Kubernetes From Scratch - Beginner to OSS Contributor¶
From "I have heard of Kubernetes" to "I can deploy a small app to a local cluster, read a Helm chart, debug a failing pod, and submit a fix to a Kubernetes-adjacent OSS project."
Who this is for¶
- You've finished Containers From Scratch (or you've used Docker enough to know what an image and a container are).
- You've never used Kubernetes, OR you've copy-pasted some YAML without really understanding what it does.
Soft prerequisite¶
This path assumes container fluency. If you can't write a Dockerfile and run a multi-service compose stack, do Containers From Scratch first.
What you'll need¶
- Docker Desktop (with the Kubernetes feature enabled) OR
minikubeORkindORk3d- any will work for the local cluster. kubectl- the Kubernetes CLI.- A text editor.
- About 5 hours/week. Path is sized for 3-4 months.
Why Kubernetes¶
- The de facto standard for production container orchestration. Every major cloud, every modern infra team.
- Skills transfer across clouds and on-prem. Kubernetes is Kubernetes is Kubernetes.
- OSS surface is huge. Operators, controllers, Helm charts, kubectl plugins, dozens of CNCF projects - endless contribution opportunities.
How this path works¶
Each page does one thing: explains, shows, gives an exercise, ends with Q&A.
The pages¶
| # | Title | What you'll know after |
|---|---|---|
| 00 | Introduction | What Kubernetes is and isn't |
| 01 | Setup | Local cluster + kubectl |
| 02 | Pods | The smallest unit |
| 03 | Deployments | Managing pods declaratively |
| 04 | Services | Networking pods together |
| 05 | ConfigMaps and Secrets | Configuration |
| 06 | Namespaces | Organization |
| 07 | Labels and selectors | How K8s finds things |
| 08 | Volumes and storage | Persistent data |
| 09 | Ingress | Routing external traffic |
| 10 | Helm | Package manager |
| 11 | kubectl power tools | Debugging in real clusters |
| 12 | Reading other people's manifests | The bridge |
| 13 | Picking a project | K8s-adjacent OSS candidates |
| 14 | Anatomy of a K8s-related OSS project | Case study |
| 15 | Your first contribution | Workflow + PR |
Start with Introduction.
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