Reference and Selective Reading
You do not need to read the Kubernetes documentation cover-to-cover for this module. Use the concept pages and practice pages first. Open these external references only when you need the authoritative wording, a field reference, or a deeper example.
Source Roles
| Source | Role | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|
| kubernetes.io/docs | Primary teaching reference | Every concept field in this module has an authoritative reference page here |
| OCI specs | Primary for container internals | image-spec and runtime-spec define what an image is and what a runtime must do |
| Linux man pages (man7.org) | Selective support | namespaces(7) and cgroups(7) are the kernel-side truth |
| Local The Linux Command Line chunks | Light support only | Use for shell and permissions background, not for container internals |
See Also (external) -- grouped by cluster
Cluster 1: What a Container Actually Is
namespaces(7)cgroups(7)- OCI Image Specification
- OCI Runtime Specification
- Kubernetes: Container Runtimes
- Kubernetes blog: Don't Panic: Kubernetes and Docker
Cluster 2: Kubernetes Foundations
- Kubernetes: Cluster Architecture
- Kubernetes: Components
- Kubernetes: Pods
- Kubernetes: Pod Lifecycle
- Kubernetes: Deployments
- Kubernetes: Controllers
- Kubernetes: Object Management
Cluster 3: Networking and Services
- Kubernetes: Cluster Networking
- Kubernetes: Services, Load Balancing, and Networking
- Kubernetes: Service
- Kubernetes: DNS for Services and Pods
- Kubernetes: Virtual IPs and Service Proxies
- Kubernetes: Ingress
- Kubernetes: Gateway API
Cluster 4: Configuration and State
- Kubernetes: ConfigMaps
- Kubernetes: Secrets
- Kubernetes: Volumes
- Kubernetes: Persistent Volumes
- Kubernetes: Storage Classes
- Kubernetes: StatefulSets
- Kubernetes: Headless Services
Cluster 5: Operating a Cluster
- Kubernetes: Resource Management for Pods and Containers
- Kubernetes: Horizontal Pod Autoscaling
- Kubernetes: Pod Security Standards
- Kubernetes: RBAC Authorization
- Kubernetes: Troubleshooting Applications
- Kubernetes: kubectl Reference
Concept-to-Source Map
| Concept page | Best source if stuck | Why this source |
|---|---|---|
| Namespaces and cgroups | namespaces(7) | Authoritative per-namespace semantics at the kernel layer |
| OCI images, layers, and the runtime | OCI Image Spec | Defines the exact manifest and config structure |
| Docker vs containerd vs CRI-O | Kubernetes: Container Runtimes | Clearly names where each piece lives in the runtime stack |
| The control plane | Cluster Architecture | Canonical component description |
| Pods, ReplicaSets, Deployments | Deployments | Full update, rollback, and strategy fields |
| The declarative reconciliation loop | Controllers | Kubernetes' own phrasing of the loop |
| Cluster networking model | Cluster Networking | States the four guarantees and CNI landscape |
| Services, kube-proxy, cluster DNS | Service | Complete Service behavior and EndpointSlice details |
| Ingress and the Gateway API | Gateway API | Current recommended direction for new clusters |
| ConfigMaps, Secrets, and env injection | Secrets | Most subtle and most often misused |
| Volumes, PVs, StorageClasses | Persistent Volumes | Full binding and reclaim lifecycle |
| StatefulSets and headless services | StatefulSets | Ordered rollout and identity guarantees |
| Resources, QoS, HPA | Resource Management | Precise CPU/memory semantics and QoS derivation |
| Security contexts, PSS, RBAC | Pod Security Standards | Profile definitions and enforcement model |
| Observability and kubectl workflow | Troubleshooting Applications | Official debug task catalog |