Terraform AWS EKS Kubernetes Cluster Setup Tutorial

In this tutorial, we will walk through the process of setting up a Kubernetes cluster on Amazon Web Services (AWS) using Terraform. We will cover the prerequisites, the step-by-step setup process, and common mistakes to avoid.

Introduction to Terraform and AWS EKS

Terraform is an infrastructure as code (IaC) tool that allows you to define and manage your cloud infrastructure using a human-readable configuration file. AWS EKS is a managed container service that makes it easy to deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications.

Combining Terraform and AWS EKS provides a powerful way to automate the deployment and management of Kubernetes clusters on AWS.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

• AWS account with the necessary credentials
• Terraform installed on your machine
• AWS CLI installed and configured
• Kubernetes CLI (kubectl) installed

Step 1: Create an AWS EKS Cluster using Terraform

To create an AWS EKS cluster using Terraform, you will need to define the cluster configuration in a Terraform configuration file. Here is an example configuration file:

provider "aws" {
  region = "us-west-2"
}

resource "aws_eks_cluster" "example" {
  name     = "example-eks-cluster"
  role_arn  = aws_iam_role.example.arn

  vpc_config {
    security_group_ids = [aws_security_group.example.id]
    subnet_ids         = [aws_subnet.example.id]
  }
}

This configuration file defines an AWS provider, an EKS cluster, and the associated VPC configuration.

Step 2: Create the Necessary IAM Roles and Policies

To create the necessary IAM roles and policies, you will need to define the IAM configuration in a separate Terraform configuration file. Here is an example configuration file:

resource "aws_iam_role" "example" {
  name        = "example-eks-role"
  description = "EKS role"

  assume_role_policy = jsonencode({
    Version = "2012-10-17"
    Statement = [
      {
        Action = "sts:AssumeRole"
        Principal = {
          Service = "eks.amazonaws.com"
        }
        Effect = "Allow"
      }
    ]
  })
}

resource "aws_iam_policy" "example" {
  name        = "example-eks-policy"
  description = "EKS policy"

  policy      = jsonencode({
    Version = "2012-10-17"
    Statement = [
      {
        Action = [
          "eks:*"
        ]
        Resource = "*"
        Effect    = "Allow"
      }
    ]
  })
}

This configuration file defines an IAM role and policy for the EKS cluster.

Step 3: Create the EKS Node Group

To create the EKS node group, you will need to define the node group configuration in a separate Terraform configuration file. Here is an example configuration file:

resource "aws_eks_node_group" "example" {
  cluster_name    = aws_eks_cluster.example.name
  node_group_name = "example-eks-node-group"
  node_role_arn   = aws_iam_role.example.arn

  instance_types = ["t2.medium"]

  scaling_config {
    desired_size = 1
    max_size     = 1
    min_size     = 1
  }
}

This configuration file defines an EKS node group with a single instance.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when setting up an AWS EKS cluster using Terraform:

• Not specifying the correct AWS region
• Not creating the necessary IAM roles and policies
• Not configuring the VPC correctly

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we walked through the process of setting up a Kubernetes cluster on AWS EKS using Terraform. We covered the prerequisites, the step-by-step setup process, and common mistakes to avoid. By following this tutorial, you should now have a fully functional AWS EKS cluster up and running.