Kubernetes Dashboard on MicroK8s: A Comprehensive Guide

In the world of container orchestration, Kubernetes has emerged as the de facto standard. It provides a powerful platform to manage containerized applications at scale. MicroK8s, on the other hand, is a lightweight, single - node Kubernetes distribution that is perfect for development, testing, and edge computing scenarios. The Kubernetes Dashboard is a web - based user interface that allows users to manage and monitor their Kubernetes clusters visually. In this blog post, we will explore how to use the Kubernetes Dashboard with MicroK8s, covering core concepts, typical usage examples, common practices, and best practices.

Table of Contents

  1. [Core Concepts](#core - concepts) 1.1 Kubernetes 1.2 MicroK8s 1.3 [Kubernetes Dashboard](#kubernetes - dashboard)
  2. [Enabling Kubernetes Dashboard on MicroK8s](#enabling - kubernetes - dashboard - on - microk8s)
  3. [Typical Usage Example](#typical - usage - example)
  4. [Common Practices](#common - practices)
  5. [Best Practices](#best - practices)
  6. Conclusion
  7. References

Core Concepts

Kubernetes

Kubernetes is an open - source container orchestration system that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It uses a set of abstractions such as pods, services, deployments, and replicasets to manage and organize containers. Pods are the smallest deployable units in Kubernetes, which can contain one or more containers that share resources. Services provide a stable network endpoint for pods, allowing them to communicate with each other and with external clients.

MicroK8s

MicroK8s is a lightweight, single - node Kubernetes distribution developed by Canonical. It is designed to be easy to install and use, making it ideal for developers and testers. MicroK8s comes with a pre - configured set of add - ons that can be enabled or disabled with a single command. These add - ons include features like the Kubernetes Dashboard, Istio, and Prometheus.

Kubernetes Dashboard

The Kubernetes Dashboard is a web - based user interface that provides a visual way to manage and monitor Kubernetes clusters. It allows users to view and manage various Kubernetes resources such as pods, services, deployments, and namespaces. The dashboard also provides real - time monitoring data, such as CPU and memory usage, for individual pods and containers.

Enabling Kubernetes Dashboard on MicroK8s

To enable the Kubernetes Dashboard on MicroK8s, you first need to have MicroK8s installed on your system. Once installed, you can enable the dashboard add - on using the following command:

microk8s enable dashboard

This command will download and install the necessary components for the Kubernetes Dashboard. After the installation is complete, you can access the dashboard by running the following command to get the authentication token:

token=$(microk8s kubectl -n kube - system get secret | grep default - token | cut -d " " -f1)
microk8s kubectl -n kube - system describe secret $token

Then, start the proxy to access the dashboard:

microk8s kubectl proxy

You can now access the dashboard at http://localhost:8001/api/v1/namespaces/kubernetes - dashboard/services/https:kubernetes - dashboard:/proxy/ and use the token obtained earlier to log in.

Typical Usage Example

Let’s assume you have a simple Node.js application containerized and you want to deploy it using the Kubernetes Dashboard on MicroK8s.

  1. Create a Deployment: In the dashboard, navigate to the “Deployments” section and click on the “Create” button. Enter the details such as the container image (e.g., node:14 - alpine), the number of replicas, and the port on which the application listens.
  2. Create a Service: After creating the deployment, create a service to expose the application. Navigate to the “Services” section and click on “Create”. Select the deployment you just created and choose the appropriate service type (e.g., NodePort).
  3. Monitor the Application: You can monitor the application’s performance by going to the “Pods” section. Here, you can view the resource usage of individual pods, check the logs, and troubleshoot any issues.

Common Practices

  • Regular Updates: Keep both MicroK8s and the Kubernetes Dashboard up - to - date to ensure you have the latest security patches and features.
  • Namespace Isolation: Use namespaces to isolate different applications or environments within the cluster. This helps in better resource management and security.
  • Backup and Recovery: Implement a backup and recovery strategy for your Kubernetes resources. You can use tools like Velero to backup and restore your cluster data.

Best Practices

  • RBAC Configuration: Configure Role - Based Access Control (RBAC) properly to limit the access of users to only the necessary resources. This helps in preventing unauthorized access and potential security breaches.
  • Resource Quotas: Set resource quotas for namespaces to ensure that applications do not consume more resources than allocated. This helps in maintaining the stability of the cluster.
  • Security Scanning: Regularly scan your container images for security vulnerabilities using tools like Trivy or Clair.

Conclusion

The Kubernetes Dashboard on MicroK8s provides a convenient and visual way to manage and monitor Kubernetes clusters, especially in development and testing environments. By understanding the core concepts, following common and best practices, and using the typical usage examples provided in this blog, intermediate - to - advanced software engineers can effectively leverage this combination to streamline their containerized application development and management processes.

References