Building Your First EKS Cluster

Setting up your first Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) cluster may seem challenging, but it’s also an exciting process. This guide will walk you through each step of launching an EKS cluster for beginners, from gathering prerequisites to deploying the cluster. While gaining a strong understanding of EKS setup and management, it’s also important to consider Migrating From AWS EKS: Transitioning To A Supported Solution as your needs evolve. By the end, launching an EKS cluster for beginners becomes a straightforward and rewarding experience, with insights into potential future transitions.

Building your first EKS cluster

Prerequisites for Setting Up an EKS Cluster

Before creating your EKS cluster, make sure you have a few essentials ready:

AWS Account: You need an active AWS account. If you don’t have one, you can create it on the AWS website.
AWS CLI: Install the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) on your computer. This tool allows you to access AWS services directly from your terminal. You can find the installation guide here.
kubectl: Install kubectl, the command-line tool for interacting with Kubernetes clusters. Follow the instructions here.
IAM Permissions: Ensure you have IAM permissions to create and manage EKS clusters, including permissions for EC2, IAM, VPC, and EKS.
Familiarity with YAML: Since Kubernetes configurations are usually in YAML format, basic knowledge of YAML will be helpful.
Networking Basics: Understanding AWS VPCs and networking concepts is crucial for setting up your EKS cluster correctly.

Configuring the AWS CLI Environment

To set up your AWS CLI environment, run the command:

This command will prompt you to enter your AWS Access Key ID, Secret Access Key, default region, and output format. If you’d rather not store your root credentials, set them as environment variables:

Creating IAM Policies and Users

Create an EKS Admin Policy: This policy should grant only the permissions needed for EKS cluster management. You can create the policy through the AWS Management Console or the CLI.
Create an EKS Admin Group: Assign the new EKS Admin policy to this group.
Add a User: Add a new user to the EKS Admin group, and generate access credentials for them.

Setting Up Your VPC

EKS requires a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) to function. You can either use an existing VPC or create a new one. If you create a new VPC, make sure it includes at least two public and two private subnets across different availability zones.

Launching Your First EKS Cluster

There are several ways to create an EKS cluster, including using the AWS Console, CLI, Terraform, eksctl, and AWS CDK. Let’s go through each method.

Option 1: Using the AWS Console

Sign in to AWS Console and go to the EKS service.
Create the Cluster:
- Click “Add cluster” and select “Create.”
- Provide a name for your cluster and select the Kubernetes version.
- Select the IAM role you created for the cluster.
Configure Networking:
- Select your VPC and subnets.
- Set up security groups for your worker nodes.
Cluster Endpoint: Decide if the cluster API should be publicly accessible.
Enable Logging: Enable CloudWatch logging for better visibility.
Review and Launch: Review the settings, then click “Create.” The process may take about 20-30 minutes.

Option 2: Using the AWS CLI

You can also create an EKS cluster with the AWS CLI. Use this command as a basic template:

After running the command, you can check the status of your cluster with:

Option 3: Using Terraform

Terraform enables you to define infrastructure as code. Here’s how to set up an EKS cluster with Terraform:

Install Terraform: Follow the steps on the Terraform website.
Write a Configuration File: Below is a basic Terraform configuration for an EKS cluster:

Initialize and Apply:
- Run terraform init to initialize the setup.
- Run terraform apply to create the resources from the configuration file.

Option 4: Using `eksctl`

It is a simple CLI tool that streamlines EKS setup.

Install eksctl: Follow the installation instructions on the eksctl website.
Create the Cluster: Use this command to set up your cluster:

This will create a cluster with two t2.micro nodes.

Option 5: Using AWS CDK

The AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) lets you use programming languages to define cloud infrastructure. Here’s a Python example:

Install AWS CDK: Follow instructions on the AWS CDK website.
Set Up a CDK Application:

Deploy the Stack: Run the command below to deploy:

Verifying Your EKS Cluster

After creating the cluster, verify its status by running:

This command shows the services running in your cluster. If everything is configured correctly, you’ll see the Kubernetes services.

Conclusion

Building your first EKS cluster is a big step toward utilizing Kubernetes for your applications. Whether you’re launching your first EKS cluster for beginners through the AWS Console, CLI, Terraform, or AWS CDK, each method offers unique benefits. As you become more comfortable with EKS, you can explore advanced setups and optimizations. With this guide, building your first EKS cluster becomes a manageable and rewarding process. Happy clustering!

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Building Your First EKS Cluster