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Getting started with Civo Kubernetes

Civo Kubernetes simplifies the deployment and management of containerized applications. Let’s walk through creating your first cluster while understanding what each step does.

📌 Prerequisites​

Before setting up a cluster, ensure you have:

  • ✅ A Civo account – Sign up here 🎟️
  • ✅ Civo CLI – The command-line tool to interact with Civo. Installation guide 🔧
  • ✅ kubectl (Kubernetes CLI) – A tool to manage Kubernetes clusters. Install kubectl 🖥️

🚀 Deploying Your First Civo Kubernetes Cluster​

1️⃣ Log in to Civo CLI​

First, authenticate your Civo CLI with your account:

civo auth login

This command links your CLI to your Civo account, allowing you to create and manage resources.

2️⃣ Create a Kubernetes Cluster​

To deploy a new Kubernetes cluster, run:

civo kubernetes create my-cluster --size g3.k3s.medium --region NYC1
  • my-cluster → The name of your cluster.
  • --size g3.k3s.medium → Specifies the size of the nodes (more CPU and RAM for larger workloads).
  • --region NYC1 → Selects a specific data center location.

🛠 What happens here? Kubernetes needs underlying machines (nodes) to run workloads. This command provisions virtual machines in the selected region and installs Kubernetes on them. Since Civo uses K3s, a lightweight Kubernetes distribution, your cluster is up and running in under 90 seconds! 🚀

3️⃣ Check Your Active Clusters​

To see if your cluster is ready:

civo kubernetes list

📋 How does this help? This command lists all Kubernetes clusters in your Civo account, showing their status, region, and node size. If the cluster is still provisioning, wait a moment before proceeding.

4️⃣ Configure kubectl to Use Your Cluster​

To connect kubectl with your Civo Kubernetes cluster:

civo kubernetes config my-cluster --save

🔗 Why is this important?

  • Kubernetes clusters are managed via kubectl, but first, it needs access to the cluster’s API server.
  • This command fetches the kubeconfig file, storing credentials that let kubectl securely interact with your cluster.

5️⃣ Verify the Cluster is Running​

Confirm that the cluster is active and the nodes are ready:

kubectl get nodes

✅ Expected Output: You’ll see a list of worker nodes in the cluster, each marked as Ready.

📌 What does this mean?

  • Each node represents a virtual machine running in your Civo cluster.
  • If nodes are not in a Ready state, they might still be starting up or experiencing issues.

🌟 Why Choose Civo Kubernetes?​

Civo Kubernetes stands out with its unique advantages:

✅ Ultra-Fast Cluster Creation – Launch Kubernetes in under 90 seconds.
✅ Optimized for Simplicity – No complex setup; get started with minimal effort.
✅ Cost-Effective – More affordable than AWS, GCP, and Azure.
✅ Built-in App Marketplace – Deploy popular applications with a single click.

Now that your cluster is ready, you can start deploying applications and exploring Kubernetes in action! 🎉