The Why, When, and How of Adopting Kubernetes for Your Startup

Kubernetes works well for organisations with complex applications for multiple services running in different containers.

As the most popular solution for container orchestration and management, businesses are adopting Kubernetes to increase automation and reduce IT costs. The Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) State of Cloud Native Development Report found 5.6 million developers now use Kubernetes, a 67% increase in one year. But despite its popularity, Kubernetes is a complex system that's not right for every business or use case.

Kubernetes works well for organisations with complex applications for multiple services running in different containers, which is why it is popular among large businesses. Kubernetes, also known as K8s, is the next big wave in cloud computing. Kubernetes has even become a recommended system for startups running distributed software applications. This article outlines why Kubernetes is popular, when to adopt it, and how startups should be using the technology.

Scale and grow with less friction

As a startup, you need to innovate fast. You introduce new features, collect feedback from users, and introduce changes until you take your product to market. After your application gains traction, you also must be ready for explosive growth. Therefore, a startup lifecycle requires software architecture to enable agility and the ability to scale. In this case, containerised microservices appear to be the best option.

Startups planning for high growth should tailor applications to achieve business goals with minimum additional cost and friction. One way to do this is through Kubernetes. Using microservices instead of a huge monolithic architecture allows organisations to be more flexible in development, and Kubernetes enables companies to scale easily and deploy software quickly.

Kubernetes improves resource utilisation, shortens software development cycles, and helps integrate new employees into the team by allowing them to work on a single software. Its self-healing and auto-scaling capabilities ensure high reliability and great uptimes and response times, which enhances user experience by improving product quality and stability.

The adoption of Kubernetes is growing within small and medium-tech companies. A wide variety of applications run on Kubernetes, including video, content, mobile back-end, SaaS, blockchain, fintech, and crypto. If you're planning to scale, it makes sense to invest in Kubernetes early on. Even if you're just deploying a single simple web application within the cluster. Planning means building your infrastructure carefully, enabling your team to move quickly, a year or two down the line. Implementing Kubernetes early, at the right time, can help you avoid getting caught in technical debt that prevents your business from responding quickly and adequately in an ever-changing market.

Act on time

A startup needs to have agility and scale. Businesses still in the proof-of-concept stage often need to learn quickly to make significant changes in strategy or architecture because adoption of Kubernetes requires time. Taking time out from product development to implement Kubernetes can slow down production. The benefits of Kubernetes—scalability and stability—are not applicable to the early stages of development. Therefore, focusing on areas that are impactful in the short term is a better use of your time. In the initial stages, focus on product validation, and build a minimum viable product (MVP) as fast and as simply as possible to get feedback. Focusing on factors like configuration management, CI/CD, auto-scaling, and service mesh will distract you from your primary goal of building an outstanding application.

Consider adopting Kubernetes once you've found a product-market fit, have a working application and are ready to scale, but not before you build a complicated system that is difficult to migrate. At this inflection point, you will need to commit to rebuilding parts of your system. It can be tempting to delay implementation until after the next round of funding, the next feature release, or another artificial milestone, but do not wait. It will be faster and easier for you to adopt Kubernetes before you have mass adoption.

Have a clear implementation strategy

The complexity of Kubernetes can be a barrier to implementation for many startups. Putting together a clear strategy can help you stay on track throughout the implementation process, allowing you to save time and make sound decisions about what your business needs. Put simplicity at the forefront when making decisions about features and configuration.

Consider using open source and pre-made solutions. The Kubernetes community is a vibrant open source community, offering many great solutions for a variety of needs. Start with these solutions and build from here to save time and establish best practices for your organisation.

Managing self-hosted clusters requires expertise, time, and resources, which many small businesses lack. Leveraging a managed version of Kubernetes will allow developers and businesses to take advantage of containerised application deployment, leading to a faster time to market.

Today Kubernetes has become the unifying fabric of modern computing. We've already seen the benefits large enterprises experience from adopting this technology. Gartner reports 75% of large enterprises in mature economies will have adopted containers by 2024. Meanwhile, startups are striving to solve the challenges created by each new wave of technology. However, Kubernetes may be the only infrastructure technology startups will need from now on as it eliminates manual processes and cuts infrastructure costs. In addition, it also enables organisations to control and automate deployment.

Author:

Sachin Jha, Senior Marketing Manager at DigitalOcean