We are smiling ear to ear this week about something that probably has you asking “Kube’a What?”
Last week we made a massive change to the way Gazelle runs, and odds are you slept right through it. That is because running Kubernetes is all about scale, stability, and speed of future development. We have dedicated nearly all of 2017 preparing for some sweet new features (and redesigns of old ones) that will be coming in 2018. Kubernetes is going to make this possible.
Why Kubernetes?
You can think of Kubernetes like a cargo ship. Hauling around 3 or 4 shipping containers is easy, but 100,000 steel boxes, yikes! You need something to organize and manage everything just so you don’t spend all your development time looking for a needle in a haystack.
Doesn’t everyone build software this way?
No. Most software is built to last less than 2 years. Running Kubernetes is a statement that says “We plan to be around until the end of the internet…” It is the kind of thing you do when you plan to support a software for the long haul. It’s like upgrading the repetition springs on a concert grand. What you had before worked, but in 5 years it is not going to be enough. In order to manage our growth and keep our focus on future development, it was necessary to spend several months upgrading all the backend components of our system. We did this because we are serious about keeping our promise to build Gazelle with the long-term in view.
How does this impact me?
There are some immediate ways this will impact you:
- No more scheduled downtimes to upgrade our servers – Kubernetes enable us to dynamically update our servers without taking them offline.
- Faster Development of New Features – Kubernetes helps us focus more of our time on developing new features instead of fussing with our infrastructure.
- More Reliability / Possibilities – With less of our time spent updating our infrastructure, our team will be able to focus on improving features and focusing on customer service.
Give Credit where Credit is Due
Nathan did all the heavy lifting to reconfigure our entire codebase to run on Kubernetes. His dedication and raw talent is the reason Gazelle is technically punching way above our class right now. We are so excited to have him on our team and to be moving forward with an ambitious 2018 development schedule. Because of Kubernetes, we anticipate accomplishing more next year than we have in years past.
