Kubernetes Is the Future of Infrastructure but What's the Future of Kubernetes?

As the complexity of cloud applications increases with the adoption of the technology, more advanced tools have become widespread among developers.

One of these tools is Kubernetes, which was brought about by the need for easy management and orchestration of Docker containers.

But Kubernetes has been with us for a while now. Out of enthusiasm, you may want to ask, what cloud technology will come after Kubernetes?

As we all know, cloud computing is a fast-evolving field, so accurately predicting what technology will come next in the cloud computing world is no easy feat. But if we look at the prominent areas where the current cloud technologies do not cover enough, we can possibly guess right.

Already, various not-so-popular technologies have looked to address some of these areas, even though they are yet to be widely accepted.

Micro VMs

A promising cloud technology that may become widely accepted after Kubernetes is micro VM Kubernetes distributions. AWS Firecracker is the most popular of micro VM Kubernetes, which packages micro virtual machines into a Kubernetes cluster to enhance the security, workload isolation, and efficiency of resources.

Ignite, another initiative by Weaveworks, is an open source Virtual Machine (VM) manager with a container UX and built-in GitOps management.

Other development efforts like slim aims to build and run tiny vms from Dockerfiles.

Unikernels

If it eventually goes mainstream, Unikernels will be an exciting technology that will help cloud professionals harness the full benefits that are supposed to be offered by containers in cloud-native environments.

Unikernels are considered a hybrid of VMs and containers and provide improved security and agility than we have in both container and VMs.

Instead of the shared operating systems and Kernels like we have in containers, Unikernels packages application images with an operating system, its own Kernel, and all other relevant dependencies required to run in different environments.

Unikernels images are highly optimized with smaller footprints and can boot faster than containers because they contain all necessary dependencies. These features will quickly make it the “professional’s favorite” when the technology finally goes mainstream.

Also, Docker recently acquired Unikernel systems. That signals that it may be adding support for Unikernels soon to make them more usable in the actual development and production environments.

No/Low-code containerization and orchestration platforms

As DevOps and cloud engineers are looking to make the tools they use and their entire workflow easier and automated, an increase in the adoption of low-code platforms is expected.

Already, there are no-code platforms like ShuttleOps and CloudPlex that provide easy drag and drop CI/CD functionality for building and deploying docker containers.

When new low-code platforms with even better functionalities are launched, there will be an increase in the adoption of no-code/low-code, resulting in the technology becoming a new norm.

Functionalities such as taking a users Dockerfile or docker compose file and running it without the user having to go through other complexities like nodes, pods, and integrated services.

Security improvements on Kubernetes

One of the backlashes of Kubernetes is security. As the adoption of Kubernetes accelerated, so is the number of threats targeted at its clusters.

Cryptojacking is one of the most common such attacks on Kubernetes clusters in which attackers carry out cryptocurrency mining operations on the victim’s cluster.

Even though professionals using Kubernetes find ways to secure their clusters, a built-in high-security feature will make container management and orchestration much easier.

Lightweight Kubernetes distributions

To avoid the complexities of installing Kubernetes, cloud engineers and DevOps professionals will use lightweight versions of Kubernetes. Lightweight distributions like k3s are easy to install via the command line. K3s offers a more secure and lightweight storage backend packaged in a single binary with reduced size.

Kubernetes for edge and IoT

Like lightweight Kubernetes is expected to get more adoption, other Kubernetes distributions such as microk8s and kubeedge are expected to reach more adoption for edge computing and IoT applications. These Kubernetes distributions provide the simplicity and lightweight needed for edge computing.

Kubernetes multi-cluster management will be easier using some tools

With the increasing number of teams and organizations running multiple Kubernetes clusters in the clouds, managing numerous Kubernetes clusters gets difficult. Cluster management tools like Rancher, Kubespray, CiliumMesh, Submariner, Skupper, and Istio will make the management of multi-cluster Kubernetes environments more accessible and efficient.