NATS on Kubernetes Fundamentals

Module 1: NATS and Kubernetes basics

• Quick NATS recap and why run it on Kubernetes
• Pods, StatefulSets, Services, and persistent storage at a beginner level
• Operator or Helm overview and when to use each

Module 2: Provisioning a minimal cluster

• Core configuration in Custom Resources or values files
• Listeners, ports, and client connectivity inside the cluster
• Understanding status, events, and basic readiness checks

Module 3: Networking and service access

• ClusterIP, headless Service, LoadBalancer, and when to use NodePort
• DNS names, advertised hostnames, and client connection strings
• Simple external access patterns and egress considerations

Module 4: Core messaging patterns

• Subjects, wildcards, and subscription matching
• Pub or sub, request or reply, and queue groups for work distribution
• Client options for reconnects, timeouts, and basic backpressure

Module 5: JetStream on Kubernetes

• Streams, subjects, and storage classes for durability
• Consumers and ack policies for at least once processing
• Simple replay and retention choices that fit small teams

Module 6: Security and multi tenancy

• nkey and user or pass authentication and secret handling
• Accounts, imports, exports, and scoped access to subjects
• TLS basics and namespace hygiene

Module 7: Observability and troubleshooting

• Useful metrics such as connections, pending, and consumer lag
• NATS monitoring endpoints and Prometheus or Grafana at a glance
• Common issues such as subject mismatches and misconfigured listeners

Module 8: Safe changes and scaling

• Rolling updates and pod disruption budgets in simple terms
• Adding memory or storage, and right sizing JetStream
• When to consider clustering, gateways, or leafnodes