships, route boats or break things on purpose, and watch Kubernetes respond.
Recap. The few things to remember, and a teaser for the next voyage.
Two signs to look for along the way:
Things are back to how you wanted them. In Kubernetes that's the whole game.
Just curiosity for the first chapters. Before the exam you'll want to type along: a terminal with kubectl and a small practice cluster on your own computer, such as kind or minikube. The CKAD is a hands-on exam, solved at the command line, so the more you practise, the calmer exam day gets.