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In this guide, you’ll learn how to execute rolling updates on a Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster. We’ll use a house-renovation analogy to explain key concepts and then dive into configuring update strategies for your DaemonSets, Deployments, and StatefulSets.

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Kubernetes Rolling Update: A House Renovation Analogy

Imagine you’re renovating a house one room at a time—painting walls, upgrading appliances, replacing furniture—while keeping the rest of the home fully functional. In GKE:
  • The house = your GKE cluster
  • The rooms = DaemonSets, Deployments, StatefulSets
  • The blueprint = the workload’s Pod template
When you modify the Pod template (for example, updating a container image, labels, or volume mounts), GKE performs a rolling update by replacing Pods one at a time—just like remodeling each room sequentially to avoid downtime.
The image explains the concept of a rolling update in a cluster, using a house analogy to describe components like pod templates, containers, images, labels, and volumes.

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Triggering a Rolling Update

A rolling update is only triggered when you change fields under the Pod template (spec.template). Actions outside the template—such as modifying replica counts—do not automatically start a rollout.
Only changes to spec.template (for example, containers[].image or volumes[]) trigger a rolling update. Scaling operations require separate commands or API calls.

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Configuring Update Strategies in GKE

GKE supports two update strategies for workload controllers:
Resource TypeSpec FieldDefault Strategy
Deploymentspec.strategyRollingUpdate
DaemonSetspec.updateStrategyRollingUpdate
StatefulSetspec.updateStrategyRollingUpdate
You can choose:
  • OnDelete: Pods only update when manually deleted.
  • RollingUpdate: Pods update automatically, one at a time.

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1. OnDelete Strategy

With OnDelete, the controller replaces Pods only after you manually delete them. This grants you full control over when and which Pods are updated. 
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: StatefulSet
metadata:
  name: example-statefulset
spec:
  updateStrategy:
    type: OnDelete
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: app
        image: my-app:v2
The image illustrates an update strategy for GKE, comparing "OnDelete" and "RollingUpdate" methods, highlighting features like default behavior, manual pod deletion, and preference for manual control.
Using OnDelete means no automatic rollout. Be prepared to manually delete outdated Pods to apply your updates.

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2. RollingUpdate Strategy

The RollingUpdate strategy automates Pod replacements. GKE waits for each new Pod to become Ready before proceeding to the next. You can fine-tune rollout behavior using parameters such as maxUnavailable or partition. 
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: StatefulSet
metadata:
  name: example-statefulset
spec:
  updateStrategy:
    type: RollingUpdate
    rollingUpdate:
      partition: 0
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: app
        image: my-app:v2
The image illustrates an update strategy for GKE, comparing "OnDelete" and "RollingUpdate" methods, with details on automatic updates and pod management.
The partition setting lets you control how many Pods remain on the old revision. Adjust maxUnavailable or maxSurge to manage availability during updates.

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Handling Failures During Rolling Updates

If a new Pod fails to reach the Ready state, the update halts. Existing Pods on the old version remain running, ensuring your service stays available. This predictable behavior helps maintain reliability and gives you time to diagnose issues before proceeding. For more on Kubernetes fundamentals, visit the Kubernetes Documentation.

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