How to Set Up a Kubernetes Cluster on Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

21-May-2024
opentechdir
How-To Guides
Simplify Kubernetes management with Google Kubernetes Engine on GCP. Follow this guide to set up and deploy your first application efficiently.

Kubernetes, often abbreviated as K8s, is a powerful container orchestration tool that automates deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers a managed Kubernetes service called Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), making it easier to deploy and manage Kubernetes clusters. This guide will walk you through the process of setting up a Kubernetes cluster on GCP, from creating your GCP project to deploying your first application.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Prerequisites
  3. Step 1: Create a Google Cloud Project
  4. Step 2: Enable the Kubernetes Engine API
  5. Step 3: Install Google Cloud SDK
  6. Step 4: Configure gcloud and Authenticate
  7. Step 5: Create a Kubernetes Cluster
  8. Step 6: Configure kubectl
  9. Step 7: Deploy an Application to the Cluster
  10. Conclusion

Introduction

Setting up a Kubernetes cluster on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) involves a series of steps that include configuring your environment, creating and managing clusters, and deploying applications. Leveraging Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) simplifies the management of Kubernetes, allowing you to focus on your application development.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

  • A Google Cloud Platform account.
  • Basic knowledge of Kubernetes and containerization concepts.
  • Google Cloud SDK installed on your local machine.
  • A user account with necessary permissions to create and manage resources on GCP.

Step 1: Create a Google Cloud Project

First, log in to your GCP account and create a new project. A project organizes all your GCP resources, such as clusters, storage, and virtual machines.

  1. Navigate to the GCP Console: Go to the GCP Console.
  2. Create a New Project:
    • Click on the project drop-down menu at the top of the page.
    • Click "New Project".
    • Enter a name for your project and click "Create".
  3. Select Your Project:
    • Select the newly created project from the drop-down menu.

Step 2: Enable the Kubernetes Engine API

Next, you need to enable the Kubernetes Engine API to allow GKE to manage your clusters.

  1. Navigate to the API & Services Dashboard: Go to the API & Services Dashboard.
  2. Enable Kubernetes Engine API:
    • Click on "Enable APIs and Services".
    • Search for "Kubernetes Engine API".
    • Click on "Kubernetes Engine API" and then click "Enable".

Step 3: Install Google Cloud SDK

The Google Cloud SDK (gcloud) is a command-line tool for interacting with GCP services. If you don't have it installed, follow these steps:

  1. Download and Install Google Cloud SDK:

  2. Initialize the SDK:

    gcloud init

    Follow the prompts to log in and set your default project.

Step 4: Configure gcloud and Authenticate

Configure gcloud to use the correct project and authenticate your session.

  1. Set the Project:

    gcloud config set project YOUR_PROJECT_ID

  2. Authenticate gcloud:

    gcloud auth login

  3. Set Compute Zone:

    gcloud config set compute/zone YOUR_COMPUTE_ZONE

Step 5: Create a Kubernetes Cluster

Now, you can create a Kubernetes cluster using GKE.

  1. Create the Cluster:

    gcloud container clusters create my-cluster --num-nodes=3

    This command creates a cluster named my-cluster with three nodes.

  2. Verify the Cluster Creation:

    gcloud container clusters list

Step 6: Configure kubectl

kubectl is the command-line tool for interacting with Kubernetes clusters. Ensure it's installed and configure it to use your GKE cluster.

  1. Install kubectl: If not already installed, you can install kubectl using gcloud:

    gcloud components install kubectl

  2. Get Cluster Credentials:

    gcloud container clusters get-credentials my-cluster

  3. Verify kubectl Configuration:

    kubectl get nodes

    You should see a list of nodes in your cluster.

Step 7: Deploy an Application to the Cluster

Deploying an application to your Kubernetes cluster involves creating deployment and service resources.

  1. Create a Deployment:

    kubectl create deployment hello-world --image=gcr.io/google-samples/hello-app:1.0

  2. Expose the Deployment:

    kubectl expose deployment hello-world --type=LoadBalancer --port=80 --target-port=8080

  3. Verify the Deployment:

    kubectl get services

    Note the external IP assigned to your service. It might take a few minutes to provision.

  4. Access Your Application: Open a web browser and navigate to the external IP of your service. You should see the "Hello, world!" message from your application.

Conclusion

Setting up a Kubernetes cluster on Google Cloud Platform using GKE simplifies the process of managing Kubernetes environments. This guide provided step-by-step instructions to create a GCP project, enable necessary APIs, configure tools, and deploy applications, ensuring you have a robust and scalable Kubernetes cluster.

 

References

By following these steps, you will have a fully functional Kubernetes cluster on Google Cloud Platform, capable of handling production workloads and scaling to meet your application needs.

 

Kubernetes