Before we start to dive in, let’s briefly look at what this book is  not : The book is written in a relaxed style, and is similar to a series of essays that can be read independently. As mentioned, patterns form a kind of simple, interconnected language. To empha‐ size this web of patterns, each pattern is capitalized in  italics , (e.g.,  Sidecar ). When a pattern is named like a Kubernetes core concept (like  Init Container  or  Controller ), we use this specific formatting only when we directly reference the pattern itself. Where it makes sense, we also interlink pattern chapters for ease of navigation. We also use the following conventions: • Everything you can type in a shell or editor is rendered in  fixed font width . • Kubernetes resource names are always rendered in uppercase (e.g., Pod). If the resource is a combined name like ConfigMap, we keep it like this in favor of the more natural “config map” for clarity and to make it clear that it refers to a Kubernetes concept. • Sometimes a Kubernetes resource name is identical to a common concept like “service” or “node”. In these cases we use the resource name format only when referring to the resource itself. Conventions • This book is not a guide on how to set up a Kubernetes cluster itself. Every pat‐ tern and every example assumes you have Kubernetes up and running. You have several options for trying out the examples. If you are interested in learning how to set up a Kubernetes cluster, we recommend  Managing Kubernetes  by Brendan Burns and Craig Tracey (O’Reilly). Also, the  Kubernetes Cookbook  by Michael Hausenblas and Sébastien Goasguen (O’Reilly) has recipes for setting up a Kubernetes cluster from scratch. • This book is not an introduction to Kubernetes, nor a reference manual. We touch on many Kubernetes features and explain them in some detail, but we are focusing on the concepts behind those features. Chapter 1,  Introduction , offers a brief refresher on Kubernetes basics. If you are looking for a comprehensive book on how to use Kubernetes, we highly recommend  Kubernetes in Action  by Marko Lukša (Manning Publications). Preface  |  xv