Edge computing is no stranger to Kubernetes. Edge gained popularity by saving costs when processing information closer to the data, before sending filtered and computed information to a centralized application or data warehouse, usually hosted in the cloud. Kubernetes is a good fit at the edge because it natively builds the components that facilitate the lifecycle management of modern applications designed for the edge.

However, operating and scaling the number of edge locations introduces operational challenges:

- How to interact with cluster configuration at scale without creating snowflakes?

- How to ensure security for remote clusters and applications?

- How to upgrade Kubernetes clusters without specific domain knowledge? (local staff are not Kubernetes engineers)

- How to minimize disruption during the maintenance window of smaller form factor hardware?

In this talk, we are going to introduce Kairos, an open-source project aimed at building immutable Operating Systems designed for Kubernetes, with a toolset simplifying operations at the edge, in a cloud-native way.

Kairos acts as an engine delivering immutable Kubernetes-enabled Linux OS from OCI conformant container images. It provides unique capabilities, such as VPN peer-to-peer mesh, distributed ledger to automate Kubernetes cluster bootstrapping and coordination, and zero-touch provisioning with a QR code scan. But more importantly, it does its magic using a declarative model backed by Kubernetes CRDs. It’s like Russian dolls, managing distributed Kubernetes operations at the edge, from a centralized Kubernetes cluster!

After explaining Kairos foundations and concepts, we will demonstrate its capabilities live, with a guaranteed “wow” effect, if the demo gods agree!