Kubernetes Basics | Cluster, kubectl & First Pod

You will create a local Kubernetes cluster, learn the core kubectl workflow, and run your first deployment. By the end you will understand how the control plane keeps your desired state running.

Learning Objectives

Spin up a local cluster with kind or minikube.
Use kubectl to create and inspect workloads.
Run a self-healing deployment.
Time: ~3 hours · Difficulty: Intermediate · Prereqs: Docker and kubectl installed.

Architecture Overview

graph LR K[kubectl] -->|apply| API[API Server] API --> ETCD[(etcd desired state)] API --> Sch[Scheduler] Sch --> Node[Worker Node] Node --> Pod[Pod] CM[Controller Manager] -->|reconcile| API

Environment Setup

You will need: Docker, kubectl, and kind (or minikube).

Before you begin: confirm kubectl is installed with kubectl version --client.

Step-by-Step Execution

Create a local cluster

kind create cluster --name lab

Boots a single-node Kubernetes cluster in Docker.

Run a deployment

A Deployment declares desired replicas; the controller keeps that many pods running.

kubectl create deployment web --image=nginx:stable --replicas=2

Inspect the cluster

$ kubectl get pods -o wide

NAME READY STATUS NODE web-6f...-a1b2 1/1 Running lab-control-plane web-6f...-c3d4 1/1 Running lab-control-plane

Progress So Far

graph LR A[01 Create cluster] -->|done| B[02 Deployment] B -->|done| C[03 Inspect] C -->|next| V[Self-heal test] style A fill:#1a4a1a,stroke:#00ff00,color:#fff style B fill:#1a4a1a,stroke:#00ff00,color:#fff style C fill:#1a4a1a,stroke:#00ff00,color:#fff style V fill:#1a1a2e,stroke:#00d4ff,color:#e0e0e0

Testing & Validation

kubectl delete pod -l app=web --field-selector status.phase=Running --grace-period=0 | head -1; kubectl get deploy web

After deleting a pod, the deployment should report the desired replica count again within seconds, proving self-healing.

Troubleshooting

kubectl cannot connect: kind writes a kubeconfig context; confirm with kubectl config current-context.
Pods Pending: the node may lack resources; check kubectl describe pod.
ImagePullBackOff: the image name or tag is wrong; verify it pulls with docker.

Extension Ideas

Expose the deployment in Pods & Deployments.
Add networking and Services in Kubernetes Networking.
Move to managed Kubernetes in Azure Kubernetes Service.

Key Results

Created a working local Kubernetes cluster.
Ran a 2-replica deployment via kubectl.
Observed control-plane reconciliation of desired state.
Proved self-healing by deleting and recovering a pod.

Kubernetes Basics: Your First Cluster and Pod