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Docker Compose dev to Kubernetes prod

How do you keep dev Docker Compose and production Kubernetes deployments aligned?

Answers use simple, clear English.

Quick interview answer

Same container images in both — Compose only wires services locally. Helm/Kustomize for K8s manifests. CI builds immutable image tag once; dev pulls same tag.

Detailed answer

Same container images in both — Compose only wires services locally. Helm/Kustomize for K8s manifests. CI builds immutable image tag once; dev pulls same tag. Environment-specific values via ConfigMaps/secrets not rebuilt images. Integration tests run Compose or kind cluster in CI.

Real example & use case

CI publishes api:1.4.2; dev compose and prod Helm chart both reference 1.4.2 digest.

Pros & cons

Pros: parity reduces 'works on my machine'. Cons: Compose lacks K8s probes/HPA — document gaps.

#docker#kubernetes#devops