Complete Guide to Kubernetes Flavors, Their Categories & How to Install Minikube on Linux (with Docker Driver)

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

Kubernetes has grown into the most powerful container orchestration system in the world, but it does not exist as a single product. Instead, it exists in multiple flavors, each tailored for different use cases such as enterprise production, hybrid cloud, edge, research, or local development.

This article breaks down the Kubernetes ecosystem into understandable categories and explains each distribution in detail. Toward the end, you will learn how to install Minikube using Docker as the driver, with full explanations of every installation command.

Understanding Kubernetes Flavors

Kubernetes distributions differ primarily in:

• Deployment model (on‑prem, cloud, hybrid, edge)
• Support level (commercial vs. community)
• Extra features (UI dashboards, multi‑cluster management, security tools, lifecycle automation)
• Operational complexity
• Integration with cloud‑native tooling

To make the choice easier, we classify them into four practical categories.

Kubernetes Distribution Categories

Category A — Commercial, Enterprise‑Supported Kubernetes Distributions

These are paid platforms built for production workloads, strict compliance, zero‑downtime upgrades, global scalability, and enterprise SLAs.

• Red Hat OpenShift

  • Type: Commercial enterprise Kubernetes
  • Best for: Large enterprises, secure environments, regulated industries
  • Why it stands out: Built on Kubernetes with many enterprise features added, includes CI/CD, service mesh, registries, security scanning, opinionated workflow, strong multi‑cluster management (via ACM), runs on‑prem, cloud, or hybrid.

• VMware Tanzu Kubernetes Grid (TKG)

  • Type: Commercial enterprise Kubernetes
  • Best for: VMware‑based data centers & enterprises
  • Key features: Deep integration with vSphere, automated cluster lifecycle management, multi‑cloud capability, strong enterprise governance and policy automation.

• SUSE Rancher Prime (Enterprise Rancher)

  • Type: Paid, enterprise version of Rancher
  • Best for: Managing many Kubernetes clusters across different environments
  • Key benefits: Central management plane, RBAC, audit, monitoring, Istio service mesh, integrates with RKE (Rancher Kubernetes Engine), production support included.

• Canonical Kubernetes (Kubeadm + Canonical Support)

  • Type: Commercial support for upstream Kubernetes
  • Best for: Businesses using Ubuntu‑based infrastructure
  • Highlights: Lightweight and fast, long‑term support, ideal for on‑prem and air‑gapped setups. Pure upstream Kubernetes with professional support.

Category B — CNCF‑Certified Open‑Source Distributions (Enterprise‑Grade but Free)

These are open‑source, production‑ready platforms that may offer optional paid support. They conform to the CNCF Kubernetes Conformance Program.

• Kubernetes (Upstream – “K8s The Hard Way”) – Pure upstream version maintained by CNCF. No UI, no extras—just Kubernetes. Suitable for learning internals, highly‑custom deployments, and research.
• K3s (Lightweight Kubernetes by SUSE) – Extremely small footprint, optimized for IoT, edge & ARM devices, single‑binary installation. Becoming the default Kubernetes for edge computing.
• RKE (Rancher Kubernetes Engine) – Maintained by Rancher. Designed for simplicity, fast bootstrap, on‑prem clusters. Often used together with Rancher for management.
• K0s (Zero Friction Kubernetes by Mirantis) – Minimal, single‑binary Kubernetes with no OS dependencies, very easy deployment, built‑in GitOps support. Favored for edge and appliance scenarios.

Category C — Cloud Provider Kubernetes Services (Managed Kubernetes)

These are fully managed services where the cloud provider maintains the control plane, security patches, upgrades, and availability. You only manage worker nodes and workloads.

• Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) – High‑availability control plane, native integration with IAM, VPC, load balancers, ECR, and auto‑scaling across AZs.
• Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) – Most mature managed Kubernetes, very stable and scalable, offers Autopilot mode (serverless Kubernetes).
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) – Strong Azure integration (AAD authentication, Azure Monitor, automated node scaling, Windows container support).
• Oracle OKE, IBM IKS, DigitalOcean DOKS – Managed control planes, autoscaling, node pools, and cloud‑native integrations.

Category D — Local Developer‑Focused Kubernetes Options

These are geared toward learning, testing, and local development.

• Minikube – Lightweight single‑node cluster; runs on Windows, Linux, macOS; supports multiple drivers (VirtualBox, Docker, Hyper‑V).
• Kind (Kubernetes IN Docker) – Spins up clusters inside Docker containers; ideal for CI/CD and testing multiple cluster versions.
• MicroK8s – Canonical’s single‑node Kubernetes; good for local development, edge computing, and HA (with clustering enabled).

Summary Table: Kubernetes Distribution Categories

Installing Minikube (Using Docker as the Driver)

Below is a complete guide. Every command is followed by a brief explanation.

Step 1 – Update Your Package Index

sudo apt update

Explanation: Refreshes Ubuntu’s package list without upgrading any packages.

Step 2 – Install Docker (Recommended Driver for Minikube)

sudo apt install -y docker.io
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Explanation: Installs Docker Engine, starts the service, and enables it to start on boot.