Kubernetes Cluster Setup Tutorials

Cluster Setup Tutorials

These tutorials walk you through building a production-ready Kubernetes cluster from scratch. Choose your path based on whether you want automated provisioning or prefer manual control.

flowchart TD
  Start["Start here"] --> Choice{"Provision with Ansible?"}
  Choice -->|Recommended| Ansible["Run Ansible provisioning"]
  Choice -->|Manual| Manual["Manual node preparation"]
  Ansible --> Kubeadm["kubeadm init/join"]
  Manual --> SystemPrep["System Preparation"]
  SystemPrep --> Containerd["Install Containerd"]
  Containerd --> Kubeadm
  Kubeadm --> Cilium["Install Cilium CNI"]
  Cilium --> Argo["Install ArgoCD + GitOps bootstrap"]
  Argo --> Sync["Apps and infrastructure sync"]

Note

Ansible provisioning handles system prep, containerd, and Kubernetes packages. It does not run kubeadm init/join or install Cilium/ArgoCD.

Ansible Path (Recommended)

Use this path for reproducible, version-controlled node provisioning.

Step	Tutorial	What You Get
1	Prerequisites	Workstation tools, Ansible inventory, SSH access
2	Kubernetes	Control plane initialized with kubeadm
3	Cilium CNI	eBPF networking, kube-proxy replacement
4	ArgoCD and GitOps	GitOps continuous deployment
5	Join Worker Nodes	Multi-node cluster

Manual Path (Advanced)

Use this path when you need full control over each configuration step.

Step	Tutorial	What You Get
1	Prerequisites	Workstation tools, inventory
2	System Preparation	Swap disabled, kernel modules, sysctl
3	Install Containerd	Container runtime configured
4	Kubernetes	Control plane initialized
5	Cilium CNI	CNI and kube-proxy replacement
6	ArgoCD and GitOps	GitOps deployment
7	Join Worker Nodes	Multi-node cluster

Local Development

Want to test the setup before touching hardware? Use the Local Multipass Cluster tutorial to spin up VMs on your workstation.