Kubernetes pools together various nodes into a cluster to run cloud-native applications. The Kubernetes cluster contains, at minimum, a master node and a worker node. The master node maintains the desired state of the cluster, such as which applications are running and which container images they use and directly controls the worker node. Worker nodes actually run the applications and workloads. When you deploy programs onto the cluster, the master node intelligently handles distributing work to the individual. If any nodes are added or removed, Kubernetes will automatically manage your cluster to match the desired state.