Quick Guide to VCF Automation for VCD Administrators

 𝐊𝐮𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬

🚀 Deploying in Kubernetes isn’t just about putting new code into production — it’s about doing it safely, without downtime or issues.

That’s why deployment strategies are important — the right one helps you avoid problems and keep everything running smoothly.

If you’re a DevOps Engineer, SRE, or just starting with Kubernetes, here’s a simple guide to 6 popular deployment methods — with tips and pros & cons 👇

🔹 𝟏. 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

 🛣️ Route a small % of live traffic (like 20%) to the new version before a full rollout.

 ✅ Safer rollout with real user testing

 ❌ Requires monitoring + traffic splitting tools

 🟢 Downtime: No

 📌 Use it when you want to test updates in production without fully committing.

🔹 𝟐. 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞-𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

 🟦 Old version (Blue) + 🟩 New version (Green) in parallel

 📍 Shift all traffic to Green once validated

 ✅ Instant rollback by switching back

 ❌ Double infra cost & complexity

 🟢 Downtime: No

 📌 Use it when uptime is critical and rollback speed matters.

🔹 𝟑. 𝐀/𝐁 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

 👥 Route users to different versions based on segments (e.g., region, device)

 ✅ Great for feature validation & experimentation

 ❌ Needs complicated setup to send users to the right version, and users might see different experiences.

 🟡 Downtime: Not applicable

 📌 Use it to test features with specific user groups before full rollout.

🔹 𝟒. 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞

 ♻️ Replace old pods gradually with new ones

 ✅ Built-in Kubernetes strategy, no downtime

 ❌ Late detection = widespread issues

 🟢 Downtime: No

 📌 Use it when you want to upgrade progressively but simply.

🔹 𝟓. 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲

 ❌ Stop the old version completely before starting the new one

 ✅ Clean and simple for basic apps

 ❌ Downtime & user disruption

 🔴 Downtime: Yes

 📌 Use only if your app doesn’t support running multiple versions at once.

🔹 𝟔. 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

 👻 Mirror real traffic to a new version without exposing it to users

 ✅ Performance testing under real load

 ❌ Doesn’t test user interaction, uses more resources

 🟢 Downtime: No

 📌 Use it to validate backend performance safely before rollout.

🔍 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞:

 Choosing a strategy isn’t just technical — it’s about 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩’𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤, 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

✅ Want quick feedback? Try 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲.

✅ Need ultra-safe rollback? Go with 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞-𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧.

✅ Running experiments? Use 𝐀/𝐁 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

✅ Just want to keep it simple? Stick with 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬.

✅ Testing under load? Use 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.

✅ Okay with downtime? Only then consider 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞.

💬 What deployment strategy do you use most often — and why?

 Drop your experience or tips in the comments 👇