Startups thrive on agility, innovation, and rapid iteration. This wild flow demands a scalable robust infrastructure. Kubernetes is the go-to platform for startups aiming to scale efficiently. Upgrading this container orchestration platform cluster is a critical maintenance task that requires careful planning, testing and execution to ensure minimal disruption to the workloads. For early-stage companies with limited resources in the DevOps domain, updating Kubernetes might be hard. But failing to update the version of the Kubernetes will open up security vulnerabilities, compatibility issues, and inefficiency in operations.
In this blog, we’ll outline practical tips to ensure a smooth Kubernetes upgrade while minimizing disruptions.
Why does Kubernetes Upgrades matter?
Kubernetes releases updated versions frequently, offering new features and performance improvements and security patches. Startups that delay on upgrades have the potential risk of running on unsupported versions, leading to security threats and limited community support. Ensuring that clusters stay up to date enables users to access the new functionality sooner, improving cluster efficiency and reducing exposure to vulnerabilities.
Also, major cloud providers like AWS, GCP, and Azure enforce periodic upgrades on managed services. Forced upgrades are disruptive if they happen in a production environment without warning. Upgrading Proactively allows startups to control the timing and execution of upgrades, reducing risks associated with abrupt version changes.
How to approach?
- Assess Your Current Kubernetes Version
Before initiating an upgrade, it’s crucial to identify the current Kubernetes version running in your cluster. Check the official Kubernetes release notes to understand changes between your version and the latest stable release. Ensure that your cloud provider supports the desired Kubernetes version if you’re using a managed Kubernetes service like Amazon EKS, Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), or Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
- Incremental Upgrade Planning
Kubernetes has a versioning policy where it tends to upgrade in sequence (1.23, then 1.24, then 1.25). Skipping of versions tends to break the compatibility of the APIs, controllers, and the custom workloads built. The startups should prepare an upgrade plan that keeps clusters within the support window of the cloud provider and the Kubernetes community.
- Back Up Your Cluster
Upgrades come with inherent risks, and therefore having a rollback strategy is essential. Take backups of the following before starting the upgrade:
- etcd database (stores cluster state and configurations)
- Persistent volumes (for stateful applications)
- Kubernetes manifests and configurations
For startups using managed Kubernetes services, leverage built-in snapshot and backup features to simplify recovery in case of failures.
- Test Upgrades in a Staging Environment
Never upgrade your production cluster without first testing in a staging environment that mirrors production settings. This allows you to:
- Detect API deprecations and breaking changes
- Validate application behavior under the new version
- Test automated deployments and CI/CD pipelines
Using tools like kind (Kubernetes-in-Docker) or minikube, startups can create isolated environments for testing before deploying changes to production.
- Upgrade Kubernetes Components in Order
A Kubernetes cluster consists of multiple components, each requiring a structured upgrade approach:
- Upgrade control plane nodes first (API server, scheduler, controller-manager)
- Upgrade worker nodes in a rolling manner to avoid downtime
- Upgrade third-party dependencies (ingress controllers, service meshes, monitoring tools)
Tools like kubeadm and Kubernetes Consulting Services can streamline this process by ensuring best practices are followed.
- Monitor Cluster Health Post-Upgrade
After completing the upgrade, continuously monitor cluster performance and application behavior. Some key monitoring steps include:
- Checking node status using kubectl get nodes
- Reviewing logs for errors (kubectl logs)
- Testing application endpoints and networking policies
- Using Prometheus, Grafana, or Datadog for real-time observability
- Automate Future Upgrades
Startups should aim to automate Kubernetes upgrades as part of their DevOps workflows. This can be achieved by:
- Using GitOps tools like ArgoCD or Flux to manage Kubernetes configurations declaratively
- Leveraging managed Kubernetes services that provide automated upgrades
- Partnering with a Kubernetes Consulting Company to streamline infrastructure automation
Conclusion
For startups, maintaining an up-to-date Kubernetes cluster is essential for security, reliability, and scalability. By following these best practices—assessing versions, planning upgrades, testing changes, and automating the process—startups can reduce downtime and operational risks. For teams needing additional expertise, engaging a Kubernetes Consulting firm can ensure seamless upgrades with minimal disruptions.
By prioritizing Kubernetes upgrades, startups can focus on innovation while maintaining a robust and scalable infrastructure.
