Kubernetes Production Readiness Checklist

Moving from development to production with Kubernetes requires careful planning. This checklist will help ensure your cluster is ready for prime time.

Security

Before deploying to production, ensure these security measures are in place:

Network Policies

Define network policies to control pod-to-pod communication
Restrict egress traffic to only necessary destinations
Use namespace isolation for multi-tenant clusters
Implement ingress controls with proper authentication

RBAC Configuration

Follow principle of least privilege for all service accounts
Avoid using default service accounts for workloads
Regularly audit RBAC permissions
Use namespaced roles instead of cluster-wide when possible

Pod Security

Enable Pod Security Standards (PSS)
Use security contexts to restrict container capabilities
Run containers as non-root users
Set read-only root filesystems where possible
Configure resource limits and requests

Reliability

High Availability

Run multiple replicas of critical workloads
Spread pods across availability zones
Configure pod disruption budgets (PDBs)
Use anti-affinity rules for critical services
Implement proper health checks (liveness and readiness probes)

Backup and Recovery

Regular backups of etcd
Document disaster recovery procedures
Test recovery processes regularly
Use persistent volume snapshots for stateful workloads

Observability

Monitoring

Deploy Prometheus or similar monitoring solution
Configure alerting for critical metrics
Monitor cluster components (API server, etcd, scheduler)
Track application-level metrics
Set up dashboard for key metrics

Logging

Centralized logging solution (ELK, Loki, etc.)
Structured logging from applications
Log retention policies
Aggregate logs from all nodes and pods

Tracing

Implement distributed tracing for microservices
Use consistent trace IDs across services
Monitor latency and error rates

Resource Management

Quotas and Limits

Set resource quotas at namespace level
Configure limit ranges for pods
Monitor resource utilization
Plan for capacity scaling

Autoscaling

Configure Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) for workloads
Consider Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA) for right-sizing
Implement cluster autoscaling
Set appropriate scaling thresholds

Networking

Ingress and Load Balancing

Production-grade ingress controller
TLS/SSL certificates for all public endpoints
Configure appropriate timeouts
Implement rate limiting

Service Mesh (Optional)

Consider service mesh for complex microservices
Mutual TLS between services
Advanced traffic management
Enhanced observability

CI/CD

Deployment Strategy

Implement rolling updates or blue-green deployments
Use canary deployments for risk mitigation
Automated rollback mechanisms
GitOps workflow for infrastructure changes

Image Management

Scan container images for vulnerabilities
Use private container registry
Implement image signing and verification
Tag images with semantic versions, not 'latest'

Operational Practices

Documentation

Document cluster architecture
Maintain runbooks for common issues
Keep disaster recovery procedures updated
Document all custom resources and operators

Testing

Regular chaos engineering exercises
Load testing before production deployment
Test backup and restore procedures
Validate scaling behavior

Updates and Maintenance

Schedule regular cluster upgrades
Plan maintenance windows
Test upgrades in staging environment
Keep track of CVEs and security patches

Compliance

Audit Logging

Enable Kubernetes audit logging
Retain audit logs according to compliance requirements
Regular review of audit logs
Implement log forwarding to secure storage

Secrets Management

External secrets management (HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager)
Encrypt secrets at rest
Rotate secrets regularly
Avoid hardcoding secrets in manifests

Cost Optimization

Resource Efficiency

Right-size pods based on actual usage
Use spot instances where appropriate
Implement pod priority and preemption
Clean up unused resources regularly

Monitoring Costs

Track cloud costs by namespace/team
Set up cost alerts
Regular cost optimization reviews

Final Checklist

Before going to production, verify:

Conclusion

Production readiness is not a one-time task but an ongoing process. Regular reviews and improvements to your Kubernetes infrastructure will help maintain reliability, security, and efficiency as your applications scale.

Remember: It's better to delay a production deployment than to rush in unprepared. Take the time to work through this checklist, and your production Kubernetes cluster will be much more resilient.