K3s vs K8s: Understanding the Differences

As an experienced developer, you might already be familiar with Kubernetes (K8s), but if you're new to the world of container orchestration, you might be wondering about K3s and how it compares to K8s. In this article, I'll guide you through the process of understanding the key differences between K3s and K8s, and provide you with code examples to help you along the way.

Step 1: Understanding Kubernetes and K3s

Kubernetes (K8s) is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It is widely used in the industry for its robust features and scalability. On the other hand, K3s is a lightweight Kubernetes distribution designed for resource-constrained environments, such as edge computing and IoT devices. It is designed to be simple to install and operate, making it a great choice for small-scale deployments.

| Step | Description |
| ---- | ----------- |
| 1 | Understand the basics of Kubernetes and K3s. |
| 2 | Install K3s and K8s on your local machine or a cloud environment. |
| 3 | Deploy a sample application on both K3s and K8s. |
| 4 | Compare the resource usage, performance, and ease of management of K3s and K8s. |

Step 2: Installing K3s and K8s

To install K3s, you can use the following script:

```shell
curl -sfL https://get.k3s.io | sh -
```
This script will download and install K3s on your machine. Once the installation is complete, you can start the K3s server using the following command:

```shell
sudo systemctl start k3s
```

To install K8s, you can use tools like kubeadm or Minikube. Here's an example using kubeadm:

```shell
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y apt-transport-https curl
curl -s https://packages.cloud.google.com/apt/doc/apt-key.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
echo "deb https://apt.kubernetes.io/ kubernetes-xenial main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kubernetes.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y kubelet kubeadm kubectl
```

Step 3: Deploying a Sample Application

Now that you have both K3s and K8s installed, let's deploy a sample application on both platforms. Here's an example YAML file for a simple NGINX deployment:

```yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: nginx-deployment
spec:
replicas: 3
selector:
matchLabels:
app: nginx
template:
metadata:
labels:
app: nginx
spec:
containers:
- name: nginx
image: nginx:latest
ports:
- containerPort: 80
```

Save this file as `nginx-deployment.yaml` and apply it to both K3s and K8s using the following command:

```shell
kubectl apply -f nginx-deployment.yaml
```

Step 4: Comparing K3s and K8s

Once you have deployed the sample application on both K3s and K8s, you can compare the resource usage, performance, and ease of management of the two platforms. You can use commands like `kubectl top` to view resource usage and metrics, and explore the Kubernetes dashboard to manage your deployments.

In conclusion, K3s and K8s both have their strengths and weaknesses, and the choice between them depends on your specific use case. K3s is a lightweight, easy-to-use Kubernetes distribution for small-scale deployments, while K8s offers a more robust and feature-rich platform for larger-scale applications. By understanding the differences between K3s and K8s, you can make an informed decision on which platform best suits your needs.