Summary  
This chapter introduces container orchestration with Kubernetes, enabling automated deployment, scaling, load balancing, and self-healing of containerized applications.

General domain of usage  
Web applications

Now that you are familiar with **Docker** and know how to **containerize applications**, it's time to take the next step: learning how to **manage containerized applications at scale**, so they can automatically **scale**, **recover from failures**, and **run reliably** in any environment.

**Kubernetes (K8s)** is a platform for managing containerized applications. Simply put, it helps you run and control multiple containers at the same time.

Definition

Imagine you have a **web application** with several services: **frontend**, **backend**, and a **database**. You run each service in a separate **Docker container**. As your application gets more users, you need more copies of the **backend** to handle the increased load. Having extra copies allows requests to be spread across containers, reducing the load on each one and improving response times.

This is where **Kubernetes** comes in: it automatically creates new containers when needed, distributes the load, and ensures each service runs reliably.

In short, **Kubernetes** turns your set of containers into a smart, self-managing application that can **scale** and **recover from failures**.

# Why Use Kubernetes?

**Kubernetes** provides several key advantages, especially as your applications grow:

What does Kubernetes do when application traffic increases?

A focused, hands-on beginner course guiding you through building, testing, and deploying a demo application with a CI/CD pipeline using Jenkins, Docker, and Kubernetes. Covers pipeline basics, Jenkins setup, Docker integration, basic Kubernetes deployment, and a high-level overview of GitHub Actions as an alternative.

Introduction to Kubernetes

What is Kubernetes?

Why Use Kubernetes?