I follow one real CoreDNS workload through a nine-node K3s cluster: from a Deployment submitted to the Kubernetes API, through controller reconciliation and scheduler placement, to the kubelet and containerd on the selected node.
Along the way, I separate a Deployment, ReplicaSet, Pod, and container; show how a Service gives replaceable Pods a stable address; and explain why Running, Ready, and healthy are different claims. I also show where embedded etcd fits in this K3s control plane and what K3s changes about packaging without changing the Kubernetes API model.
The live checks in this episode are read-only and point-in-time. Replacement and failure behavior use labeled illustrations. A Ready result is not presented as proof that every network, DNS, storage, or workload path is healthy.
Companion article: One Cluster, Three Datacenters, Zero Static Inventory.
