Atlas Docs

Deploying Kubernetes on Atlas

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descriptionWalks through running a managed Kubernetes cluster on Atlas Cloud.

4 min read

Introduction

This guide walks you through running a Kubernetes cluster on Atlas Cloud. Atlas takes care of the control plane, node provisioning, and the Kubernetes installer; you pick a version and a cluster size, click create, and download a kubeconfig.

Prerequisites

Step 1: Create a Kubernetes cluster

  1. Log in to the Atlas Cloud Platform.
  2. In the left menu, go to Compute → Kubernetes.
  3. Click Add Kubernetes Cluster and fill in:
    • Name: something short, like my-cluster.
    • Zone: the zone you usually deploy into (defaults to is1).
    • Kubernetes version: pick one from the dropdown. Atlas maintains the list of supported versions; newer versions appear as Kubernetes publishes them.
    • Service offering: the compute size for each node. Pick Atlas.a5 (2 vCPU / 8 GiB) as a starter, Atlas.a6 (4 vCPU / 16 GiB) for more headroom, or Atlas.a7 (8 vCPU / 32 GiB) for production workloads. Atlas.a4 (1 vCPU) is below the 2 vCPU minimum Kubernetes expects. See the pricing page for the current list.
    • Cluster size: number of worker nodes. Start with 1 or 2; you can scale later.
    • Control nodes: leave at 1 unless you specifically need a highly-available control plane.
    • Network: choose an existing guest network or leave it blank - Atlas will create an isolated network for the cluster.
    • SSH keypair: the keypair from your prerequisites. This lets you SSH into the cluster nodes if you ever need to.
  4. Click OK and wait for the cluster to reach the Running state. First-time cluster creation takes a few minutes while nodes boot and Kubernetes finishes installing.

Managed Kubernetes is 6,900 ISK/month per cluster (excluding VAT) for the control plane, on top of the cost of the worker nodes. Usage is recorded hourly and invoiced monthly; the figure here is the monthly rate published on the pricing page. See the pricing page for the current rate.

Step 2: Connect with kubectl

  1. Open the cluster detail page and switch to the Access tab.
  2. Click Download kubeconfig. The file is named kube.conf.
  3. Point kubectl at it and check your cluster:
export KUBECONFIG=~/Downloads/kube.conf
kubectl get nodes

You should see one control node and however many workers you asked for, all in the Ready state.

Step 3: Deploy something

Any standard Kubernetes manifest works. For a quick smoke test:

kubectl create deployment hello --image=nginx
kubectl expose deployment hello --port=80 --type=LoadBalancer
kubectl get svc hello -w

Wait for the EXTERNAL-IP column to fill in - Atlas allocates a public IP and wires it through to the service.

Managing the cluster

From the cluster detail page:

  • Scale - change the worker-node count up or down, or switch to a different service offering.
  • Upgrade - move to a newer supported Kubernetes version. You can only move one minor version at a time (for example 1.33 → 1.34), matching Kubernetes’s own support policy.
  • Stop / Start - pause a cluster when you aren’t using it; resources are released except for the persistent disks.
  • Delete - tear it all down.

Troubleshooting

  • Cluster stuck in Alert - at least one node failed to finish provisioning. Atlas’s background check will retry; if it stays in Alert after 15 minutes, delete the cluster and recreate it.
  • Pods can’t pull images - check the cluster network’s egress rules; Kubernetes nodes need outbound access to container registries during install and at image-pull time.
  • kubectl hangs - the cluster’s control-plane public IP may be blocked by your firewall; try from a different network.

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