k3d Multi-Node Cluster Setup

Welcome to the k3d multi-node cluster setup guide! This repository provides a comprehensive guide on how to create and manage a multi-node Kubernetes cluster using k3d.

k3d is a lightweight wrapper to run k3s (Rancher's minimal Kubernetes distribution) in Docker. It is designed to be simple, efficient, and easy to use, making it a great tool for local development and CI/CD pipelines.

Why k3d?

k3d makes it easy to create and manage lightweight Kubernetes clusters. Here are a few reasons why you might want to use k3d :

• Lightweight and Fast : k3d runs k3s in Docker, which is much lighter than a full-fledged Kubernetes setup.
• Simple Setup : With just a few commands, you can have a fully functional Kubernetes cluster up and running.
• Local Development : Perfect for developing and testing Kubernetes applications locally.
• CI/CD Integration : Easily integrate k3d into your CI/CD pipelines to test your Kubernetes manifests and configurations.

Features

• Multi-Node Clusters : Set up multi-node clusters to simulate real-world Kubernetes environments.
• Custom Configurations : Customize your cluster with different node configurations and network settings.
• Port Forwarding : Easily forward ports from your host machine to your cluster nodes.
• Volume Mounting : Mount local directories into your cluster nodes for persistent storage.
• Cluster Management : Simple commands to start, stop, delete, and list clusters.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have the following installed:

• Docker
• k3d (v5.0.0 or later)

Create a Multi-Node Cluster

• To create a multi-node cluster, you can use the k3d cluster create mycluster --servers 3 --agents 3 command. This creates a cluster with 3 server (control plane) node and 4 agent (worker) nodes.

Advanced Configuration

• For more advanced configurations, such as specifying details for k3d cluster creation,load balancer, control plane nodes, worker nodes, and essential Kubernetes components. Here's a sample k3d cluster configuration YAML file :

apiVersion: k3d.io/v1alpha2
kind: Simple
name: mycluster
servers: 3
agents: 4
ports:
  - port: 80:80
  - port: 443:443
    nodeFilters:
    - loadbalancer

Then create the cluster using the configuration file:

k3d cluster create --config k3d-config.yaml

Verify the Cluster

Once the cluster is created, you can verify it using the following commands :

1. List the clusters:

k3d cluster list

2. Get the cluster status:

kubectl get nodes

You should see your server and agent nodes listed and ready.

Note

Replace 'mycluster' with the name of your cluster if you used a different name.

Now, you can use kubectl commands to interact with your k3d cluster just like any other Kubernetes cluster.