Sarvar Nadaf for AWS Community Builders

Posted on Nov 24, 2023 • Edited on May 22

🌐eksctl Essentials: Set Up Your First EKS Cluster 🚀

#devops #beginners #cloud #kubernetes

Hello there!
I'm Sarvar, an Enterprise Architect currently working at Deloitte. With years of experience in cutting-edge technologies, I've developed expertise in Cloud Operations (Azure and AWS), Data Operations, Data Analytics, and DevOps. I've had the privilege of working with global clients, consistently delivering results that exceed expectations. I’m passionate about staying current with emerging technologies and constantly expanding my knowledge.

In this article, we’ll explore how to create an Amazon EKS cluster using the EKSCTL tool. We’ll walk through the cluster creation process, discuss common administrative commands, and review frequently used flags and options.

Let’s dive in!

🚀 Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure the following tools are installed and configured on your local machine. You can follow the guide linked below:

AWS CLI (Command Line Interface)
Kubectl (Kubernetes CLI)
EKSCTL (Amazon EKS CLI)

👉 Installation & Configuration Guide

🔍 What is EKSCTL?

EKSCTL is a simple command-line tool provided by AWS that helps you create and manage Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) clusters with ease. It abstracts much of the complexity involved in setting up a Kubernetes cluster on AWS.

With EKSCTL, you can:

Create and manage EKS clusters and node groups.
Upgrade Kubernetes versions.
Scale node groups.
Configure Fargate profiles.
Manage authentication and networking.

It integrates with AWS services like CloudFormation, IAM, and EC2 Auto Scaling, making EKS cluster management more streamlined and efficient.

🛠️ EKSCTL Administrative Commands

Here are some of the most commonly used EKSCTL commands:

Command	Description
`eksctl create cluster`	Creates a new EKS cluster with specified configurations.
`eksctl delete cluster`	Deletes the specified EKS cluster and associated resources.
`eksctl scale nodegroup`	Scales the number of nodes in a specific node group.
`eksctl upgrade cluster`	Upgrades the Kubernetes version for an existing cluster.
`eksctl update kubeconfig`	Updates your local kubeconfig for kubectl access.
`eksctl get cluster`	Displays information about an existing cluster.
`eksctl create nodegroup`	Adds a new node group to an existing cluster.
`eksctl delete nodegroup`	Removes a node group and associated resources.
`eksctl create fargateprofile`	Sets up a Fargate profile to run containers without managing EC2 nodes.
`eksctl update nodegroup`	Updates node group configuration such as instance types or capacity.
`eksctl describe nodegroup`	Provides detailed information about a node group.

For a full list of commands, refer to the official EKSCTL documentation.

⚙️ EKSCTL Command Flags & Options

Here are some commonly used flags and options with EKSCTL commands:

--region – AWS region to create/manage resources in.
--name – Name of the cluster.
--nodegroup-name – Name of the node group.
--nodes – Number of worker nodes.
--instance-types – EC2 instance types for nodes.
--ami-family – AMI family used for worker nodes.
--kubeconfig – Path to the kubeconfig file.
--ssh-public-key – Public key for SSH access to nodes.
--tags – Key-value tags for resources.
--managed – Indicates the node group is managed.
--node-private-networking – Enables private networking for nodes.
--asg-desired-capacity – Desired number of instances in the Auto Scaling group.
--update-auth – Updates the authentication config map for the cluster.

These options give you fine-grained control over how your EKS cluster and node groups are created and managed.

✅ Example: Create an EKS Cluster with EKSCTL

The following command creates an Amazon EKS cluster named my-eks-cluster in the us-west-2 region with a managed node group and private networking:

Cluster Configuration:

Cluster Name: my-eks-cluster
Kubernetes Version: 1.20
Node Group Name: my-nodegroup
Node Type: t3.small
Node Count: 3
Private Networking: Enabled
Availability Zones: us-west-2a, us-west-2b
Tags: environment=production
Managed by AWS: Yes
Auto Scaling Group Capacity: 3
SSH Public Key: my-public-key
Timeout: 30 minutes

Command:

eksctl create cluster \
  --name my-eks-cluster \
  --version 1.20 \
  --region us-west-2 \
  --nodegroup-name my-nodegroup \
  --node-type t3.small \
  --nodes 3 \
  --node-private-networking \
  --node-zones us-west-2a,us-west-2b \
  --tags environment=production \
  --managed \
  --asg-desired-capacity 3 \
  --ssh-public-key my-public-key \
  --timeout=30m

🧾 Conclusion

EKSCTL is a powerful tool that simplifies the process of managing Amazon EKS clusters. Whether you’re creating new clusters, scaling node groups, or upgrading Kubernetes versions, EKSCTL provides a streamlined and efficient workflow for Kubernetes operations on AWS.

By understanding the core commands and available options, you can manage your EKS infrastructure with confidence and precision.

🙏 Thank You!

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope it helped you better understand how to use EKSCTL to manage EKS clusters.

As I continue exploring modern technologies, I look forward to sharing more hands-on tutorials and insights. Stay tuned for future posts where we simplify complex concepts and make cloud technologies more approachable.

Happy Learning!
— Sarvar

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