Solutions
Audit & Optimization Platform Design Automation Team Structure
Documentation Blog
Get Started

Installation & Configuration Overview

Installing and configuring Kubernetes is the first step to using it. Understanding installation approaches and configuration concepts is important because different scenarios require different approaches—from local development to production clusters. The installation method you choose affects how you manage, upgrade, and operate your cluster.

Think of Kubernetes installation like choosing how to get a car. You could build it from parts (manual installation), buy a kit and assemble it (tools like kubeadm), or buy a ready-made car (managed services). Each approach has trade-offs between control, complexity, and convenience.

Installation Approaches

There are several ways to install Kubernetes:

Managed Services

Cloud providers offer managed Kubernetes services:

  • Amazon EKS - Elastic Kubernetes Service
  • Google GKE - Google Kubernetes Engine
  • Azure AKS - Azure Kubernetes Service
  • DigitalOcean Kubernetes - Managed Kubernetes

Advantages:

  • ✅ Managed control plane (updates, backups, HA)
  • ✅ Easy to get started
  • ✅ Integrated with cloud services
  • ✅ Less operational overhead

Disadvantages:

  • ❌ Less control over control plane
  • ❌ Vendor lock-in
  • ❌ Cost (pay for managed service)
  • ❌ May have limitations

Installation Tools

Tools that automate Kubernetes installation:

  • kubeadm - Official Kubernetes installation tool
  • kops - Kubernetes operations tool
  • kubespray - Ansible-based installation
  • Rancher - Kubernetes management platform

Advantages:

  • ✅ More control over installation
  • ✅ Works on-premises and cloud
  • ✅ Customizable
  • ✅ Learn how Kubernetes works

Disadvantages:

  • ❌ More operational overhead
  • ❌ Need to manage control plane
  • ❌ More complex setup
  • ❌ Responsible for updates

Manual Installation

Installing components manually:

  • Full control - Complete control over every component
  • Learning - Deep understanding of components
  • Customization - Maximum customization
  • Complexity - Very complex and error-prone

When to use:

  • Learning Kubernetes internals
  • Highly customized requirements
  • Special use cases

Installation Components

Regardless of approach, Kubernetes installation involves:

graph TB Install[Installation] --> ControlPlane[Control Plane] Install --> WorkerNodes[Worker Nodes] Install --> Networking[Networking] Install --> Storage[Storage] Install --> Addons[Add-ons] ControlPlane --> API[API Server] ControlPlane --> etcd[etcd] ControlPlane --> Scheduler[Scheduler] ControlPlane --> CM[Controller Manager] WorkerNodes --> Kubelet[Kubelet] WorkerNodes --> Runtime[Container Runtime] WorkerNodes --> Proxy[kube-proxy] Networking --> CNI[CNI Plugin] Storage --> CSI[CSI Driver] Addons --> DNS[DNS] Addons --> Dashboard[Dashboard] style Install fill:#e1f5ff style ControlPlane fill:#fff4e1 style WorkerNodes fill:#e8f5e9 style Networking fill:#f3e5f5 style Storage fill:#fff4e1 style Addons fill:#e8f5e9

Control Plane

  • API Server - Kubernetes API endpoint
  • etcd - Cluster state storage
  • Scheduler - Pod scheduling
  • Controller Manager - Cluster controllers

Worker Nodes

  • Kubelet - Node agent
  • Container Runtime - containerd, CRI-O, etc.
  • kube-proxy - Network proxy

Networking

  • CNI Plugin - Container networking (Calico, Cilium, Flannel)
  • Service networking - Cluster IP ranges
  • Pod networking - Pod CIDR

Storage

  • CSI Drivers - Storage plugins
  • Storage Classes - Storage provisioning

Add-ons

  • DNS - CoreDNS for service discovery
  • Dashboard - Web UI (optional)
  • Monitoring - Prometheus, etc. (optional)
  • Ingress - Ingress controller (optional)

Configuration Concepts

Cluster Configuration

Cluster-wide settings:

  • API server settings - Admission controllers, API versions
  • Scheduler settings - Scheduling policies
  • Controller manager settings - Controller configurations
  • etcd settings - Storage, clustering

Node Configuration

Node-specific settings:

  • Kubelet configuration - Resource limits, node settings
  • Container runtime - Runtime configuration
  • Network - CNI plugin configuration
  • Storage - Storage plugin configuration

Component Configuration

Individual component settings:

  • ConfigMaps - Application configuration
  • Secrets - Sensitive configuration
  • Resource quotas - Resource limits
  • Network policies - Network rules

Installation Tools

kubeadm

Official Kubernetes installation tool:

# Initialize control plane
kubeadm init

# Join worker node
kubeadm join <control-plane-endpoint>

Features:

  • Simple command-line interface
  • Handles certificate generation
  • Sets up etcd cluster
  • Configures networking
  • Good for learning and small clusters

kops

Kubernetes operations tool:

# Create cluster
kops create cluster my-cluster.k8s.local

# Update cluster
kops update cluster my-cluster.k8s.local --yes

Features:

  • Works with AWS, GCE, Azure
  • Manages cluster lifecycle
  • Handles node groups
  • Good for production on cloud

kubespray

Ansible-based installation:

# Deploy cluster
ansible-playbook -i inventory/mycluster/hosts.yaml cluster.yml

Features:

  • Ansible-based
  • Works on various platforms
  • Highly configurable
  • Good for on-premises

Configuration Management

Static Configuration

Configuration files:

  • kubeconfig - Cluster, user, context configuration
  • Component configs - API server, scheduler, etc. configs
  • CNI configs - Network plugin configuration

Dynamic Configuration

Runtime configuration:

  • ConfigMaps - Application configuration
  • Secrets - Sensitive configuration
  • Resource definitions - Kubernetes resources

Configuration Best Practices

  • Version control - Store configs in Git
  • Environment separation - Separate dev/staging/prod
  • Secrets management - Use proper secret management
  • Documentation - Document configuration decisions
  • Testing - Test configurations before production

Post-Installation

After installation:

Verification

Verify cluster is working:

# Check nodes
kubectl get nodes

# Check components
kubectl get pods -n kube-system

# Test API
kubectl cluster-info

Configuration

Configure cluster:

  • RBAC - Set up access control
  • Network policies - Configure networking
  • Storage classes - Set up storage
  • Add-ons - Install required add-ons

Hardening

Secure the cluster:

  • RBAC - Enable and configure
  • Pod security - Apply security standards
  • Network policies - Enable network isolation
  • Audit logging - Enable audit logs
  • Encryption - Enable encryption at rest

Upgrade Considerations

Plan for upgrades:

  • Version compatibility - Check version skew
  • Backup - Backup etcd before upgrades
  • Rolling upgrades - Upgrade components gradually
  • Testing - Test upgrades in non-production first
  • Documentation - Document upgrade procedures

Managed vs Self-Managed

Managed Services

Use when:

  • ✅ Want to focus on applications
  • ✅ Need quick setup
  • ✅ Prefer managed control plane
  • ✅ Cloud-native deployment

Self-Managed

Use when:

  • ✅ Need full control
  • ✅ On-premises deployment
  • ✅ Custom requirements
  • ✅ Want to learn internals

Key Takeaways

  • Multiple installation approaches: managed services, tools, or manual
  • Installation involves control plane, worker nodes, networking, storage, add-ons
  • Configuration covers cluster, node, and component settings
  • Tools like kubeadm, kops, kubespray automate installation
  • Post-installation: verify, configure, harden
  • Plan for upgrades and maintenance
  • Choose approach based on requirements and constraints

See Also