KubeCrash Fall 2023: Multi-cluster deployments at enterprise scale

Dave Sudia
Ambassador Labs
Published in
5 min readSep 29, 2023

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Virtual. Free. 100% Open Source.

KubeCon NA is just around the corner, and that means KubeCrash, the Chicago warm-up, is almost here too! Join us on October 18 for a virtual, free, and 100% open source-focused conference. This time around, we’ll dive deep into cooperative multi-cluster deployments at enterprise scale. Check out the program and register today.

Image source: https://www.kubecrash.io/

Multi-cluster deployments at enterprise scale

This KubeCrash will dive deep into multi-cluster deployments at enterprise scale, using a single stateful demo app throughout the presentations. We’ll tie clusters into a single network (Linkerd), allow for automated cluster-wide certificate hierarchies (cert-manager), enable cost-effective cross-cluster communications (Emissary-Ingress), and set up Kubernetes guardrails to avoid misconfiguration-based app failure (Polaris), all while using a distributed database to ensure surviving failures of individual pieces (CockroachDB). Then, we’ll move the stateful app from one cloud to another while achieving high availability and latency reduction in a multi-cloud setup. In short, we’ll cover everything enterprise users need to know to get the most out of cooperative multi-cluster deployments, while keeping a handle on operational complexity and cost.

Join us to get practical advice from project maintainers on how to implement a cooperative multi-cluster deployment with open source tools, and hear from practitioners who’ll share pitfalls and lessons learned. Look also forward to several lighting talks on various CNCF initiatives and why they matter, including the CNCF Deaf and Hard of Hearing Working Group and TAG Sustainability.

Why multi-cluster?

A multi-cluster approach offers key advantages for enterprises. It improves application isolation and security by enforcing a default denial stance between clusters. Scaling is made more efficient, ensuring that new hardware is directed exactly where needed. For disaster recovery and business continuity, multiple clusters provide resilience against failures, although their effectiveness does depend on their geographical distribution. And the transition to treating the whole cluster, not just pods, as disposable resources (“cattle”) marks an operational evolution, optimizing resource management. In short, a multi-cluster model is a robust, scalable, and resilient solution, which is why we are seeing increasingly more enterprises adopting one. And with adoption, come questions, which is why we’ll try to answer them.

Partners for Good

Why not do good while learning about cloud native tech? KubeCrash partners are teaming up to raise money for Deaf Kids Code. We’ll donate $1 for each KubeCrash registration to the non-profit.

The risk of under- or unemployment of deaf and hard of hearing individuals is significantly higher than for hearing adults — a discrepancy that is purely based on communication barriers. Today, computing has become a bridge, providing a streamlined way to interact, creating lots of new opportunities. Deaf Kids Code’s goal is to promote, inspire, and empower deaf and hard of hearing children to innovate through the world of programming. A wonderful initiative that pursues very similar goals to the CNCF Deaf and Hard of Hearing Working Group which was initiated by one of the KubeCrash co-founders.

About KubeCrash

Now in its fourth round, KubeCrash comes in a new format. One day focused on one topic: Cooperative multi-cluster deployments at enterprise scale. Why? Because, as enterprises start adopting multi-cloud, they don’t only need to understand how one little piece of technology works, they need to understand how all the different modules work together to achieve a common goal — they need a full picture. That’s why we are diving deep into one particular problem and showcasing how multiple projects can help you solve that. After the conference, we’ll summarize everything in an ebook which we’ll send to all registered participants — an additional perk we’ll hope you’ll enjoy.

KubeCrash is hosted by six open source companies who teamed up to bring you top-notch, KubeCon-grade crash courses on cloud native tech. No vendor pitches, just awesome open source content on projects such as Linkerd, cert-manager, Polaris, Emissary-Ingress, and CockroachDB. Check out the talks from KubeCrash Spring 2023 to get a sense of what to expect.

Why open source

When it comes to enterprise-grade cloud native tooling, DevOps teams often drive the technology choices to build Kubernetes production environments. Widely recognized as lower cost and more secure than proprietary software, we increasingly see engineers gravitate toward freely available open source. Open source can also be significantly easier to integrate and support than closed source solutions, which is why engineers love using them.

In short, open source has become critical to any modern technology stack. KubeCrash aims to help engineering teams develop the needed skill set to leverage these technologies in their production environments effectively. During these one-day knowledge-sharing and virtual learning sessions, developers, reliability engineers, cloud security specialists, and platform engineers will learn directly from the maintainers of some of the most popular open source projects.

The KubeCrash program

Come prepared for a schedule packed with great content and actionable insights directly from thought leaders and the teams that maintain some of the ecosystem’s most popular open source projects.

Wednesday, October 18 (4 pm CET | 10 am ET | 7 am PT)

Opening keynote (to be announced)

Lighting talks:

  • Inclusion Matters: Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Cloud Native and Open Source
  • CNCF TAG Sustainability Co-Chair

Main session:

  • Cooperating Clusters: Linkerd’s new take on multi-cluster
  • Emissary-Ingress for multi-cluster: Who are you and where are you going?
  • Simplifying Multi-Cluster Identities with cert-manager
  • End user panel discussion
  • Achieving Resilience and Efficiency with Kubernetes in a Multi-Cloud Environment
  • Kubernetes Best Practices at Scale: Apply Consistency Across Multi-Clusters
  • Building Mission-critical, Multi-region Applications with CockroachDB

Lighting talks:

  • Cloud Native Sustainability: A New Frontier
  • CNCF Platform Working Group

Closing keynote (to be announced)

Check out the program page for more details.

Join us on October 18

Join us on Wednesday, October 18, for a specifically curated set of sessions, each led by a project maintainer, from projects covering modern multi-cloud deployments. It will be live, interactive, and fun.

Register today

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