What is the difference between finalizers and controllers in Kubernetes?

What is the difference between finalizers and controllers in Kubernetes?

Finalizers are used to manage the lifecycle of resources, ensuring cleanup before deletion, while controllers are responsible for managing the state of resources and ensuring they match the desired state.

Can you give an example of how finalizers work?

Sure! For instance, if you have a resource that needs to delete associated resources or perform cleanup tasks, you can add a finalizer to it. When you try to delete the resource, the finalizer will prevent the deletion until the cleanup is complete.

How do controllers interact with finalizers?

Controllers can check for finalizers on resources and handle the logic to remove them once the necessary cleanup is done, allowing the resource to be deleted.

Are there any best practices for using finalizers?

Yes, it's best to keep finalizer logic simple, ensure they are idempotent, and handle errors gracefully to avoid resource leaks.