Kubernetes Part 12 | ConfigMaps & Secrets Explained (Stop Hardcoding!)

Description

In this video, we learn how to manage configuration in Kubernetes using ConfigMaps and Secrets. Instead of hardcoding values inside applications, Kubernetes allows us to separate configuration from code — making applications more flexible, secure, and easier to manage. In this part of the Kubernetes Beginner Series, we cover: - What is a ConfigMap - What is a Secret - ConfigMap vs Secret (difference explained) - How Pods use ConfigMaps and Secrets - Injecting values using environment variables - Real-time demo using kubectl and Docker Desktop We also verify how configuration is injected into containers and understand the correct mental model for managing configuration in Kubernetes. --- 📌 Part of the Kubernetes Beginner Series: Part 11: TLS / HTTPS with Ingress Part 12: ConfigMaps & Secrets (this video) Part 13: Kubernetes Architecture (API Server, etcd, Controllers) --- 💻 Commands used in this video: kubectl apply -f configmap.yaml kubectl create secret generic app-secret --from-literal=APP_PASSWORD=mysecret kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml kubectl rollout restart deployment my-first-deployment kubectl get pods kubectl exec -it POD_NAME -- env kubectl exec -it POD_NAME -- env | grep APP --- 🎯 Key takeaway: We didn’t change the application. We only changed the configuration. --- 🔔 If you found this helpful, consider subscribing for the next parts in this Kubernetes series.