Learning Instruments

This is a hands-on course, and we'll be working with a sample Node.js web application. You can find it on GitHub.

The sample application

You don’t need to stress about the application and GitHub if you're not a developer. The focus of the course is Kubernetes, not the app. Plus, we explain everything as we go, and you don't have to be a GitHub expert.

If you are interested, the code for the application is provided in the SPA widget below:

The SPA widget contains the following files/folders:

• app.js: This is the main application file. It’s a Node.js web application.

• bootstrap.css: This is a design template for the application’s web page.

• package.json: This file lists any dependencies the application may have.

• views: This is a folder containing the contents of the application’s web page.

• Dockerfile: This file tells Docker how to build the application into a container.

Up until this point, you have been given an overview of the application and the content you will be learning. Let us now look at the tools that are required for this course.

Set-up required

• Living in the terminal: This course demonstrates the usage of the command-line tool, kubectl, to help manage the Kubernetes cluster and application. This tool, combined with other command-line tools, will pave the way for you to learn Kubernetes.

• Create your own environment: For this course, you do not need to manage your own environment(s). However, if you want to follow along and create your own environments, you will need the following tools:

  • Docker Desktop, for container management

  • Git, a version control tool

  • Additionally, you will have to create a user account for DockerHub (optional). You can set up a DockerHub account by following this link. Once you have signed up, you will be good to go.

Throughout the course, the first letters of Kubernetes API objects will be capitalized. To put it more simply, the Kubernetes features such as Pods, Services, and Nodes are all spelled with a capital letter. This will help you understand when we're talking about a “Pod” running on Kubernetes and not a “pod” of whales.