How choose which Kubernetes Way is Right for You

As someone who's always digging into DevOps tools, I find that explaining a topic is the best way to really understand it. So today, I want to share what I've learned about the different ways you can run Kubernetes (K8s).

Getting a Kubernetes cluster started can seem tricky because there isn't just one way to do it. Let's break down the main options in simple terms.

The Many Flavors of Kubernetes

1. Managed Services (Provides support)

Think of this as the easiest way to get started. Cloud providers like Amazon (EKS), Microsoft (AKS), and Google (GKE) do all the heavy lifting for you. They manage the "brain" of the cluster (the Control Plane) so you don't have to.

• Why use it? It's fast to set up and you get great support. The cloud provider handles all the tough stuff like security and updates.
• What's the catch? It can cost more, and you have less control over the setup. You're also using that specific cloud's way of doing things.

2. Management Platforms (like Rancher)

Imagine you have many different Kubernetes clusters, maybe on different clouds. Rancher is like a single, friendly dashboard that lets you manage all of them from one place.

• Why use it? It's perfect if you need to manage multiple clusters and want a simple, consistent experience.
• What's the catch? It’s one more tool to learn and manage, but it's very helpful for complex setups.

3. Self-Managed with kOps (Most preferred)

This is the "do-it-yourself" path, where you have full control. You are in charge of setting up and managing the entire cluster. It sounds hard, but a tool called kOps makes it much simpler.

• Why use it? You get complete control, it can be cheaper, and you aren't locked into any single cloud provider.
• What's the catch? It requires more technical knowledge, and you are responsible for everything, including maintenance and upgrades.

Why is kOps so popular?

kOps (Kubernetes Operations) is a favorite in the community because it automates the hard parts of the DIY approach. You just tell kOps what you want your cluster to look like, and it builds it for you. It’s like giving a blueprint to a robot builder—it makes the process repeatable and reliable.

Let's Build a Cluster with kOps!

Now, let's get our hands dirty and see how it works.

Step 1: Get Your Tools Ready

First, you need to install kubectl, the AWS CLI, and kOps itself. You can do this on a Linux machine with these commands:

# Get your system ready
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y curl

# Install kubectl
sudo apt-get install -y kubectl

# Install AWS CLI
sudo snap install aws-cli --classic

# Install kOps
curl -Lo kops https://github.com/kubernetes/kops/releases/download/$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/kubernetes/kops/releases/latest | grep tag_name | cut -d '"' -f 4)/kops-linux-amd64
chmod +x kops
sudo mv kops /usr/local/bin/kops

Step 2: Connect to AWS

Run aws configure in your terminal and provide your AWS Access Keys to connect your machine to your AWS account.

Step 3: Give kOps a Home

kOps needs a place to store your cluster's configuration. An S3 bucket is perfect for this. (Make sure to use a unique bucket name!)

aws s3api create-bucket --bucket my-kops-cluster-storage-123 --region us-east-1

Step 4: Create the Cluster Blueprint

This one command tells kOps everything it needs to know to plan your cluster.

kops create cluster \
    --name=mycluster.k8s.local \
    --state=s3://my-kops-cluster-storage-123 \
    --zones=us-east-1a \
    --node-count=1 \
    --node-size=t2.micro \
    --master-size=t2.micro

Step 5: Build It!

Now, tell kOps to build the cluster based on the blueprint you just made.

kops update cluster --name mycluster.k8s.local --state=s3://my-kops-cluster-storage-123 --yes

This will take a few minutes. Go grab a chai!

Step 6: Check if it's Ready

After a few minutes, run this command to see if your cluster is online:

kops validate cluster --state=s3://my-kops-cluster-storage-123

And that’s it! You’ve just created your own Kubernetes cluster. By understanding these different approaches, you can pick the one that fits your project best.