This page provides an overview of Windows Server containers in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE). To learn how to create a cluster, see Creating a cluster using Windows Server node pools.
Overview
Using Windows Server containers on GKE enables you to take advantage of the benefits of Kubernetes: agility, speed of deployment and simplified management of your Windows Server applications. You can run your Windows Server and Linux containers side by side in the same cluster, which allows for a central management plane for both container platforms. Microsoft Hyper-V containers are not currently supported.
Node images
You can build your Windows Server container node images using Windows Server Semi-Annual Channel (SAC) or Windows Server Long-Term Servicing Channel (LTSC). A single cluster can have multiple Windows Server node pools using different Windows Server versions, but each individual node pool can only use one Windows Server version. To learn more about the differences between these versions, see Choosing your Windows Server node images.
Storage
Your Windows Server containers can take advantage of many of the storage options that GKE provides. For an example of using GKE storage options with Windows, see Local SSDs.
When working with Windows Server containers, you must create a StorageClass
object, and specify the name of that object in the storageClassName field of
the PersistentVolumeClaim object because the ext4 file storage type is not
supported with Windows. If you are using a Compute Engine persistent disk, you
must use NTFS as the file storage type.
Deploying your Windows Server applications
For guidance on deploying your applications, see the following pages:
- Deploying a Windows Server application.
- Deploying a Windows Server application to a private cluster.
- Deploying a stateful application.
What's next
- Read Microsoft's short introduction on Windows containers.