More developers than ever before are now working with Kubernetes. This means that also their workflows have to change to account for this technology that originally was not made for developers. However, integrating Kubernetes into efficient development workflows is not easy and comprises several aspects that I will discuss in this article.

_Not all companies are using Kubernetes in the same way and to the same extent. To get an overview of the different stages of Kubernetes adoption and cloud-native maturity, read my article about _the journey of adopting cloud-native development

1. Setting Up Kubernetes Work Environments

The first step to set up an efficient Kubernetes development workflow is to decide which kind of work environment shall be used. Here, the question is not only about which cloud environment or managed Kubernetes service to use, but also if one should use a cloud environment at all. Compared to production systems, it is also possible to only work with local Kubernetes environments for development.

Local Kubernetes or cloud-based Kubernetes

Of course, local and cloud-based work environments have advantages and disadvantages: While local environments such as Minikube are free to use, cloud environments cost money. Local environments are also available offline and are fully independent of other developers and other infrastructure.

Cloud environments have the advantage that they provide more computing resources, run “standard” Kubernetes (not only versions made to run on local computers), and are easier to start. The provisioning of such environments can even be automized with internal Kubernetes platforms, so they do not require any effort or knowledge on the developer’s side.

_For more information about the pros and cons of local and remote clusters, take a look at this article: _Local Cluster vs. Remote Cluster for Kubernetes-Based Development

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