How I Built a Kubernetes Cluster at Home (And Why You Should Too)

Want to run your own private cloud from your garage, office, or homelab? Here’s exactly how I built a production-grade Kubernetes cluster using Raspberry Pis, SSDs, and open source tools — and how you can too.

🧰 The Gear I Used
3x Raspberry Pi 4B (8GB recommended)
3x SSDs (like the Crucial X8 with USB 3.0 adapters)
1x Gigabit managed switch
1x Router or Tailscale for remote access
Ethernet cables, Pi cases with cooling, SD cards for boot
🛠️ Flashing the Raspberry Pi OS
Start with Raspberry Pi Imager. Choose the 64-bit Lite version of Raspberry Pi OS.

Set a hostname (like k8s-master), enable SSH, and add Wi-Fi credentials (or plug into Ethernet). You can do this from the advanced settings (gear icon) in the imager tool.

For headless setups, enable SSH by placing a blank file named ssh in the /boot directory after flashing.

🔧 First Boot and Configuration
Boot your Pi, then SSH into it using the hostname or IP address. Change the password, run full updates, and reboot.

If you’re using DHCP, assign a static IP using /etc/dhcpcd.conf.

You can also set the hostname with hostnamectl if you didn’t already during flashing.

🚀 Installing Kubernetes (K3s)
We’re using K3s — a lightweight Kubernetes distribution designed for low-power devices.

Run the official K3s install script on the master node. It sets up your API server, scheduler, and controller manager in one binary.

Verify your cluster by checking kubectl get nodes.

To add workers, grab the token from the master node and run the K3s join command on each worker.

⚙️ Install Helm
Helm is the package manager for Kubernetes. Install it using the official install script and verify the installation.

🌐 Add Load Balancing with MetalLB
Kubernetes doesn’t expose services directly on bare metal. MetalLB solves this by assigning external IPs from your local LAN.

First, enable strictARP in the kube-proxy configmap.

Then apply the MetalLB manifests, and configure an IP address pool (e.g., 192.168.1.240–250). Add a Layer 2 advertisement so MetalLB can respond to ARP requests.

🔐 Add Secure Remote Access with Tailscale
Tailscale makes remote cluster access easy with encrypted, zero-config VPN. Install the Tailscale agent, authenticate, and your Pi cluster will appear in your Tailscale network instantly.

Bonus: it works across NATs and firewalls.

📈 Monitoring the Cluster
Install Prometheus + Grafana using the kube-prometheus-stack Helm chart.

Port-forward the Grafana service to access dashboards, or expose it via Ingress and secure it with Tailscale ACLs.

Grafana provides beautiful dashboards for CPU, memory, pod health, and more — critical for long-term reliability.

🧪 Common Problems I Faced
Time sync errors prevented nodes from joining
Tailscale required approval from the admin panel before traffic would route
MetalLB wouldn’t assign IPs until strictARP was enabled
Some Pis overheated under load — active cooling was a must
Pods stuck in Pending? Often a resource issue — check node taints or available RAM
📦 Affiliate Hardware I Actually Use
Crucial X8 SSD
TP-Link SG108 switch
Argon Neo or FLIRC case
Raspberry Pi 4B (8GB model)
I’ve tested all of these personally in my cluster and recommend them without hesitation.

🔁 What’s Next?
If you want to:

Self-host services like Pi-hole, Uptime Kuma, or Vaultwarden
Learn GitOps with ArgoCD

Practice real-world cloud skills
Or build a private edge cloud…
Then a home Kubernetes cluster is the best playground.

You can download my printable Kubernetes Lab Checklist (with gear links and setup steps) free here:
👉 👉 Download the Home Kubernetes Lab Checklist (Free PDF)