Principles for authentication and authorization

Authentication and authorization are essential security concepts that govern access control in distributed systems such as Kubernetes. Both processes play a crucial role in protecting sensitive data and resources from unauthorized access. In this section, we will explain the fundamentals of authentication and authorization, focusing on their importance and implications in a Kubernetes cluster.

First, let’s understand and analyze each term individually and then seek to learn what they mean and their significance in cloud-native environments.

Authentication

Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user, client, or system attempting to access a resource. In the context of Kubernetes, authentication primarily involves confirming the identity of users or service accounts trying to access the Kubernetes API. Kubernetes supports various authentication mechanisms, including client certificates, bearer tokens...