DNS plays a pivotal role in a Kubernetes environment. It is the centerpiece that enables applications to locate each other dynamically. In a production environment, where we have many pods extensively communicating with each other using DNS, the importance of observability for these requests becomes increasingly paramount.

Gaining telemetry insights for all requests in the cluster, like through the CoreDNS log plugin, is feasible, yet the idea of tracing these requests can become challenging if no configuration changes can be made. Additionally, incorporating context related to other requests and the operating system is crucial for a comprehensive understanding or effective issue debugging.

In this talk, we will delve into real-world scenarios that highlight how observability can efficiently track down issues. Then, we will dive into tracing DNS requests using Inspektor Gadget’s DNS gadget powered by eBPF to demonstrate how this approach helps solving complicated problems.

ContainerDays Conference 2024