Free Database Audit: comprehensive health report for your database

Learn More
TiDB on Kubernetes

TiDB onKubernetes

In short: Running TiDB on Kubernetes means using PingCAP's TiDB Operator and its TidbCluster CRD to manage four components: Raft-quorum PD, storage TiKV, and columnar TiFlash as StatefulSets with PersistentVolumeClaims, plus stateless MySQL-compatible TiDB Servers. The operator automates failover, horizontal scaling, rolling upgrades, and BR backups to object storage.

Deploy production-grade TiDB on Kubernetes with TiDB Operator, automated scaling, HTAP analytics, and MySQL-compatible distributed SQL for cloud-native workloads.

MySQL
Compatible
HTAP
OLTP + OLAP
Horizontal
Scaling

Comprehensive TiDB on Kubernetes Services

From TiDB Operator deployment to production HTAP workloads, we provide end-to-end TiDB on Kubernetes solutions for cloud-native distributed SQL environments.

TiDB Operator Deployment
TiDB Operator setup and configuration for automated TiDB cluster lifecycle management on Kubernetes
  • TiDB Operator installation and CRD setup
  • TidbCluster custom resource configuration
  • RBAC and namespace isolation
  • Multi-cluster operator management
Helm Chart Management
TiDB Helm chart customization, values tuning, and upgrade strategies for reproducible deployments
  • TiDB Helm chart customization
  • Values file tuning for production
  • Chart version upgrade strategies
  • GitOps integration with ArgoCD / Flux
TiDB Cluster on K8s
Full TiDB cluster deployment with PD, TiKV, TiDB Server, and TiFlash components on Kubernetes
  • PD cluster setup and tuning
  • TiKV storage node configuration
  • TiDB Server SQL layer deployment
  • TiFlash columnar engine setup
Storage & Persistence
PVCs, StorageClasses, and high-performance storage backends for TiKV and TiFlash on Kubernetes
  • PVC and StorageClass configuration
  • Local SSD and cloud block storage
  • Separate storage tiers per component
  • Volume expansion and snapshots
Monitoring & Observability
TiDB Dashboard, Prometheus, and Grafana on Kubernetes for full observability of TiDB clusters
  • TiDB Dashboard deployment
  • Prometheus and Grafana setup
  • TidbMonitor CRD configuration
  • Alertmanager rules and routing
Backup & Disaster Recovery
BR tool, Dumpling, and S3 backups for comprehensive TiDB data protection on Kubernetes
  • BR (Backup & Restore) on K8s
  • Dumpling logical export setup
  • S3-compatible backup storage
  • Point-in-time recovery with TiCDC

TiDB Architecture on Kubernetes

Understand how TiDB's distributed components map to Kubernetes primitives, managed by TiDB Operator for a fully automated, cloud-native deployment.

Metadata & Scheduling
PD (Placement Driver)
Cluster metadata and TiKV data scheduling
Stores cluster topology metadata
Schedules data regions across TiKV
Generates distributed timestamps (TSO)
Manages data placement rules
Runs as a Raft-based quorum (3+ pods)
Lightweight, low resource footprint
Distributed Storage
TiKV
Distributed transactional key-value store
Row-based distributed KV storage
Raft consensus for data replication
Automatic region splitting and merging
MVCC transaction support
RocksDB storage engine
Horizontal scale-out by adding nodes
SQL Layer
TiDB Server
MySQL-compatible stateless SQL engine
MySQL protocol compatible
Stateless — scales horizontally
Distributed query execution
Online DDL without locking
Cost-based query optimizer
Load balanced via K8s Service
Columnar Analytics
TiFlash
Real-time columnar analytics engine
Columnar storage for OLAP queries
Real-time replication from TiKV
Strong consistency via Raft Learner
MPP execution engine
Automatic query routing by optimizer
Independent scaling from TiKV

Why Run TiDB on Kubernetes?

TiDB was built for cloud-native environments. Kubernetes provides the ideal platform for operating TiDB's distributed architecture with automated lifecycle management.

Cloud-Native Distributed SQL

TiDB was designed from the ground up as a cloud-native distributed SQL database. On Kubernetes, TiDB Operator manages all components declaratively, integrating seamlessly with your CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code workflows.

HTAP in a Single Platform

Combine OLTP and OLAP workloads in one database. TiKV handles transactions while TiFlash provides real-time columnar analytics, eliminating the need for separate ETL pipelines and analytics databases.

Elastic Horizontal Scaling

Scale TiDB components independently — add TiKV nodes for more storage, TiDB Servers for more SQL throughput, or TiFlash replicas for faster analytics. All without downtime or manual data rebalancing.

MySQL Compatibility

TiDB speaks the MySQL protocol, so existing MySQL applications, ORMs, and tools work with minimal changes. Migrate from MySQL to TiDB on Kubernetes and gain distributed SQL capabilities without rewriting your application.

TiDB on K8s Key Metrics

Availability(Multi-replica Raft consensus)
99.99%
Scaling(Independent per component)
Elastic
MySQL Protocol(Drop-in compatible)
Yes
HTAP Support(TiKV + TiFlash)
Native
Online DDL(Non-blocking schema changes)
Yes
GitOps Ready(ArgoCD / Flux compatible)
Yes

Our TiDB on Kubernetes Implementation Process

A proven methodology for deploying production-ready TiDB on Kubernetes with comprehensive testing and validation.

1

Assessment & Planning

Evaluate your workload requirements, data volume, HTAP needs, and Kubernetes environment. Size PD, TiKV, TiDB Server, and TiFlash components based on throughput and storage targets.

2

Operator & Cluster Setup

Deploy TiDB Operator via Helm. Configure TidbCluster custom resources, StorageClasses for TiKV and TiFlash, networking, TLS, and resource requests for production readiness.

3

Migration & Validation

Migrate data from MySQL or other sources using TiDB Lightning or DM (Data Migration). Validate application compatibility, run failover tests, and benchmark OLTP and OLAP performance.

4

Production & Operations

Go live with TiDB Dashboard monitoring, Prometheus/Grafana alerting, automated BR backups, and runbooks. Provide team training on TiDB Operator management and 24/7 support.

TiDB on Kubernetes — Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about running TiDB on Kubernetes in production environments.

Ready to Run TiDB on Kubernetes?

Let our experts deploy and manage production TiDB on Kubernetes with TiDB Operator automation, HTAP workloads, and MySQL-compatible distributed SQL at scale.

Related TiDB Services

Explore more ways our TiDB experts can help with your database infrastructure.

TiDB Consulting
View all TiDB services