Kubernetes on Linode: Setup and Configuration

To set up Kubernetes on Linode, start by creating a new Linode instance, which can be done through the Linode Cloud Manager. This will be the foundation of your Kubernetes cluster.

Choose a suitable Linode plan that meets your needs, considering factors like CPU, RAM, and storage. The smallest plan, Linode Nano, is a good starting point for a small cluster.

Next, create a Kubernetes cluster using the Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE). This can be done by clicking the "Create a Kubernetes Cluster" button in the Linode Cloud Manager.

LKE offers a range of options for configuring your cluster, including choosing the number of worker nodes and selecting a Kubernetes version. For a small cluster, a single worker node is sufficient.

To get started with Kubernetes on Linode, you'll need a few things. First, create a Linode account and get a $100 credit using this link. Then, install python and pip on your local machine, as they're required for the linode-cli package.

You'll also need to install kubectl, which you can do by following the instructions on the Kubernetes website. This will allow you to interact with your Linode Kubernetes cluster.

To create a managed Kubernetes cluster on Linode, use the linode-cli lke cluster-create command, which is explained in more detail in the article.

To create a Kubernetes cluster on Linode, you can use the CLI demo to see how it's done. You can create a managed Kubernetes cluster on Linode with the linode-cli lke cluster-create command.

This command is self-explaining, and it's used to create a cluster of a specific version in a specific region. The cluster will run on a specified number of Linodes of the specific type. You can use linode-cli linodes types to find out the supported node types.

The command will return immediately with the id of the cluster, while the creation takes place in the background. You can use linode-cli regions ls to show you Linode regions.

To get started with Kubernetes on Linode, you'll need to download a few components, including Python, pip, Terraform, the Linode CLI, and an SSH application.

You'll need a Linux environment to install these components, as installing from a Windows desktop with Git Bash didn't work for the author. If you don't use Linux as your daily driver, consider rolling a Linux VM for easier interaction with the Kubernetes cluster.

Here's a list of what you'll need to install:

Once you have these components installed, you'll need to update all existing packages, install wget and curl, and generate SSH keys for your user. You can do this by running the following commands:

Next, you'll need to install kubeadm, kubelet, and kubectl. You can find instructions on how to do this on the Kubernetes website.

After installing these components, you'll need to create a Personal Access Token in the Linode Cloud Manager. You can do this by heading to the Linode Cloud Manager and creating a new Personal Access Token. Once you have the token, paste it in when prompted by running the Linode CLI command.

Finally, you'll be prompted for some preferences, including your Default Region, Default Type of Linode to deploy, and Default Image to Deploy. You can reconfigure these defaults at any time by running linode-cli configure.

Creating a managed Kubernetes cluster on Linode is a straightforward process. You can use the linode-cli command to create a cluster, specifying the label, region, Kubernetes version, node type, and number of nodes.

The linode-cli lke cluster-create command allows you to create a cluster immediately, while the creation takes place in the background. It returns the id of the cluster, which you can use to manage the cluster.

To find out the supported node types, you can use the linode-cli linodes types command. Similarly, the linode-cli regions ls command will show you the available Linode regions where you can create your cluster.

Creating your Kubernetes cluster is a straightforward process. You can use the Linode CLI to create a managed Kubernetes cluster with a single command.

To create a cluster, you'll need to specify the label, region, Kubernetes version, node type, and number of nodes. For example, you can use the following command to create a cluster: `linode-cli lke cluster-create --label cluster12345 --region us-central --k8s_version 1.25 --node_pools.type g6-standard-4 --node_pools.count 1`.

You can also use the Linode web console to create a Kubernetes cluster. In the web console, click on Kubernetes in the right-hand navigation, and then click Create Cluster. You'll need to choose the cluster name, region, Kubernetes version, and node type.

Here are the key settings you'll need to choose:

For example, in the tutorial, the cluster was created with the following settings:

Once you've set up your cluster, you can download the kubeconfig file, which will allow you to connect to your cluster using the `kubectl` command.

To create a new Service Account User with the cluster-admin role, you'll need to create two new files: create-user.yaml and add-cluster-admin-role.yaml. Replace YOUR-USER-NAME with your chosen username.

Creating these files allows you to run commands against your Kubernetes cluster. This new user will have full access to the cluster and all namespaces, making them a super-admin. Be very careful with this user.

You won't need to apply a password, as you'll be using a Secret, specifically the user's Bearer Token, for authentication. To find your user's Bearer Token, run the command replacing YOUR-USER-NAME with your chosen username.

This command will spit out your Service Account's Bearer Token, which you can use to authenticate with the cluster via tools like the Kubernetes Dashboard.

Building Cloud Controller Manager is a crucial step in creating and managing resources. Most recent Linux distros should work just fine out-of-the-box.

To start building the Linode Cloud Controller Manager, you'll need a fairly up-to-date GNU tools environment. This is because some development helper scripts rely on it.

You can improve the linode-cloud-controller-manager by starting with the development helper scripts.