AWS EKS Setup: Production Grade - Part 1

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to AWS EKS
2. Prerequisites
3. Setting Up EKS Using CLI
   • Step 1: Install AWS CLI
   • Step 2: Configure AWS CLI
   • Step 3: Create an EKS Cluster
   • Step 4: Configure kubectl
4. Setting Up EKS Using GUI
   • Step 1: Access the AWS Management Console
   • Step 2: Create an EKS Cluster
   • Step 3: Configure kubectl
5. On-Premises vs. Cloud-Managed EKS
6. Conclusion

1. Introduction to AWS EKS

Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is a managed service that simplifies the deployment, management, and scaling of containerized applications using Kubernetes. EKS automatically handles the Kubernetes control plane, allowing developers to focus on building applications rather than managing infrastructure.

2. Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• An AWS account
• AWS CLI installed on your local machine
• kubectl installed for managing Kubernetes clusters
• IAM permissions to create EKS clusters and associated resources

3. Setting Up EKS Using CLI

Step 1: Install AWS CLI

If you haven't installed the AWS CLI, you can do so by following the instructions on the AWS CLI installation guide.

Step 2: Configure AWS CLI

Run the following command to configure your AWS CLI with your credentials:

bash
aws configure

You will be prompted to enter your AWS Access Key, Secret Key, region, and output format.

Step 3: Create an EKS Cluster

Use the following command to create an EKS cluster:

bash
aws eks create-cluster --name my-cluster --role-arn arn:aws:iam::ACCOUNT_ID:role/EKS-ClusterRole --resources-vpc-config subnetIds=subnet-12345678,subnet-87654321,securityGroupIds=sg-12345678

Replace ACCOUNT_ID, subnet-12345678, subnet-87654321, and sg-12345678 with your actual values.

Step 4: Configure kubectl

To configure kubectl to use your new EKS cluster, run:

bash
aws eks update-kubeconfig --name my-cluster

You can verify the setup by running:

bash
kubectl get svc

4. Setting Up EKS Using GUI

Step 1: Access the AWS Management Console

Log in to your AWS Management Console and navigate to the EKS service.

Step 2: Create an EKS Cluster

1. Click on "Create cluster."
2. Fill in the cluster name and select the Kubernetes version.
3. Choose the IAM role for the EKS cluster.
4. Configure the VPC settings by selecting the subnets and security groups.
5. Click "Create."

Step 3: Configure kubectl

After the cluster is created, configure kubectl by following the same command as in the CLI section:

bash
aws eks update-kubeconfig --name my-cluster

5. On-Premises vs. Cloud-Managed EKS

On-Premises EKS

• Control: Full control over the hardware and network configurations.
• Maintenance: Requires manual updates and maintenance of the Kubernetes control plane.
• Cost: Higher upfront costs for hardware and ongoing maintenance expenses.
• Scalability: Limited by physical resources; scaling requires additional hardware.

Cloud-Managed EKS

• Control: Less control over the underlying infrastructure but more focus on application development.
• Maintenance: AWS manages the Kubernetes control plane, including updates and scaling.
• Cost: Pay-as-you-go pricing model, reducing upfront costs.
• Scalability: Easily scalable with AWS resources; can handle sudden spikes in demand.

6. Conclusion

In this first part of our guide, we have covered the essential steps to set up AWS EKS in a production-grade environment using both CLI and GUI methods. We also discussed the key differences between on-premises and cloud-managed EKS solutions. In the next part, we will delve deeper into deploying applications on EKS and managing them effectively.

By following these steps, you can leverage the power of AWS EKS to manage your containerized applications efficiently. Stay tuned for more insights in the upcoming parts of this series!