Kubernetes in Production
Move beyond basic pods to operating resilient, scalable distributed systems on Kubernetes. Learn how workloads communicate, self-heal, scale, and persist state through declarative manifests, controllers, and core cluster architecture.
Like Duolingo, but for Kubernetes in Production. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
24 levels across 3 sections, about 48 minutes end to end, roughly 10 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Operating Workloads and Traffic; State, Scheduling, and Scaling; and Architecture, Control Plane, and Security. It assumes you already know the basics.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in Kubernetes in Production
- Kubernetes calculates minimum allowed capacity during rollouts as replica count minus maxUnavailable.
- Setting maxUnavailable to 0 ensures Kubernetes will not shut down an old pod until a new pod is ready.
- A positive maxSurge allows Kubernetes to create temporary extra pods above the target replica count.
- A failing readiness probe signals kubelet to isolate the pod by stripping it from Service endpoints.
- A failing liveness probe triggers kubelet to kill and restart the container based on its restartPolicy.
- Readiness probes allow overloaded or warming containers to pause incoming traffic without dying.
- Kubernetes disables liveness and readiness probe execution until the startup probe succeeds.
- Startup probes provide slow-initializing apps a dedicated grace window before liveness probe rules apply.
- Without a startup probe, slow startup times often trigger aggressive liveness restarts in CrashLoopBackOff.
- Exceeding CPU limits results in CFS throttling rather than container termination.
- Exceeding memory limits causes the Linux kernel OOM killer to terminate the offending container immediately.
- Resource requests govern node scheduling placement, while limits govern node-level runtime enforcement.
- Kubernetes executes the preStop hook blocking call prior to delivering the SIGTERM signal.
- Kubernetes begins endpoint deregistration concurrently as shutdown initiates to halt new traffic.
- Kubernetes issues SIGKILL only after terminationGracePeriodSeconds elapses from the initial stop signal.
- ConfigMaps externalize runtime flags and URLs so identical container images run across dev, staging, and prod
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives Kubernetes in Production the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
What happens when you set maxUnavailable to 0 in your rolling update strategy?
Get it right to open this lesson and 23 more in the app.
How to learn Kubernetes in Production, step by step
Go in order. 24 short levels across 3 sections, about 48 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Operating Workloads and Traffic
- Deployments, Rollouts, and Lifecycle Probes
- Application Configuration and Secret Management
- Cluster Networking and External Ingress
- 2
State, Scheduling, and Scaling
- Persistent Storage and Stateful Workloads
- Workload Placement and Node Scheduling
- Autoscaling and Resilience Patterns
- 3
Architecture, Control Plane, and Security
- Control Plane Reconciliation and Internal Architecture
- Cluster Security, Boundaries, and Custom Operators
3 sections · 8 units · 24 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about Kubernetes in Production
How do I learn Kubernetes in Production?
Go in order: start with Operating Workloads and Traffic, then State, Scheduling, and Scaling, then Architecture, Control Plane, and Security. On Tomo that's 24 short levels, about 48 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for Kubernetes in Production?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. Kubernetes in Production is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the Kubernetes in Production course free?
Yes. Kubernetes in Production is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn Kubernetes in Production?
24 levels across 3 sections, about 48 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start Kubernetes in Production?
No. It's pitched at an intermediate level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
Kubernetes in Production is taught in the Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start Kubernetes in Production today.
Download Tomo, search Kubernetes in Production, and play your first lesson in under a minute.