Mastering Elastic Kubernetes Service on AWS: Deploy and manage EKS clusters to support cloud-native applications in AWS

As an AWS cloud architect, I was lacking in depth knowledge of EKS and the confidence to implement solutions for my customers. This book gives me everything I was wanting. It is extremely comprehensive, well structured and contains the level of detail required for me to be able to architect and implement any solution needed by my customers. This book should be a key reference for any Cloud Architect looking to effectively implement EKS solutions for any scale of customer solution.

This book hit me at the perfect time. Our team is in the middle of transitioning our platform from an RKE standard to an EKS option for a customer. “Mastering Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) on AWS” (Packt, 2023) by Malcolm Orr, and Yang-Xin Cao is the perfect reference to quickly deliver on EKS. One disclaimer, any acronym you see that starts with “A” in this book is probably a normal function running on AWS. The book divides material into four sections, starting with EKS, a deep dive, deploying an app to EKS and then advanced options. One of the best bits is every chapter contains numerous comparative tables between the selected tool and alternatives, architectural diagrams, and detailed instructions for either the CLI or GUI user. A must reference for any EKS user. The first section starts with great background on using Docker. Not needed but still helpful to bring you back up to speed. The authors include an excellent comparison between using EKS and self-managed options to show where tasks are being automated and accelerated. Then, the instructions start with building an initial application on EKS with the AWS GUI, CLI, Terraform using eksctl, and Cloud Development Kit options. I also like the close integration to Helm with how to adjust your current Helm charts to EKS deployments. Once the app is deployed, the next section handles security, networking and updating. Again, these chapters are all detailed with architectural diagrams for every type of interaction. Another helpful chart that occurs first here, and is repeated in later chapters, guides some initial error responses, and what can be done to correct those functions. Often, when switching to new delivery models, I find these errors eat a lot of my time on context switching and really enjoy the shortcuts. Another solid point here was expanding from IPv4 with clusters to IPv6 to expand availability. Having an effective app then transitions into managing not just the app but the entire landscape through EKS. This is where the acronyms land heavy with integrations to block versus file storage, installing fargate as an orchestration tools, working load balancing and configuring the service mesh. While the previous sections built an EKS acceptable app, this expands into creating the landscape around the app to enable multiple teams and developers. The last section then discusses one of my favorite topics, observability. With the network up and running, the next step is about being proactive with metrics to further deliver value. Integrations are built through Grafana, Prometheus and OTel (Labeled as AMG, AWP, and ADOT by including the Amazon word). An interesting point here was the DevOps Guru, an ML platform I have not used but which can supposedly offer good DevOps practices to your current delivery scheme. If I had an objection, the book runs a little long. I know the importance of having good reference materials but at 440+ pages and 20 chapters, it was a little tough to dig through from beginning to end. Some of that length is mitigated by the code samples and excellent dialogue but I still prefer my reference documents of this type in the 250-300 range. However, the information quality does mitigate the length. Overall, “Mastering Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) on AWS” (Packt, 2023) by Malcolm Orr, and Yang-Xin Cao was the right book for me at the right time. The comparative charts made it clear what I was getting, the architectural diagrams explained the interactions, and the code samples let me implement. Recommend for anyone using Kubernetes as their container basics, or even as a review for those already using EKS.

"Mastering Elastic Kubernetes Service on AWS" is a game-changer for Cloud Architects. The book's practical approach, complete with real-world examples and code snippets, is invaluable. The authors' extensive field experience shines through, delivering a clear and structured guide. What sets this book apart is its comprehensive coverage of EKS integrations with key AWS services like Fargate and AppMesh. The networking insights are a standout feature. A must-read for anyone serious about EKS on AWS.

This book is a true rarity in terms of the breadth of coverage of a topic: Kubernetes in this case.It goes through building a simple app deployed to Kubernetes and then hardening it and growing into a Service Mesh. will teach coping with the common challenges.On what to be aware side: this an AWS technology (EKS, Fargate) specific book. But I think AWS is the go to provider for Kubernetes and what not platform.To me (still reading) it truly unlocks the wizardy of Kubernetes.