Challenge
PingCAP is the company leading the development of the popular open source NewSQL database
The team started looking at Kubernetes for orchestration early on. "We knew Kubernetes had the promise of helping us solve our problems," says Xu. "We were just waiting for it to mature." In early 2018, PingCAP began integrating Kubernetes into its internal development as well as in its TiDB product. At that point, the team has already had experience using other cloud native technologies, having integrated both
Xu says that PingCAP customers have had a "very positive" response so far to Kubernetes being the tool to deploy and manage TiDB. Prometheus, with
With the company's
PingCAP, the company behind TiDB, designed the platform with cloud in mind from day one, says Kevin Xu, General Manager of Global Strategy and Operations, and "having a hybrid multi-cloud product is an important part of our global go-to-market strategy." In order to achieve that, the team had to address two challenges: "how to deploy, run, and manage a distributed stateful application, such as a distributed database like TiDB, in a containerized world," Xu says, and "how to deliver an easy-to-use, consistent, and reliable experience for our customers when they use TiDB in the cloud, any cloud, whether that's one cloud provider or a combination of different cloud environments." Knowing that using a distributed system isn't easy, the PingCAP team began looking for the right orchestration layer to help reduce some of that complexity for end users. Kubernetes had been on their radar for quite some time. "We knew Kubernetes had the promise of helping us solve our problems," says Xu. "We were just waiting for it to mature." That time came in early 2018, when PingCAP began integrating Kubernetes into its internal development as well as in its TiDB product. "Having Kubernetes be part of the CNCF, as opposed to having only the backing of one individual company, was valuable in having confidence in the longevity of the technology," says Xu. Plus, "with the governance process being so open, it's not hard to find out what's the latest development in the technology and community, or figure out who to reach out to if we have problems or issues." TiDB's cloud native architecture consists of a stateless SQL layer (also called TiDB) and a persistent key-value storage layer that supports distributed transactions (
The entire TiDB platform leverages Kubernetes and other cloud native technologies, including
So far, the customer response to the Kubernetes-enabled platform has been "very positive." Prometheus, with
These technologies have also had an impact internally. "We've completely switched to Kubernetes for our own development and testing, including our data center infrastructure and
The productivity improvement is about 15%, and as we gain more Kubernetes knowledge on the debugging and diagnosis front, the productivity should improve to more than 20%." Kubernetes is now a crucial part of PingCAP's product roadmap. For anyone else considering going cloud native, Xu has this advice: "There's no better time to get started," he says. "The entire cloud native community, whether it's Kubernetes, CNCF in general, or cloud native vendors like us, have all gained enough experience—and have the battle scars to prove it—and are ready to help you succeed." In fact, the PingCAP team has seen more and more customers moving toward a cloud native approach, and for good reason. "IT infrastructure is quickly evolving from a cost-center and afterthought, to the core competency and competitiveness of any company," says Xu. "A cloud native infrastructure will not only save you money and allow you to be more in control of the infrastructure resources you consume, but also empower new product innovation, new experience for your users, and new business possibilities. It's both a cost reducer and a money maker."Solution
Impact