Shanto Roy

I Explore Research, Tech, Travel, and Business. SRE @Charles Schwab.

5 minute read

So far until now, we have learned how docker-compose can be a go-to tool for deploying and testing containerized applications locally. However, when it comes to enterprise production, we don’t use docker-compose. In this post we will learn how Kubernetes replaces docker-compose for enterprise-level production-grade deployment.

Kubernetes (K8s) is an open-source container orchestration platform designed to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.

It helps organizations deploy applications at scale, handle failures gracefully, and manage hundreds or thousands of containers efficiently.

Key Features of Kubernetes:

✅ Self-healing – Restarts failed containers automatically
✅ Auto-scaling – Adjusts resources based on real-time demand
✅ Service discovery & load balancing – Built-in traffic management
✅ Rolling updates & rollbacks – Ensures zero-downtime deployments
✅ Multi-cloud & hybrid-cloud support – Runs on AWS, GCP, Azure, on-prem, etc.

🐳 Kubernetes vs. Docker Compose – Why Kubernetes for Production?

While Docker Compose is great for local development, Kubernetes is the preferred solution for enterprise production deployments.

Feature Docker Compose 🐳 Kubernetes ☸️
Scalability Manual scaling Auto-scaling based on demand
Load Balancing No built-in support Integrated Service Load Balancer
Self-Healing Containers crash without auto-restart Automatically restarts failed pods
High Availability Single-node setup Multi-node cluster setup
Rolling Updates Requires manual intervention Seamless rolling updates & rollbacks
Cloud-Native Limited to local development Runs on AWS, GCP, Azure, on-prem
Networking Limited to local Docker network Advanced networking with Service Mesh (Istio, Cilium)
Storage Simple volume management Persistent storage across multiple nodes

💡 TL;DR: Docker Compose is great for testing and development, but Kubernetes is the industry standard for production because it provides better automation, scalability, resilience, and multi-cloud support.

Why Enterprises Choose Kubernetes

1️⃣ Handles Large-Scale Deployments

For companies running thousands of microservices, Kubernetes makes scaling effortless with Horizontal Pod Autoscaling (HPA).

Example:

  • Netflix, Uber, and Airbnb use Kubernetes to manage thousands of microservices across cloud regions.

2️⃣ Built-In High Availability

Kubernetes runs applications in multiple replicas across different nodes, ensuring zero downtime even if a node fails.

3️⃣ Cloud-Native & Multi-Cloud Ready

With AWS EKS, GCP GKE, and Azure AKS, enterprises can deploy Kubernetes clusters without vendor lock-in.

Example:

  • Spotify migrated from on-prem servers to Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for better cloud scalability.

4️⃣ DevOps & GitOps Friendly

Kubernetes integrates seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines using ArgoCD, GitHub Actions, and Jenkins for automated deployments.

Example:

  • Adobe uses Kubernetes with ArgoCD for GitOps, ensuring secure and automated deployments.

5️⃣ Secure & Policy-Driven

With tools like Kubernetes RBAC (Role-Based Access Control), Istio (Service Mesh), and Open Policy Agent (OPA), enterprises can enforce strict security policies.

Getting Started with Kubernetes Locally

Option 01: Running Minikube on Host

You can install a lightweight Kubernetes cluster on your local machine using Minikube or Kind.

  • Install Minikube 
    $ curl -LO https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/latest/minikube-linux-amd64
$ sudo install minikube-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/minikube
$ minikube start
  • Deploy a Sample Application
$ kubectl create deployment my-app --image=nginx
$ kubectl expose deployment my-app --type=LoadBalancer --port=80
$ minikube service my-app

Option 02: Testing Minikube inside docker

Running Minikube inside a Docker container is not straightforward because Minikube itself requires a virtualization layer (such as Docker, VirtualBox, or KVM) to create a Kubernetes cluster. However, you can run Minikube inside a Docker container using the none driver, which runs Kubernetes components directly on the host.

Here’s a Dockerfile that sets up a containerized environment to run Minikube using Docker as the driver:

Dockerfile for Running Minikube

FROM ubuntu:22.04

# Set environment variables
ENV KUBECTL_VERSION=v1.27.3 \
    MINIKUBE_VERSION=v1.30.1

# Install dependencies
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y \
    curl \
    ca-certificates \
    conntrack \
    iptables \
    socat \
    ebtables \
    ethtool \
    sudo \
    docker.io \
    && apt-get clean

# Install kubectl
RUN curl -Lo /usr/local/bin/kubectl https://dl.k8s.io/release/${KUBECTL_VERSION}/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl && \
    chmod +x /usr/local/bin/kubectl

# Install Minikube
RUN curl -Lo /usr/local/bin/minikube https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/${MINIKUBE_VERSION}/minikube-linux-amd64 && \
    chmod +x /usr/local/bin/minikube

# Create a non-root user
RUN useradd -m minikube && echo "minikube:minikube" | chpasswd && adduser minikube sudo
USER minikube
WORKDIR /home/minikube

# Start Minikube inside the container
CMD ["minikube", "start", "--driver=docker"]

Build & Run Instructions

  1. Build the Docker image

    docker build -t minikube-container .

  2. Run the container with proper privileges

    docker run --privileged -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -it minikube-container

Explanation

  • Installs Minikube and kubectl: Necessary for running Kubernetes.
  • Uses Docker as a driver: Minikube will run its Kubernetes cluster inside Docker.
  • Non-root user setup: Helps prevent permission issues.
  • Maps Docker socket (/var/run/docker.sock): Allows Minikube to create Docker containers inside the host.

When Should You Use Kubernetes?

Scenario Use Docker Compose 🐳 Use Kubernetes ☸️
Local Development ✅ Yes ❌ No
Small-Scale Apps ✅ Yes ⚠️ Maybe
Enterprise Production ❌ No ✅ Yes
Multi-Cloud Deployments ❌ No ✅ Yes
High Availability Needed ❌ No ✅ Yes
Auto-Scaling Required ❌ No ✅ Yes

How Kubernetes is Replacing Traditional Infrastructure

Kubernetes is revolutionizing IT infrastructure by shifting organizations from traditional physical servers and IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) to modern, container-based deployments. Here’s how:

1️⃣ From Monolith to Microservices:

  • Legacy applications are being refactored into microservices using Kubernetes, allowing faster development, deployment, and scaling.

2️⃣ Replacing Physical Servers & VMs:

  • Instead of managing dedicated physical servers or virtual machines (VMs), companies are deploying applications in lightweight, scalable Kubernetes pods.

3️⃣ Auto-Scaling & Dynamic Resource Allocation:

  • Unlike traditional IaaS where resources are statically allocated, Kubernetes uses Horizontal Pod Autoscaling (HPA) to adjust based on demand, optimizing costs.

4️⃣ Cloud-Agnostic Deployments:

  • Kubernetes abstracts the underlying infrastructure, enabling seamless workload portability across AWS, GCP, Azure, and on-prem.

5️⃣ Modernizing Legacy Apps Without Rewriting:

  • Using Kubernetes and containerization (Docker), enterprises can package legacy applications into containers, eliminating dependencies on outdated OS or hardware.

6️⃣ Enhanced Reliability & Zero Downtime Deployments:

  • Kubernetes’ rolling updates, automatic failover, and self-healing capabilities ensure applications remain available without manual intervention.

💡 The Future: Traditional infrastructure is being phased out as Kubernetes becomes the de facto standard for managing cloud-native, scalable, and resilient applications in modern enterprises.

Remarks

Docker Compose is great for local development and small projects, but Kubernetes is the best choice for production, especially for enterprise-scale applications.

✅ Kubernetes is built for automation, scalability, and reliability.
✅ It’s cloud-native and supports multi-cloud & hybrid-cloud deployments.
✅ Enterprises trust Kubernetes for mission-critical workloads.

When I first develop a backend or frontend, docker-compose is my go-to solution. You will find many docker-compose projects on my GitHub. However, when it comes to production, we definitely need to use Kubernetes. I have collected some templates from high-starred github repos and putting in one on Kubernetes Template Collections.

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