Architecture
A Kubernetes container orchestration architecture diagram showing the control plane (API Server, etcd, Scheduler, Controller Manager), worker nodes (Kubelet, container runtime, kube-proxy, pods), networking layer (Ingress, Network Policy, Service Mesh), and persistent storage with CSI drivers. This template provides a comprehensive view of the Kubernetes architecture stack from control plane to storage layer. Foundational reference for DevOps engineers and platform teams managing Kubernetes clusters.
ControlPlane { # Kubernetes Control Plane
n1: rectangle label:"API Server"
n2: rectangle label:"etcd (Cluster State)"
n3: rectangle label:"Scheduler"
n4: rectangle label:"Controller Manager"
n5: rectangle label:"Cloud Controller"
n1.handle(right) -> n2.handle(left) [label="Store State"]
n1.handle(bottom) -> n3.handle(top) [label="Schedule Pods"]
n3.handle(right) -> n4.handle(left) [label="Reconcile"]
n4.handle(right) -> n5.handle(left) [label="Cloud Resources"]
n3.handle(bottom) -> WorkerNode.n6.handle(top) [label="Assign Pod"]
}
WorkerNode { # Worker Node
n6: rectangle label:"Kubelet"
n7: rectangle label:"Container Runtime (containerd)"
n8: rectangle label:"kube-proxy"
n9: rectangle label:"Pod A (App Container)"
n10: rectangle label:"Pod B (App Container)"
n11: rectangle label:"Pod C (Sidecar + App)"
n6.handle(right) -> n7.handle(left) [label="Pull Image"]
n7.handle(right) -> n9.handle(left) [label="Start Container"]
n7.handle(bottom) -> n10.handle(top) [label="Start Container"]
n7.handle(bottom) -> n11.handle(top) [label="Start Container"]
n8.handle(bottom) -> Networking.n12.handle(top) [label="Service Routing"]
}
Networking { # Networking Layer
n12: rectangle label:"ClusterIP Service"
n13: rectangle label:"Ingress Controller"
n14: rectangle label:"Network Policy"
n15: rectangle label:"Service Mesh (Istio)"
n12.handle(right) -> n13.handle(left) [label="Expose"]
n13.handle(right) -> n14.handle(left) [label="Filter"]
n14.handle(right) -> n15.handle(left) [label="mTLS"]
}
Storage { # Persistent Storage
n16: rectangle label:"PersistentVolume"
n17: rectangle label:"StorageClass (SSD/HDD)"
n18: rectangle label:"CSI Driver"
n16.handle(right) -> n17.handle(left) [label="Provision"]
n17.handle(right) -> n18.handle(left) [label="Cloud Disk"]
n16.handle(top) -> WorkerNode.n9.handle(bottom) [label="Mount Volume"]
}
Managing containers across multiple hosts manually is unsustainable beyond a few services. Kubernetes automates container deployment, scaling, networking, and storage orchestration—providing a declarative platform where you describe the desired state and the system continuously reconciles to achieve it.
Docker Compose works for single-host deployments. ECS/Fargate provides managed container orchestration without Kubernetes complexity. Nomad offers a simpler alternative for some workloads. This template provides the comprehensive Kubernetes architecture reference.
| Template Name | Kubernetes Container Orchestration Architecture |
| Category | Architecture |
| Steps | 6 workflow steps |
| Format | FlowZap Code (.fz file) |
Architecture
A sidecar pattern architecture diagram showing Envoy proxy, log collector, and config watcher sidecars running alongside application containers in a Kubernetes pod, with a control plane managing configuration. This template demonstrates how auxiliary concerns like logging, monitoring, and configuration are deployed as co-located containers. Foundational for teams adopting cloud-native container orchestration patterns.
Architecture
A microservices API gateway architecture diagram showing request routing, JWT authentication, rate limiting, service discovery, and response aggregation across distributed backend services. This template models the entry point for all client traffic in a microservices ecosystem, enforcing security policies before requests reach internal services. Ideal for platform engineers designing scalable API infrastructure with centralized cross-cutting concerns.
Architecture
A service mesh architecture diagram with Istio or Linkerd sidecar proxies handling mTLS encryption, traffic policies, circuit breaking, and distributed tracing across microservices. This template visualizes how a service mesh abstracts networking concerns away from application code, enabling zero-trust communication between services. Essential for teams adopting service mesh infrastructure to improve observability and security.
Architecture
A database-per-service architecture diagram where each microservice owns its dedicated data store, with event-driven synchronization via Kafka for cross-service data consistency. This template demonstrates the core microservices data isolation principle, showing how PostgreSQL and MongoDB coexist in a polyglot persistence strategy. Critical for architects enforcing service autonomy while maintaining eventual consistency.
Architecture
A microservices decomposition architecture diagram organized by business capabilities: Identity, Product Catalog, Pricing, and Order Fulfillment, each with independent data stores and APIs. This template shows how to break a monolith into services aligned with business domains, using a Backend-for-Frontend (BFF) pattern for client-specific aggregation. Useful for architects planning domain-driven microservice boundaries.
Architecture
A strangler fig migration architecture diagram showing the incremental replacement of a legacy monolith with new microservices, using a routing layer to split traffic between old and new systems. This template models the proven migration strategy where new features are built as microservices while legacy endpoints are gradually retired. Essential for teams modernizing legacy systems without risky big-bang rewrites.