Quick Guide to VCF Automation for VCD Administrators

 🚀 How to Learn Kubernetes (Made Simple)

Kubernetes isn’t just about running kubectl commands or copying YAML files.

 To really master it, you need to see how all the parts connect — so you can run apps that scale and stay healthy.

Here’s a simple roadmap with 8 areas to focus on:

1️⃣ Core Objects

Pods, ReplicaSets, Deployments, StatefulSets, Services, Ingress, ConfigMaps, Secrets, PVCs, Jobs, DaemonSets

 👉 Learn these first — they’re the building blocks of every app you run on Kubernetes.

2️⃣ Controllers

Deployment, ReplicaSet, StatefulSet, HPA, CronJob, DaemonSet, VPA

 👉 These make sure your apps run the way you want — auto-healing, scaling, and scheduling.

3️⃣ Architecture Components

API Server, etcd, Scheduler, Controller Manager, Kubelet, Kube Proxy, Cloud Controller Manager

 👉 The “brains” of Kubernetes. Learn these to know how the cluster actually works.

4️⃣ Runtime

Docker, containerd, CRI-O, Mirantis (MCR)

 👉 These are what actually run your containers under the hood.

5️⃣ Security & Policy

RBAC, Network Policies, Security Contexts, Service Accounts, PSS, Secrets Encryption

 👉 Keep your apps and cluster safe by controlling who can do what.

6️⃣ Observability

Metrics Server, Probes (Liveness, Readiness, Startup), Prometheus, Grafana, OpenTelemetry

 👉 Helps you track performance, monitor health, and debug issues.

7️⃣ Extensibility

CRDs, Operators, Helm, Kustomize, Admission Controllers

 👉 Customize Kubernetes for your apps and make it work exactly how you need.

8️⃣ Webhooks

Mutating & Validating Webhooks, OPA, Dynamic Admission Controllers

 👉 Add extra logic and checks when Kubernetes processes requests.

🔥 If you go through each of these 8 areas, you’ll not just “use” Kubernetes — you’ll understand it deeply.