Kubernetes is a widely adopted open-source platform originally developed by Google, designed to manage containerized applications at scale, offering automated deployment, scaling, and management of application containers. It began as an internal project called Borg and was later open-sourced in 2015, becoming the de facto standard for container orchestration due to its robust ecosystem and strong community support. Kubernetes enhances microservices architectures by allowing applications to be developed as independent, containerized services, increasing efficiency and flexibility in software development. It provides essential components such as a centralized manager, scheduler, API server, and a persistence layer, along with features like service discovery, load balancing, and storage orchestration. Kubernetes also supports a rich ecosystem of tools for monitoring, logging, and CI/CD, crucial for managing microservices deployments. Its integration with API gateways like Kong Gateway further enhances its utility in complex, distributed systems, making it a pivotal technology in modern software development strategies.