About the book
About the book
This is an up-to-date book about Kubernetes that’s short and straight-to-the-point.
Paperback editions
There are a few different versions of the paperback available:
• I self-publish paperback copies on Amazon in as many markets as possible
• A special-edition paperback is available for the Indian sub-continent via Shroff Publishers
• A simplified Chinese paperback is available via Posts & Telecom Press Co. LTD in China Why is there a special paperback edition for the Indian sub-continent?
At the time of writing, the Amazon self-publishing service was not available in India. This meant I did’nt have a way to get paperback copies to readers in India. I considered several options and decided to partner with Shroff Publishers who have made a low-cost paperback available to readers in the Indian sub-continent. I’m grateful to Shroff for helping me make the book available to as many readers as possible.
Audio book
There’s a highly entertaining audio version of the March 2019 edition available from Audible. This edition has a few minor tweaks to the examples and labs so that they’re easier to follow in an audio book. But aside from that, you get the full experience.
eBook and Kindle editions
The easiest place to get an electronic copy is leanpub.com. It’s a slick platform and updates are free and simple.
You can also get a Kindle edition from Amazon, which also entitles you to free updates. However, Kindle is notoriously bad at delivering updates. If you have problems getting updates to your Kindle edition, contact Kindle Support and they’ll resolve the issue.
Feedback
If you like the book and it added value, please share the love by recommending it to a friend and leaving a review on Amazon (you can leave an Amazon review even if you bought it somewhere else).
0: About the book
2
Why should anyone read this book or care about Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is white-hot, and Kubernetes skills are in high demand. So, if you want to push ahead with your career and work with a technology that’s shaping the future, you need to read this book. If you don’t care about your career and are fine being left behind, don’t read it. It’s the truth.
Should I buy the book if I’ve already watched your video
training courses?
Kubernetes is Kubernetes. So yes, there’s obviously similarities between my books and video courses. But reading books and watching videos are totally different experiences and have very different impacts on learning. In my opinion, videos are more fun, but books are easier to make notes in and flick through when you’re trying to find something.
If I was you, I’d watch the videos and get the book. They complement each other, and learning via multiple methods is a proven strategy.
Some of my Video courses:
• Getting Started with Kubernetes (pluralsight.com)
• Kubernetes Deep Dive (acloud.guru)
• Kubernetes 101 (nigelpoulton.com)
• Docker Deep Dive (pluralsight.com)
Updates to the book
I’ve done everything I can to make sure your investment in this book is maximized to the fullest extent.
All Kindle and Leanpub customers receive all updates at no extra cost. Updates work well on Leanpub, but it’s a different story on Kindle. Many readers complain that their Kindle devices don’t get access to updates. This is a common issue, and one that is easily resolved by contacting Kindle Support.
If you buy a paperback version from Amazon.com, you can get the Kindle version at the discounted price of $2.99. This is done via the Kindle Matchbook program. Unfortunately, Kindle Matchbook is only available in the US, and it’s buggy — sometimes the Kindle Matchbook icon doesn’t appear on the book’s Amazon selling page.
Contact Kindle Support if you have issues like this and they’ll sort things out.
Things will be different if you buy the book through other channels, as I have no control over them. I’m a techie, not a book publisher ¯\_(�)_/¯
The book’s GitHub repo
The book has a GitHub repo with all of the YAML code and examples used throughout the book:
0: About the book
3
https://github.com/nigelpoulton/TheK8sBook
Versions of the book
Kubernetes is developing fast! As a result, the value of a book like this is inversely proportional to how old it is.
Whoa, that’s a mouthful. Put in other words, the older any Kubernetes book is, the less valuable it is. With this in mind, I’m committed to updating the book at least once per year. And when I say “update”, I mean real updates — every word and concept is reviewed, and every example is tested and updated. I’m 100% committed to making this book the best Kubernetes book in the world.
If an update every year seems like a lot… welcome to the new normal.
We no longer live in a world where a 2-year-old technology book is valuable. In fact, I question the value of a 1-year-old book on a topic that’s developing as fast as Kubernetes. Don’t get me wrong, as an author I’d love to write a book that was useful for 5 years. But that’s not the world we live in. Again… welcome to the new normal.
• Version 7: September 2020. Tested against Kubernetes1.18. Added new chapter on StatefulSets. Added glossary of terms.
• **Version 6: February 2020. All content tested with Kubernetes version 1.16.6. Added new chapter on service discovery. Removed Appendix as people thought it gave the book an unfinished feel.
• Version 5 November 2019. All content updated and examples tested on Kubernetes 1.16.2. Added new chapter on ConfigMaps. Moved Chapter 8 to the end as an appendix and added overview of service mesh technology to the appendix.
• Version 4 March 2019. All content updated and all examples tested on the latest versions of Kubernetes.
Added new Storage Chapter. Added new real-world security section with two new chapters.
• Version 3 November 2018. Re-ordered some chapters for better flow. Removed the ReplicaSets chapter and shifted that content to an improved Deployments chapter. Added new chapter giving overview of other major concepts not covered in dedicated chapters.
• Version 2.2 January 2018. Fixed a few typos, added several clarifications, and added a couple of new diagrams.
• Version 2.1 December 2017. Fixed a few typos and updated Figures 6.11 and 6.12 to include missing labels.
• Version 2. October 2017. Added new chapter on ReplicaSets. Added significant changes to Pods chapter.
Fixed typos and made a few other minor updates to existing chapters.
• Version 1 July 2017. Initial version.