Deployments

Welcome to this comprehensive guide on Kubernetes Deployments. In this article, we explain how Kubernetes Deployments streamline application rollouts, ensuring efficient updates and high availability in production environments.

When deploying an application like a web server, you typically run multiple instances to handle load and ensure uptime. As new versions of your application become available in the Docker registry, seamless upgrades are crucial. Since upgrading all instances simultaneously can disrupt active users, Kubernetes Deployments support rolling updates—updating instances one by one. Additionally, if an update introduces an error, you can quickly roll back changes. Deployments also allow you to bundle changes—such as updating the web server version, scaling resources, or adjusting resource allocations—and apply them together rather than individually.

Below is an example of a ReplicaSet definition used for context:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: ReplicaSet
metadata:
  name: myapp-deployment
  labels:
    app: myapp
    type: front-end
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      type: front-end
  template:
    metadata:
      name: myapp-pod
      labels:
        app: myapp
        type: front-end
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: nginx-container
        image: nginx

The corresponding Deployment definition is very similar, with the primary change being in the kind field. Here is the Deployment YAML:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: myapp-deployment
  labels:
    app: myapp
    type: front-end
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      type: front-end
  template:
    metadata:
      name: myapp-pod
      labels:
        app: myapp
        type: front-end
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: nginx-container
        image: nginx

To create the Deployment, save the above YAML content to a file (for example, deployment-definition.yml) and run:

kubectl create -f deployment-definition.yml

Once applied, you can verify the creation of your Deployment with the following commands:

1. List Deployments:

   kubectl get deployments
   

2. Check the associated ReplicaSet:

   kubectl get replicaset
   

3. View the Pods created by the Deployment:

   kubectl get pods
   

For instance, you might see output similar to this:

> kubectl create -f deployment-definition.yml
deployment "myapp-deployment" created

> kubectl get deployments
NAME                DESIRED   CURRENT   UP-TO-DATE   AVAILABLE   AGE
myapp-deployment    3         3         3            3           21s

> kubectl get replicaset
NAME                             DESIRED   CURRENT   READY   AGE
myapp-deployment-6795844b58     3         3         3       2m

> kubectl get pods
NAME                                           READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
myapp-deployment-6795844b58-5rbj1             1/1     Running   0          2m
myapp-deployment-6795844b58-h4w55             1/1     Running   0          2m
myapp-deployment-6795844b58-1fjhv             1/1     Running   0          2m

To see all created objects at once, use:

kubectl get all

This command displays your Deployment along with its associated ReplicaSet and Pods. For example:

> kubectl get all
NAME                                DESIRED   CURRENT   UP-TO-DATE   AVAILABLE   AGE
deploy/myapp-deployment             3         3         3            3           9h
NAME                                DESIRED   CURRENT   READY   AGE
rs/myapp-deployment-6795844b58      3         3         3       9h
NAME                                READY   STATUS      RESTARTS   AGE
po/myapp-deployment-6795844b58-5rbjl 1/1     Running      0         9h
po/myapp-deployment-6795844b58-h4w55 1/1     Running      0         9h
po/myapp-deployment-6795844b58-1fjhv 1/1     Running      0         9h

For more information, refer to the Kubernetes Documentation and explore other related resources such as Kubernetes Basics.

Happy deploying!