Keeping Kubernetes Clusters Up-to-date
A Guide to Upgrading Kubelet to the latest version 1.29.3.
Introduction
In the rapidly evolving world of container orchestration, Kubernetes has established itself as a front-runner, offering unparalleled flexibility, scalability, and management features. For system administrators and DevOps professionals, maintaining the health and efficiency of a Kubernetes cluster involves several critical tasks, among which keeping the Kubernetes components up-to-date is paramount. This article focuses on upgrading one of the core components of Kubernetes: the Kubelet.
Understanding the Kubelet
The Kubelet acts as the primary “node agent” running on each node in a Kubernetes cluster. It ensures that containers are running in a Pod and that the containers meet the specifications outlined in the PodSpec. The Kubelet takes a set of PodSpecs provided by various mechanisms (primarily through the apiserver) and ensures that the containers described in those PodSpecs are running and healthy. It also reports back to the rest of the Kubernetes control plane, allowing for a comprehensive view of the health of the cluster.
