What are the best practices for Kubernetes health checks?

What are the best practices for Kubernetes health checks?

The best practices for Kubernetes health checks include using both liveness and readiness probes, setting appropriate timeouts, and ensuring your application can handle the checks without performance degradation.

Can you explain the difference between liveness and readiness probes?

Sure! Liveness probes determine if your application is running. If it fails, Kubernetes will restart the container. Readiness probes check if your application is ready to handle traffic. If it fails, Kubernetes will stop sending traffic to that pod.

What should I consider when setting timeouts for these probes?

When setting timeouts, consider the expected startup time of your application, the typical response time, and the potential for transient failures. It's important to balance between being too strict and too lenient.

Are there any common pitfalls to avoid with health checks?

Yes, common pitfalls include not using both types of probes, setting timeouts too short, and not testing the health check endpoints properly before deployment.