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Last updated on: February 07, 2026

This blog documents a practical Kubernetes workflow for deploying a containerized FastAPI application using Docker, Minikube and kubectl. This is a developer-first workflow, optimized for local development and experimentation for beginners.

→ Github Repository: https://github.com/arpon-kapuria/fastapi-k8s-orchestration

Step 1: Start Docker

Step 2: Build the Docker Image

Step 3: Test the Image Locally

Step 4: Push Image to Docker Hub (Optional)

Step 5: Minikube — Local Kubernetes Cluster

Step 6: kubectl — Kubernetes Control Tool

Step 7: Getting Images Into the Cluster

Step 8: Kubernetes Manifests

Step 9: Deploy the Application

Step 10: Access the Application

Step 11: Load Balancing & Logs

Final Step: Stop/Delete Resources

Mental Model Summary

flowchart LR
    A[Code] --> B[Image]

    B --> C1[Minikube loads local image]
    B --> C2[Cluster pulls image from Registry]

    C1 --> D[Deploy]
    C2 --> D

    D --> E[ReplicaSets] --> F[Pods] --> G[Services] --> H[User]

    %% Dark compact styles
    classDef dev fill:#052e16,stroke:#22c55e,color:#bbf7d0;
    classDef prod fill:#020617,stroke:#3b82f6,color:#bfdbfe;
    classDef core fill:#1f2933,stroke:#f59e0b,color:#fde68a;
    classDef user fill:#020617,stroke:#9ca3af,color:#e5e7eb;

    class C1 dev;
    class C2 prod;
    class D,E,F,G core;
    class H user;