Getting started

This section lists the different ways to set up and run Kubernetes. When you install Kubernetes, choose an installation type based on: ease of maintenance, security, control, available resources, and expertise required to operate and manage a cluster.

You can download Kubernetes to deploy a Kubernetes cluster on a local machine, into the cloud, or for your own datacenter.

If you don’t want to manage a Kubernetes cluster yourself, you could pick a managed service, including certified platforms. There are also other standardized and custom solutions across a wide range of cloud and bare metal environments.

Learning environment

If you’re learning Kubernetes, use the tools supported by the Kubernetes community, or tools in the ecosystem to set up a Kubernetes cluster on a local machine. See Install tools.

Production environment

When evaluating a solution for a production environment, consider which aspects of operating a Kubernetes cluster (or abstractions) you want to manage yourself and which you prefer to hand off to a provider.

For a cluster you’re managing yourself, the officially supported tool for deploying Kubernetes is kubeadm.