Enterprise Grade Minecraft On Kubernetes

The presentation discusses how to run a high-performance, reliable, and disaster-proof Minecraft server on Kubernetes, which can be applied to other stateful applications. The speaker highlights the challenges of managing commercial off-the-shelf software and the benefits of using Kubernetes to increase reliability.

• Minecraft runs in a multi-client, single-server architecture with state and configuration stored on disk.
• Kubernetes can be leveraged to manage high-performance storage, on-disk configuration, custom Pod initializations, regular data backup, and custom service endpoints.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of using a fast disk and solid-state disks for better performance.
• The access mode should be set to read-write one's pod to avoid issues with disk-based state and multiple instances of the application.
• The speaker also mentions the use of a secret password to connect to the Archon protocol for remote management of the application.
• Kubernetes provides flexibility to increase the reliability of commercial off-the-shelf software not initially meant for a container runtime.

The speaker shares their personal experience of playing Minecraft with their children and using it as a three-dimensional programming model. They also mention the challenges of managing commercial off-the-shelf software with strange constraints.

Minecraft runs in a multi-client, single-server architecture. State and configuration are stored on disk. Minecraft servers are network sensitive, CPU and memory intensive, and can only operate as a single instance. It's a great example of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software. In this talk we'll take a look at some of the key capabilities in Kubernetes we can leverage to run a high-performance, reliable, and disaster-proof Minecraft server, which you can apply to many other stateful applications your team has to manage. Or just use these techniques to run your own Minecraft server! By the end of this talk you'll understand how to configure high performance storage, manage on-disk configuration, run custom Pod initializations, back-up your state on a regular basis, expose custom service endpoints, and more. We'll take advantage of the flexibility of Kubernetes to increase reliability of software developed by others, not initially meant for a container runtime.