Kubernetes has transformed how organizations deploy and manage containerized applications. Yet the journey from tutorial clusters to production-grade infrastructure reveals challenges that introductory materials rarely mention.
Complexity Costs
Kubernetes solves hard problems by adding complexity. For small applications, this complexity may exceed the benefit. Before adopting Kubernetes, honestly assess whether simpler alternatives—managed container services, traditional VMs, or serverless platforms—might better serve your needs.
Organizations with established Kubernetes expertise can manage this complexity effectively. Those building from scratch should account for the learning curve in their planning. The operational burden of Kubernetes shouldn't be underestimated.
Networking Nuances
Kubernetes networking appears simple—services expose pods, ingress routes external traffic—but production implementations encounter subtleties. Network policies control pod-to-pod communication, essential for security but requiring careful design. Service mesh technologies like Istio add observability and traffic management at the cost of additional complexity.
Ingress controllers vary significantly in capabilities and behavior. Choosing between options like nginx, HAProxy, Traefik, or cloud-native ingress controllers requires understanding their trade-offs.
Storage Challenges
Stateful applications in Kubernetes require persistent storage. While StatefulSets and PersistentVolumeClaims provide abstractions, storage performance and availability depend heavily on underlying infrastructure. Cloud-provider storage classes behave differently from on-premises solutions.
Database workloads demand particular attention. While Kubernetes can run databases, doing so well requires expertise that many teams lack. Managed database services often provide better reliability with less operational burden.
Security Layers
Container security encompasses image scanning, runtime protection, network policies, RBAC configuration, and secrets management. Each layer requires attention; weaknesses in any layer can compromise the entire system.
Pod security standards restrict container capabilities, preventing privilege escalation and resource abuse. Implementing these standards without breaking applications requires testing and iterative refinement.
Observability Requirements
Understanding cluster behavior requires comprehensive observability. Metrics reveal resource utilization and performance trends. Logs provide debugging context. Traces follow requests across services. Kubernetes generates enormous telemetry volumes; managing this data effectively requires investment in tooling and practice.
Kubernetes in production rewards preparation, expertise, and continuous learning. Organizations that approach it thoughtfully build powerful platforms; those who rush adoption often encounter painful lessons.