Containerizing Search: Docker and Kubernetes for Solr Deployments

Container orchestration has transformed how we deploy and manage search infrastructure. This guide covers Docker best practices for Apache Solr, including image optimization, volume management for index persistence, and health check configuration. We then move to Kubernetes deployments using StatefulSets for Solr nodes, persistent volume claims for index storage, and horizontal pod autoscaling based on query load. Advanced topics include implementing rolling updates with zero downtime, configuring resource limits and requests for predictable performance, and setting up monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana. Production patterns cover multi-AZ deployments, backup strategies using Kubernetes CronJobs, and disaster recovery procedures.