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Balaji Sasikumar
Balaji Sasikumar

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Autostart Minikube on Ubuntu

#kubernetes #cloud #devops #development

So You Want Minikube on Autopilot?

Picture this: the system reboots and—bam!—Minikube is already there, ready to go. No coffee required, no minikube start ritual in the morning. Pure bliss. But Linux needs to know: under whose authority shall this magic commence?

Step 1: Unmask Your Secret Identity

Let’s get personal. Who are you? The all-powerful root, the humble johnny, or the mysterious testsms? To find out, type:

whoami
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If your reply is root, you’re basically a wizard. If it’s something else, that’s your user.

Now for your gang affiliation (primary group):

id -gn
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Most of the time, your user and group are identical—a bit like Clark Kent and Superman. Remember them! You’ll need both for the systemd spell.

Step 2: Write Your Systemd Spellbook

Open /etc/systemd/system/minikube.service, like so:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/minikube.service
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Type this incantation (replace test with your actual self—yes, you):

[Unit]
Description=Kickoff Minikube Cluster
After=docker.service

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/minikube start
RemainAfterExit=true
ExecStop=/usr/local/bin/minikube stop
StandardOutput=journal
User=test
Group=test

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
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This script orders Minikube to start and stop as you (so it doesn’t go rogue and start the Kubernetes world domination from your grandma’s account).

Step 3: Make systemd Notice You

Like poking a sleepy cat, do this to wake up systemd to your new magical file:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
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No, it doesn’t reboot the system. It just reads your new scribblings and mutters “OK, fine.”

Step 4: Flip the Startup Switch

Tell Linux to run Minikube every time it wakes up:

sudo systemctl enable minikube
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If you don’t want to wait for your next power nap, you can start it right now:

sudo systemctl start minikube
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Step 5: Confirm Your Spell’s Success

Don’t trust magic blindly—check if Minikube is alive:

sudo systemctl status minikube
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If you see active (running), congratulations! If you see inactive (dead), it's time to check logs...or sacrifice a rubber duck.

Summary:

Discover your mysterious username and group, write your service file, reload its magic, and enable it! Welcome to hands-free Minikube on Ubuntu. Enjoy your extra five minutes of sleep—Kubernetes is already up and brewing as soon as your computer starts

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