Very few platforms in this world satisfy every need out of the box. Even a powerful platform like Kubernetes is no exception. You will always find a scenario or a use case where the OOTB Kubernetes falls short. It could be anything from database support to continuous delivery.
And that’s where a plethora of Kubernetes companions come in. They beautifully complement the Kubernetes cluster by specifically addressing all those needs, which is not possible via stock Kubernetes. In this post, we will look at 7 such tools and find out how they make Kubernetes a better platform.
Table of Contents
- Loft - The best self-service control platform for Kubernetes
- Aqua Security - The best security tool for Kubernetes
- Helm - The best package manager for Kubernetes
- Grafana - The best monitoring tool for Kubernetes
- K9s - The best CLI for Kubernetes
- Flagger - The best progressive delivery operator for Kubernetes
- GlooMesh - The best service mesh tool for Kubernetes
- Conclusion
Loft - The best self-service control platform for Kubernetes
Loft is a control platform that works on top of the Kubernetes cluster, primarily for self-service and multi-tenancy deployments. This intuitive platform automatically captures all the unused and old namespaces and automatically puts such namespaces to sleep if you enable the Sleep Mode. And as you would have guessed, this happens after a specific period of inactivity. The platform also enables users to pre-set quotas for every account, team, and user. The platform also comes with a multi-tenant access control supplemented by fully-automated tenant isolation.
Aqua Security - The best security tool for Kubernetes
The next tool on our list is a highly developer-focused security solution that’s tailored specifically for containerized settings. The goal of this tool is straightforward - to ensure that your container-based application is secure throughout its lifecycle, right from development to production. This tool is known to offer 360-degree visibility into container activity. It also enables organizations to enforce different security policies, thereby preventing threats in real time. The best part about this tool is its unique security approach that works without slowing down the development process or operation.
## Helm - The best package manager for Kubernetes
If you are looking for a package manager for your Kubernetes cluster, your search will end with Helm. Helm simplifies the deployment of your apps on Kubernetes and is also used for their administration. Interestingly, Helm uses a packaging format called Charts, which is a collection of files describing a related set of Kubernetes resources. Helm charts are easy to version, share, and host on any public or private server. It also makes updates and rollbacks extremely simple and efficient, thereby boosting collaboration between your team.
Grafana - The best monitoring tool for Kubernetes
Grafana helps in tracking various performance metrics and audit changes to the deployed environments. It can even help in retrieving logs that empower you to debug application crashes. Troubleshooting Kubernetes without a monitoring solution like Grafana can make your life difficult by allowing problems to go unnoticed. Grafana lets you drill down your infrastructure through the cluster navigation view, which lets you instantly identify issues. You no longer have to switch between multiple windows or tabs to do this.
K9s - The best CLI for Kubernetes
K9s is a terminal-based Command Line Interface tool designed to interact with Kuberenets clusters. K9s primarily focuses on making it extremely easy to navigate and administer your deployed applications in Kubernetes. Not only is it open-source, but it keeps continuous track of Kubernetes for any changes. This way, it can provide appropriate commands to interact with the observed resources. K9s can run on a variety of OS, including Linux, macOS, and Windows. It also utilizes aliased to navigate across most of the K8s resources.
Flagger - The best progressive delivery operator for Kubernetes
Flagger is a progressive delivery tool that transforms the release process of applications into automatic operation. It eliminates the risk of a new software version in production thanks to its ability to move the traffic to the new version in parallel to measuring and running tests on metrics. Flagger lets you expand your application analysis with the help of custom metrics and webhooks. This lets you run acceptance tests, load tests, and others custom validations. Some of the important metrics measured by this platform include average request duration, HTTP requests success rate, and pod health.
GlooMesh - The best service mesh tool for Kubernetes
The last tool on our list is Gloo Mesh which is a Kubernetes-native management solution that facilitates the configuration and operational management of service meshes. It also simplifies the configuration of service-to-service connectivity and gives you total visibility. The tool also comes with a bouquet of advanced features such as VM support, multi-tenancy workspaces, and advanced security, to name a few. Gloo Mesh also offers both graphical and command line UIs, and debugging tools.
Conclusion
Kubernetes is constantly evolving. It is also largely community-driven. As a result, you will find new tools, extensions, add-ons, etc., constantly sprouting and filling the gap left by the OOTB Kubernetes platform. When you club the tools highlighted in this post with Kubernetes, your container management experience will be more efficient and less stressful.
