Kubernetes Production Readiness Checklist

Baikal Signal

Moving a Kubernetes cluster to production requires careful planning and configuration. This checklist covers the essential areas you need to address before going live.

Security Configuration

Security should be your top priority when preparing for production. Start with these fundamental configurations:

RBAC and Authentication

Implement role-based access control to limit permissions:

apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
                                                                        kind: Role
                                                                        metadata:
                                                                          namespace: production
                                                                          name: pod-reader
                                                                        rules:
                                                                        - apiGroups: [""]
                                                                          resources: ["pods"]
                                                                          verbs: ["get", "watch", "list"]

Key security measures to implement:

• Enable Pod Security Standards
• Use network policies to restrict traffic
• Implement secrets encryption at rest
• Regular security scanning of container images
• Limit privilege escalation with allowPrivilegeEscalation: false

Monitoring and Observability

You can't manage what you can't measure. Deploy a comprehensive monitoring stack before production.

Essential Metrics

Monitor these key indicators:

• Cluster resource utilization (CPU, memory, disk)
• Pod restart rates and failure counts
• API server latency and request rates
• etcd performance metrics
• Application-level metrics via service mesh

kubectl top nodes
                                                                        kubectl top pods --all-namespaces

Resource Management

Proper resource allocation prevents resource contention and ensures stability.

Resource Limits and Requests

Always define both requests and limits:

resources:
                                                                          requests:
                                                                            memory: "256Mi"
                                                                            cpu: "250m"
                                                                          limits:
                                                                            memory: "512Mi"
                                                                            cpu: "500m"

Network Policies

Implement zero-trust networking by default denying all traffic and explicitly allowing what's needed.

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
                                                                        kind: NetworkPolicy
                                                                        metadata:
                                                                          name: deny-all
                                                                        spec:
                                                                          podSelector: {}
                                                                          policyTypes:
                                                                          - Ingress
                                                                          - Egress

Backup and Disaster Recovery

Test your backup and restore procedures before you need them. Use tools like Velero for cluster-level backups.

Regular testing should include:

• etcd snapshot restoration
• Application data recovery
• Cluster recreation from scratch
• Cross-region failover procedures

Summary

Production readiness is not a one-time checklist but an ongoing process. Start with security, implement comprehensive monitoring, manage resources carefully, and always have a tested backup strategy. Review and update your configurations regularly as your cluster evolves.