The Kubernetes Book — Fully Updated for 2026

By Nigel Poulton — author of the first ever Kubernetes book. His books have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and his training courses have taught millions of engineers worldwide.

Kubernetes is how modern infrastructure runs. This book is how people learn it.

What’s new in this 2026 edition

• Fully updated for the latest Kubernetes releases
• New Gateway API chapter — weighted traffic splitting and cross-namespace routing
• Refreshed examples throughout

What you’ll learn

Everything from Kubernetes architecture and the control plane, to scheduling, networking, RBAC, scaling, rolling updates, ingress, and self-healing apps. You’ll also learn how to set up clusters from scratch (including free options) and extend the Kubernetes API.

Who it’s for

Developers building containerised or microservices-based applications. DevOps and platform engineers deploying or operating clusters. Infrastructure and IT professionals moving into cloud-native environments.

Studying for your CKA?

The Certified Kubernetes Administrator exam is one of the most sought-after certifications in cloud-native infrastructure, and this book is where thousands of candidates have started their preparation. It covers the core Kubernetes concepts and hands-on skills the exam tests, explained clearly enough that you’ll actually understand them, not just memorise them.

Why readers keep coming back every year

No jargon. No padding. Fully updated every year so it’s never out of date.

The only Kubernetes book you’ll ever need to keep.

September 2020 edition.

Every page and every example has been checked against the latest versions of Kubernetes (1.18) and the latest trends in the cloud-native ecosystem.

Containers have revolutionized the way we package and run applications. However, like most things, containers come with their own set of challenges. This is where Kubernetes enters the scene.

Kubernetes helps you deploy and manage containerized applications at scale. It also abstracts the underlying infrastructure so that you don’t need to care if you’re deploying applications to Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, or your own on-premises datacenter. With Kubernetes, you can develop applications on your laptop, deploy to your favourite cloud platform, migrate to a different cloud platform, and even migrate to your private cloud at your on-premises datacenter.

The Kubernetes Book starts from the beginning, explains all concepts in a clear and friendly manner, and covers everything needed for you to become proficient at Kubernetes. It even includes two chapters dedicated to threat-modeling Kubernetes and real-world security.

You’ll learn:
– Kubernetes architecture
– How to build Kubernetes
– How to deploy, self-heal, scale, and perform rolling updates on applications
– How to secure Kubernetes
– The meaning of terms such as; cloud-native, microservices, desired state, containerized, and more…

Finally, Kubernetes and cloud technologies are developing fast! That’s why this book will be updated at least once per year, meaning it’s always up-to-date with the latest versions of Kubernetes and the latest trends in the cloud-native ecosystem.