If I were about to get started on Kubernetes in 2026

Get started on Kubernetes in 2026 with essential tips for setting up your local cluster and enhancing your learning experience.

Mélony Qin Published on November 26, 2025 0

Once you’ve understood Kubernetes and its core principles, learning is always fun, isn’t it? The next step is to set up a local Kubernetes cluster for practical learning. So, in this blog post, let’s talk about how to set up your local Kubernetes cluster.

Why should you learn Kubernetes?

Do you know OpenAI is deployed on Kubernetes and scaling to 7,500 worker nodes? When we talk about Kubernetes slots into microservices architecture, when we talk about a single unit of the loosely coupled unit, putting it into a container or leveraging Serverless functions are both viable solutions.

A container is a way to package and isolate an application and its dependencies in a way that allows them to be easily moved from one computing environment to another, a.k .a. portability. Plus, it makes deploying apps consistent and reliable, regardless of their computer setup.

I wrote a medium post to help you learn Kubernetes in the right way in 2024. And if you’d like to extend your learning to start your career in this field, passing a Kubernetes certification is a good path to pursue. The following book helps you get covered :

Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) Exam Guide: Validate your Kubernetes knowledge and implement it in a real-life production environment.

Develop a deep understanding of Kubernetes and the cloud native ecosystem, and pass the CKA exam with confidence with this end-to-end study guide.

Order Paperback

Order Kindle

Leveraging Managed Kubernetes playground

Before we begin, it’s worth noting that the market offers many managed Kubernetes playgrounds.

Managed Kubernetes playgrounds allow users to experiment with Kubernetes clusters without the hassle of setting up and managing infrastructure. They typically provide pre-configured Kubernetes environments that users can access via a web interface or command-line interface.

Some platforms also equipped educational resources and interactive tutorials, it is a nice option to play with new Kubernetes features in a hassle-free environment.

Killercoda playground

Killercoda is a virtual playground offering instant browser access to fully functional Linux or Kubernetes environments without the hassle of local setup or resource-heavy browsers. Remote maintenance ensures seamless usability when accessed locally. With an ongoing commitment to staying up-to-date, Killercoda consistently updates the latest Kubeadm Kubernetes version just a few weeks post-release.

Users enjoy access to an initial empty Kubeadm cluster featuring two 2GB nodes ( as of the time of this post):

For those seeking specific scenarios or exam simulations can explore Killer Shell, designed for CKS, CKA, CKAD, LFCS, and LFCT exams. Killer Shell offers realistic simulators and interactive learning environments, allowing users to explore scenarios extensively and at their convenience. If you’re keen to pass any of those exams, we highly recommend that you explore the sample scenarios available on Killer Shell, the official exam simulator.

Additionally, time management is the key to those practice-based exams. A nice technique is to bookmarking some specific pages of the official documentation would be extremely beneficial for your preparation.

We have also made a playlist for you to start learning on Kubernetes, check it out if you’re interested.

Play with Kubernetes playground

Play with Kubernetes is a Docker-provided labs site offering a K8s playground. Users can swiftly launch K8s clusters, experiencing a free Alpine Linux VM directly in the browser. It employs Docker-in-Docker (DinD) to simulate multiple VMs/PCs for a seamless experience. Follow their guidance and keep up to date with their Github repository here.

Getting a playground is a good way to start to learn Kubernetes and experiment with what you’ve learned by saving up time.

Kubernetes node Architecture

Kubernetes supports both single-node and multi-node architectures, each with its own advantages and use cases. If you want to learn further about Kubernetes cluster architecture, you can check out this post.

Let’s take a look at each of them here :

Single-node architecture

In a single-node architecture, all Kubernetes components run on a single machine. This setup is suitable for local development or testing environments where simplicity is prioritized over scalability and high availability.

One example of a Kubernetes distribution that supports single-node deployments is Minikube. Minikube provides a lightweight Kubernetes cluster that runs locally on a user’s workstation, allowing developers to experiment with Kubernetes features and applications easily without the need for a full-scale cluster.

Another example is MicroK8s, which offers a minimal, single-node Kubernetes distribution designed for edge computing and IoT devices. These Kubernetes distributions streamline the setup and management of single-node clusters, making it convenient for developers to get started with Kubernetes development and testing.

Multi-node architecture

However, most enterprise-grade environments typically require more than a single-node cluster to meet their needs. They are primarily multi-node setups.

In Kubernetes, a multi-node architecture distributes Kubernetes components across multiple machines, providing redundancy and scalability. It enables high availability and fault tolerance, making it ideal for production environments and large-scale deployments.

Configuring and managing a multi-node cluster is more complex and requires careful planning to ensure optimal performance and resource utilization.

Ultimately, the choice between single-node and multi-node architectures depends on the specific requirements and goals of the Kubernetes deployment.

Kubernetes multi node architecture — Kubernetes multi-node architecture

Set up your first local Kubernetes cluster

Creating a Kubernetes cluster using minikube is the easiest way to spin up a local Kubernetes cluster and can be achieved in a few minutes. Here’s what you need to do :

Install minikube

In your local or cloud-based Linux VM create using the curl command to retrieve minikube binary, and then install it under /usr/local/bin/minikube as the following :

Bash

curl -LO https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/latest/minikube-linux-amd64
sudo install minikube-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/minikube

curl -LO https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/latest/minikube-linux-amd64
sudo install minikube-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/minikube

Go to /usr/local/bin/minikube to check if you have the minikube binary installed before moving to the next steps. You can also check that by typing in the terminal see if Minikube is available for you :

Bash

minikube –-help

minikube –-help

Provision a single-node Kubernetes cluster

Using Minikube to provision a single node Kubernetes cluster, you can simply using the minikube start command :

Bash

sudo minikube start

sudo minikube start

If you’d like to set up the CPU cores and memory to start off your minikube cluster by adding memory and CPUs flag as the following :

Bash

sudo minikube start --memory 8192 --cpus 4

sudo minikube start --memory 8192 --cpus 4

After the command is executed, your minikube cluster is in the provisioning process. By the end, you will see a message telling you we’re set to use the minikube Kubernetes cluster.

Installation verification

The Minikube cluster consists of a single node, which functions as both the control plane and worker node. This setup allows you to begin scheduling workloads within your local Kubernetes cluster once it’s configured. To check if the node is ready for use, you can utilize the following command:

Bash

Kubectl get node

Kubectl get node

Use the shortcut of this command :

Bash

alias k=kubectl 
k get no

alias k=kubectl 
k get no

The output comes back will show you :

The status of the node, whether it’s ready to use
The role of that node
Kubernetes version
The age of the node since initial deployment

Configure minikube cluster

In the event you’d like to configure the minikube cluster without reprovisioning a new one, you need to stop the minikube cluster.

Bash

minikube stop

minikube stop

The minikube config set command will help you apply the settings that you desired to the minikube cluster.

Once you finalized configuring the minikube cluster, you need to start the minikube cluster and from there you’ll be working on the cluster with the new configurations.

Let’s configure minikube cluster using more memory and CPUs :

Bash

minikube stop

minikube config set memory 8192

minikube config set cpus 4

minikube start

minikube stop

minikube config set memory 8192

minikube config set cpus 4

minikube start

Now you’re ready to play with your minikube cluster.

Delete minikube cluster

Deletes a local Kubernetes cluster and all profiles :

Bash

minikube delete --all

minikube delete --all

Get your hands dirty

The following video shows you how to easily Set Up A Minikube Cluster in a matter of minutes. We set up the environment on Apple silicon (ARM-based), such as M1/M2 MacBooks:

You can replicate what you have learned from this section for quick testing of the latest Kubernetes release for most new features featured in the release notes here.

Why Kubernetes still matters in the age of AI

Everyone’s buzzing about AI… but behind every breakthrough, every lightning-fast response, every cloud-scaled model, there’s an invisible superhero doing the real heavy lifting. It’s still Kubernetes.

in 2025, ChatGPT hit 800 million weekly active users. When OpenAI handles billions of requests per day, Kubernetes silently spins up thousands of GPU pods during peak demand… and tears them down the moment traffic drops. No human babysitting. Here’s why Kubernetes matters in the age of AI.

Looking forward

I’m glad that we have many options to spin up a local Kubernetes now, and most playgrounds are free to use. So pick up your path wisely and don’t fear to try different ways out. I hope this blog helps! Please feel free to follow my Youtube channel if you’d like to learn further, and share your thoughts here. Stay tuned, and see you in the next one!