Should I Learn Kubernetes or Containers? Link to heading

I have been in that situation before, and even now I still get distracted by the noise around Kubernetes. But the reality is simpler than the hype:

  1. Kubernetes orchestrates containers.
  2. Containers build on top of Linux.

Watch enough Docker and Kubernetes courses, memorize enough kubectl ... and docker ... commands, and you start to feel like a DevOps engineer.

Are you? Absolutely not.

What happens under the hood matters more than memorizing commands. Running commands to fetch resources is not the same as understanding how they actually work.

The honest part Link to heading

TBH, even today I sometimes make things work by copying and pasting commands from the internet or using AI. But my curiosity to understand what’s happening under the hood keeps pushing me to learn the underlying concepts instead of just making things work.

What weird magic is going on behind the scenes? That question is the whole point.

Linux first Link to heading

Linux itself is huge and can feel overwhelming, so I have been focusing on the basics first. For example:

  • SSH
  • File permissions
  • Shell scripting. You don’t need to be an expert. Basic knowledge is enough to get you started, and then you can leverage AI.

Every topic is a rabbit hole. You could spend months on each one. That’s okay. You’ll keep learning through experience.

No shortcut Link to heading

Understanding the core concepts of Linux is the key, and that isn’t the easy path. People often jump straight into fancy tools, but the foundation is what really matters. That’s why I have been spending time learning Linux first, and that is my goal for the coming months.

Not an easy path, and no shortcut to bypass the foundations. My goal is to spend nearly 3–6 months on Linux before diving into more advanced topics, so I have a more solid base to build on.

Foundations first. Everything else is orchestration on top.