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Create your first Kubernetes cluster on Cloider

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This tutorial creates a Kubernetes cluster on Cloider, connects kubectl to it, deploys a small web server and makes it reachable on the internet at a free cloider.app address. It takes about fifteen minutes, most of it waiting for the cluster to start.

A Cloider Kubernetes cluster gives you a standard Kubernetes API, so kubectl, Helm, Terraform and any other Kubernetes tool work with it. It is serverless: you don't choose machine sizes or manage nodes. You create the cluster, deploy workloads and pay for the CPU and memory they use, plus storage and load balancers. Read the Kubernetes overview for how it works.

Kubernetes or Apps?

If you just want to run a web app from source code, Apps is simpler: no YAML, no kubectl. Choose a cluster when you need Kubernetes itself: several services, Helm charts, custom manifests, or a workload you already run on Kubernetes elsewhere.

Before you begin​

  • A Cloider account. During the free trial you can have one cluster at a time. See Create an account.
  • kubectl installed on your computer.
  • For the CLI path, the cloider CLI logged in with Read and write access. See Install the CLI.

Step 1: Create the cluster​

A cluster needs a name and a Kubernetes version. Names use lowercase letters, digits and -, start with a letter and are at least 2 characters long. This tutorial uses staging.

  1. Open Kubernetes in the sidebar and click Create Cluster.
  2. In Cluster Name, type staging.
  3. In Cluster Version, keep the newest version unless you need an older one.
  4. Click Create cluster.
The Create new cluster form with the Cluster Name field set to staging and the Cluster Version selector
Creating a cluster takes two fields.

The cluster appears in the list with the status Creating, then Starting, then Ready. The page updates by itself.

Step 2: Connect kubectl​

kubectl finds a cluster through a kubeconfig file, which holds the cluster's address and the credentials to reach it. Treat it like a password: anyone with the file has full access to the cluster.

  1. In Kubernetes, click the menu button (three dots) at the end of the staging row.
  2. Click Kubeconfig. Your browser downloads a file called config.
  3. Move it somewhere safe and point kubectl at it:
mkdir -p ~/.kube
mv ~/Downloads/config ~/.kube/staging.yaml
export KUBECONFIG=~/.kube/staging.yaml

Check the connection:

kubectl get namespaces
Output
NAME              STATUS   AGE
default           Active   4m
kube-node-lease   Active   4m
kube-public       Active   4m
kube-system       Active   4m

More options, such as several clusters and contexts, are in Connect with kubectl.

Step 3: Deploy a workload​

Create a Deployment running two replicas of the NGINX web server, and a Service in front of it:

hello.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: hello
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: hello
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: hello
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: web
          image: nginx:1.27
          ports:
            - containerPort: 80
          resources:
            requests:
              cpu: 50m
              memory: 64Mi
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: hello
spec:
  selector:
    app: hello
  ports:
    - port: 80
      targetPort: 80
kubectl apply -f hello.yaml
kubectl get pods
Output
NAME                     READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
hello-6d4b9c7f8d-2xk9p   1/1     Running   0          20s
hello-6d4b9c7f8d-q8m4t   1/1     Running   0          20s

You pay for the CPU and memory the pods use, so small requests keep a test workload cheap. See Deploy a workload.

Step 4: Put it on the internet​

A Service inside the cluster isn't reachable from the internet yet. On Cloider you publish it by routing a domain to it with a target: a free cloider.app subdomain works and comes with HTTPS. Kubernetes Ingress objects in the cluster are not served, so use a target instead.

  1. Open Domains in the sidebar and claim a free subdomain, for example hello-staging.cloider.app.
  2. On the domain's page, add a target that routes the path / to the cluster staging, the service default/hello and port 80.

The full walkthrough with screenshots is in Expose services.

Open it:

curl -I https://hello-staging.cloider.app
Output
HTTP/2 200
server: nginx/1.27.5
content-type: text/html

Step 5: Use the browser terminal (optional)​

Each cluster has a terminal in the dashboard with kubectl and helm already pointed at it, which is handy on a computer without kubectl. In Kubernetes, open the row menu of staging and click Terminal. From a terminal on your own computer, cloider cluster shell staging opens the same shell, and cloider cluster exec staging kubectl get pods -A runs one command. See Web terminal and exec.

Verify​

  • The cluster's status is Ready.
  • kubectl get pods shows the hello pods as Running.
  • https://hello-staging.cloider.app answers with the NGINX welcome page.

Stop paying for the cluster when you're done​

  • Pause it to stop paying for compute while keeping everything in it: row menu, Pause, or cloider cluster pause staging. Resume it the same way. See Pause and resume.
  • Delete it to remove it and everything in it for good: row menu, Delete, or cloider cluster delete staging. See Delete a cluster.

How a paused cluster is billed is explained in Billing model.

Troubleshooting​

SymptomLikely cause and fix
Free plan users can not create more than one cluster. UPGRADE NOW!You are on the trial and already have a cluster. Delete it or upgrade.
Kubeconfig is greyed out in the row menuThe cluster isn't Ready yet. Wait for it, or check cloider cluster status staging.
kubectl answers Unable to connect to the serverkubectl uses another kubeconfig or context. Check echo $KUBECONFIG and kubectl config current-context. A paused cluster doesn't answer either.
cluster staging has no services to route to yetThe Service wasn't created. Run kubectl get svc and apply hello.yaml again.
Pods stay PendingThe pods can't be scheduled. Run kubectl describe pod <pod-name> and read the events.

More in Kubernetes troubleshooting.

Next steps​

Frequently asked questions

How do I create a Kubernetes cluster on Cloider?

In the dashboard, open Kubernetes, click Create Cluster, type a name and click Create cluster. From a terminal, run cloider cluster create staging --wait.

How do I get the kubeconfig of a Cloider cluster?

In the dashboard, open the cluster row menu and click Kubeconfig to download it. With the CLI, run cloider cluster kubeconfig staging --merge --use to add it to ~/.kube/config as the context cloider-staging.

Do I need to manage nodes?

No. Cloider clusters are serverless: you deploy workloads and pay for the CPU and memory they use. There are no node pools to size or upgrade.

Can I use Ingress resources?

Ingress objects in a Cloider cluster are not served. To reach a Service from the internet, route a domain to it with a target, or use a Service of type LoadBalancer.

Can I upgrade a cluster to a newer Kubernetes version?

A cluster keeps the version it was created with. To move to a newer version, create a new cluster and deploy your workloads to it.

How many clusters can I have?

One at a time during the free trial. Paid accounts have no limit on the number of clusters.

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