Kubernetes, an open-source container orchestration platform, has revolutionized DevOps by automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications, but improper configurations can lead to significant issues in production environments. Common mistakes such as ignoring health checks, misusing the 'latest' tag, mounting host file systems in containers, deploying to the wrong node, and failing to set resource limits can impact application reliability and increase costs. Employing proper deployment strategies like Blue-Green, Canary, and Rolling updates, alongside stateful and stateless containers, enhances operational success. Additionally, integrating monitoring, logging, and security configurations is vital for maintaining application performance and safeguarding data. Understanding Kubernetes' architecture, which includes master and worker nodes, and using tools like RBAC for security, can prevent deployment errors, ensuring efficient cluster management and high availability.