A short guide to container orchestration

It comes up on almost every project, usually later than it should. Everything we would tell a client about container orchestration in the time it takes to drink a coffee.

Operability is a feature, and it has to be built rather than bought. It rarely shows up as a line item, which is exactly why it slips.

Why it matters

Orchestration solves real problems and creates new ones. Where this goes wrong is almost never a lack of knowledge. The practical test is whether someone new to the project could tell, in a minute, that it had been handled.

Where to start

Most small teams need far less of it than they deploy. Small and consistent beats large and occasional here. It is the sort of thing that looks like polish right up until it costs you an enquiry.

What to watch for

Understand what breaks before you depend on it. The teams that handle this well are rarely the ones with the biggest budgets. Write the reasoning down alongside the decision, because the reasoning is what changes first.

The short version

Cloud work rewards teams who automate early and punishes teams who click through consoles. Three things worth confirming about container orchestration before you move on:

• Someone can say what the current setup is without going to look
• Most small teams need far less of it than they deploy — and you know whether that is true here
• There is a way to tell whether the last change to this helped

If you want a second opinion on how yours is set up, ask.