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How to protect Kubernetes using Namespaces
Govardhana M K
February 10, 2026
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🧠 Use Case
How to protect Kubernetes using Namespaces
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🧠 USE CASE
How to protect Kubernetes using Namespaces
Before we talk about protecting Kubernetes using namespaces, we need to clear up a confusion that trips up even experienced DevOps engineers.
Namespaces vs cgroups
Namespaces and cgroups solve two very different problems.
Namespaces answer the question: what can I see?
They isolate views of the system. Processes, network interfaces, mounts, users, hostnames. A container sees only what its namespace exposes. It cannot see other containers, host processes, or unrelated resources.
cgroups answer the question: how much can I use?
They limit and account for CPU, memory, disk IO, and pids. A container can see its world just fine but cgroups decide how much of the host it is allowed to consume.
Kubernetes builds on both, but when we talk about protecting Kubernetes, we are mostly talking about controlling visibility and access. That is a namespace problem, not a cgroup problem.
How namespaces protect a Kubernetes cluster
Namespaces create logical boundaries inside a shared cluster. They do not isolate nodes or the kernel. They isolate access and visibility.
They scope: Pods, Services, ConfigMaps, Secrets, RBAC permissions, Network policies, Default service accounts, Resource quotas
Step 1: Define Roles (Role or ClusterRole): What actions are allowed within a namespace (Role) or across the entire cluster (ClusterRole).
Step 2: Creating Service Accounts or Users/Groups: Set up service accounts within Kubernetes or manage external users/groups to take on these roles.
Step 3: Bind Roles to Accounts, Users, or Groups: Use RoleBindings to connect roles to service accounts or users within a namespace, or ClusterRoleBindings for cluster wide permissions.
To further understand how this operates, let’s break down the key roles in Kubernetes:
Cluster-admin: Acts as a superuser with full control over all resources across the cluster and namespaces.
Admin: Grants complete read and write access within a specific namespace, including creating roles and bindings but not modifying the namespace itself.
Edit: Allows read and write permissions within a namespace, excluding the ability to view or modify roles or bindings.
View: Provides read-only access within a namespace, without permission to view or change roles or bindings.
The core idea to remember
cgroups protect the node from containers.
Namespaces protect workloads and teams from each other.
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