How to Install Kubernetes on Different Operating Systems?

Quick Summary: Kubernetes, known as 'K8s or kube,' is an open-source container orchestration platform that helps deploy, scale, and manage apps. In this blog, you'll learn how to install Kubernetes on different operating systems. Enjoy your read!

Installing Kubernetes…wait…wait!

Let's just start this blog with some facts about Kubernetes. As per Statista report, Kubernetes is the leading container orchestration platform, and 60% of organizations have already accepted it in 2022. But why is Kubernetes gaining such popularity? Why are companies opting for Kubernetes installation increasingly?

So, for companies that function at a large scale, using a single Linux container instance isn't sufficient. Specific complex applications need multiple Linux containers that can easily collaborate. Therefore, this architecture came with a new scaling issue. Here, Kubernetes - a container orchestration system — came into action. Kubernetes, aka 'K8s or Kube,' is an open-source container orchestration platform that helps manage, scale, and implement apps. The Kube automates the management and implementation of cloud-native applications utilizing public cloud platforms and on-premises infrastructure.

Kubernetes installation helps in application workload distribution throughout the Kubernetes cluster setup and automates different requirements of dynamic container networking. You can think of it as a sort of meta-process that can simultaneously automate the implementation and scaling of multiple containers. Hence, for understanding Kubernetes, you need to realize that a complete app may consist of multiple containers, all requiring functioning together in specific ways. So, when you install Kubernetes, you experience software that shifts a collection of virtual or physical hosts (servers) into a particular platform that:

• Helps host containerized workloads, offering storage, network, and compute resources
• Automatically maintains multiple containerized apps – taking care of the system’s health

Now, you know what Kubernetes is. So, further we'll discuss the Kubernetes installation process for different operating systems. However, before diving into – how to install Kubernetes? – let’s look at some essential aspects of Kubernetes.

Why wait, then? Let's get the Kubernetes installation done.

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Features of Kubernetes

When thinking to install Kubernetes, remember it comes with several features (that you'll love) that help orchestrate multiple containers across different hosts, enhance resource utilization with higher use of infrastructure, and automate the management of other K8s clusters. Some of the essential features of Kubernetes include:

• Auto-Scaling - Automatically helps scale the containerized apps up and down to fit the changing needs based on its usage, and also with the help of DevOps services.

• Lifecycle Management - It helps automate the implementations and updations with the ability to roll back to previous versions and pause and continue a deployment.

• Declarative Model - You just need to declare the desired state, and Kubernetes will function in the background to manage that state and recover from any failures.

• Robust and Self-Healing - Kubernetes is a powerful platform that enables auto restart, auto-scaling, auto replication, and auto-placement, helping the application self-heal.

• Consistent Storage - K8s go up and add dynamic storage.

• Load Balancing - Kubernetes supports various external and internal load balancing options to address diverse needs and requirements.

• DevSecOps Support - Heard about DevSecOps? It is an advanced security approach that automates and aligns different container functionalities across clouds, integrates other security options throughout the container lifecycle, and allows teams to deliver high-quality, secure software solutions more quickly. In simple terms, Kubernetes is one of the best DevOps tools for container management, and combining it with DevSecOps enhances the developer efficiency and overall security of the software.

Let's now move ahead and discuss some of the best advantages of Kubernetes.

Advantages of Kubernetes

The Kubernetes platform is getting a lot more popular, and companies are opting for Kubernetes installation as it offers a plethora of essential advantages, including:

• Scalability - Cloud native applications are known for their horizontal scaling. Kubernetes uses auto-scaling, which spins up the additional container instances and automatically scales in response to your demand.

• Portability - Containers are portable throughout different environments, from virtual environments to plain metal. Kubernetes support all major public clouds. You can execute containerized apps on K8s across several different settings.

• Affordable - K8s automated scaling, flexibility, and inherent resource optimization to execute workloads where they offer the most valuable means that enables keep the IT expenses under control.

• Simplified CI/CD - CI/CD is a critical DevOps practice that helps automate the creation, testing, and implementation of apps in production environments. Companies often hire DevOps experts proficient in integrating CI/CD and Kubernetes to build scalable CI/CD pipelines that load dynamically.

• API-based - REST is the actual fabric of Kubernetes. Moreover, you can control everything in the Kubernetes environment with the help of programming.

Kubernetes consists of two primary versions – a production environment and a learning environment. Before directly diving into installing Kubernetes, it’s essential to understand the tools (Minikube and Kubectl) used to deploy these environments. Let’s get a better understanding of these tools.

What is Kubectl?

Kubectl is a command-line tool for Kubernetes that enables developers to run commands on the Kubernetes cluster setup. You can install Kubectl to deploy apps, check and handle different cluster resources, and view logs. In this blog, I'm going to use Kubectl to install Kubernetes. And don't worry, you'll also learn to install Kubectl.

What is Minikube?

Minikube is an efficient tool that enables developers to execute Kubernetes cluster setup locally through a virtual machine. It lets you run a single-node Kubernetes cluster on your system to examine Kubernetes or other significant development work. And to install Minikube, you can visit - how to install Minikube?

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That was all about the significant aspects of Kubernetes. Congratulations! We've reached the core part of our Kubernetes installation guide. So, be ready to learn – how to install Kubernetes on different operating systems. I'll try to make the installation part as smooth as I can.

Talking about different operating systems, firstly, we'll be learning - how to install Kubernetes on Ubuntu?

How to Install Kubernetes on Ubuntu?

Wondering how to install Kubernetes on Ubuntu? As Ubuntu is a Linux distribution, we can also rephrase the question into – how to install Kubernetes on Linux. So, to begin with, Kubernetes installation on Ubuntu, you first need to install Kubectl and Docker.

Okay, you need to install Kubectl for apparent reasons, but why Docker? As there's always a debate going on between Kubernetes vs Docker.

Let me clarify that developers use Docker as a software platform to build containerized apps. On the other hand, installing K8s helps automate the process of operating cloud-native, containerized apps built with Docker or other tools. Therefore, Docker and Kubernetes often go hand in hand.

Important Note: Steps in this Kubernetes installation tutorial can also be easily applied to newer Ubuntu versions.

Let's now set up Docker!

Kubernetes needs an existing Docker installation. Install and enable Docker on each server node by the following steps:

Step 1: Update the package list:

Step 2: Next, install Docker with the command:

Step 3: Set Docker to launch on boot by entering the following:

Step 4: Verify Docker is running:

Step 5: Start Docker if it is not running:

Install Kubernetes! Follow the steps.

Step 1: Add Kubernetes Signing Key

Since you want to download Kubernetes from a non-standard repository, it is essential to ensure that the software is authentic. This is done by adding a signing key.

On each node, use the curl command to download the key, then store it in a safe place (default is /usr/share/keyrings):

Step 2: Add Software Repositories

Kubernetes is not included in the default repositories. To add the Kubernetes repository to your list, enter the following on each node:

Step 3: Kubernetes Installation Tools

Kubeadm (Kubernetes Admin) tool helps initialize a cluster. It fast-tracks Kubernetes cluster setup by using community-sourced best practices. So, install Kubectl, Kubelet, and Kubeadm. Execute the following commands on each server node.

1. Install Kubernetes tools with the command:

Allow the process to complete.

2. Verify the installation with:

Important Note: Always take care that you install the same version of each package on each machine. Why? Because different versions can create instability. Also, this process prevents apps from automatically updating Kubernetes. And to take care of these things, you can always rely on Kubernetes consulting.

Step 4: Prepare for Kubernetes Deployment

This section shows how to prepare the servers for a Kubernetes configuration and deployment. Execute the following steps on each server node:

1. Disable the swap memory. To perform this action, execute swapoff:

Then type the sed command below:

2. Load the required containerd modules. Start by opening the configuration file for containerd in a text editor:

3. Add the following two lines:

4. Next, use the modprobe command to add the modules:

5. For Kubernetes configuration, configure Kubernetes networking. Open the kubernetes.conf file:

6. Add the following lines:

7. Save the file and exit, then reload the configuration by typing:

Step 5: Assign Unique Hostname for Each Server Node

1. Decide which server to set as the controller node. Then enter the command:

2. Next, set a worker node hostname by entering the following on the worker server:

If you have additional worker nodes, use this process to set a unique hostname on each.

3. Edit the host file on each node by adding the IP address and hostname of the servers you want to add to the cluster.

Step 6: Initialize Kubernetes on Controller Node

Switch to the master node, and follow the steps to initialize Kubernetes on it:

1. Open the kubelet file in a text editor.

2. Add the following line to the file:

Save and exit the file.

3. Execute the following commands to reload the configuration:

4. Open the Docker daemon configuration file:

5. Append the following Kubernetes configuration block:

Save the file and exit.

6. Reload the configuration:

7. Open the kubeadm configuration file:

8. Add the line below to the file:

Save the file and exit.

9. Reload the kubelet:

10. Initialize the cluster by typing:

Once this command finishes, it will display a kubeadm join message. Note the whole entry. This will be used to join the worker nodes to the cluster.

11. Enter the following to create a directory for the Kubernetes cluster:

Step 7: Deploy Pod Network to Cluster

A Pod Network is a way to allow communication between different nodes in the cluster. This Kubernetes installation tutorial will use the Flannel node network manager to create a pod network.

1. Use kubectl to install Flannel:

2. Untaint the node:

Step 8: Join Worker Node to Cluster

As indicated in Step 6, you can enter the kubeadm join command on worker nodes to connect them to the master node. Repeat the steps on each worker node you want to add to the cluster.

1. Execute the following commands to turn off apparmor:

2. Enter the command you noted in Step 6:

Replace the alphanumeric codes with those from your master server. Repeat for each worker node on the cluster. Wait a few minutes, then you can check the status of the nodes.

3. Switch to the master server, and enter:

The system should display the worker nodes that you joined to the cluster.

Now, you can quickly answer how to install Kubernetes on Ubuntu.

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So, let's move ahead and learn - how to install Kubernetes on Windows 10?

How to Install Kubernetes on Windows?

Another significant question is how to install Kubernetes on Windows 10 (or other Windows versions).

So, to begin Kubernetes installation on Windows, we first need to install Kubectl, and the whole Kubernetes installation part will be based on that. Here, we'll install Kubectl binary with Curl on Windows.

Step 1: Download the latest 1.27 Kubectl patch release - kubectl 1.27.2

Or if you have curl installed, use this command:

Note: To find out the latest stable version, look at https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt.

Step 2: Validate the binary (its optional, though)

Download the kubectl checksum file:

Validate the kubectl binary against the checksum file:

• Using Command Prompt to compare CertUtil's output to the checksum file downloaded manually:

• Using PowerShell to automate the verification using the -eq operator to get a True or False result:

Step 3: Append or prepend the kubectl binary folder to your PATH environment variable

Step 4: Test to ensure the version of kubectl is the same as downloaded:

Note: The above command will generate a warning:

WARNING: This version information is deprecated and will be replaced with the output from kubectl version --short.

So, ignore this warning. You are only checking the version of kubectl that you have installed.

Or use this for a detailed view of the version:

Important Note: Always remember that Docker Desktop for Windows adds its kubectl version to PATH. If you have installed Docker Desktop prior, you require to place your PATH entry before the one added by the Docker Desktop installer or remove the Docker Desktop's kubectl.

And to verify Kubernetes configuration on Windows, you need to verify Kubectl configuration.

For kubectl to find and access a Kubernetes cluster, it requires a kubeconfig file, which is built automatically when you create a cluster using kube-up.sh or successfully deploy or install Minikube cluster. The kubectl configuration is at ~/.kube/config by default.

Step 5: Check that kubectl is configured correctly by getting the cluster state:

If you see a URL response, kubectl is correctly configured to access your cluster. However, if you see a similar message, kubectl is not configured correctly or cannot connect to a Kubernetes cluster setup.

The connection to the server <server-name:port> was refused - did you specify the right host or port?

For example, if you intend to run a Kubernetes cluster setup on your local laptop or computer system, you must install the Minikube tool first and re-run the above commands.

Step 6: If kubectl cluster-info returns the url response, but you can't access your cluster, to check whether it is configured properly, use:

I'm sure you can easily install Kubernetes on Windows with the help of these six steps. I know it can get a bit overwhelming, but doing it practically will help ease the Kubernetes installation process.

Moving forward, another critical question with another important operating system – how to install Kubernetes on Mac?

How to Install Kubernetes on Mac?

Same as Ubuntu and Windows, to install Kubernetes, it's imperative to install Kubectl. And to our surprise, there are multiple methods to install Kubectl on Mac. Here, I'm going to talk about two most important ways, that are:

• Install Kubectl Binary with curl on Mac
• Install with Homebrew on Mac

Step 1: Install Kubectl Binary with curl

And to download the latest release, follow the command:

Intel –

Apple Silicon -

Note: To download a specific version, replace the version with the command's

portion. For example, to download version 1.27.2 on Intel macOS, type:

And for macOS on Apple Silicon, type:

Step 2: Validate the binary (optional)

Download the kubectl checksum file:

Intel -

Apple Silicon -

Validate the kubectl binary against the checksum file:

If valid, the output is:

If the check fails, shasum exits with nonzero status and prints output like:

Remember to download the same version of checksum and binary.

Step 3: Make the kubectl binary executable

Step 4: Move the Kubectl binary to a file location on your system PATH

Note: Ensure/usr/local/bin is in your PATH environment variable.

Test to ensure the version you installed is up to date:

Note: The above command will generate a warning:

WARNING: This version information is deprecated and will be replaced with the output from kubectl version --short.

You can ignore this warning because you only need to check the version of kubectl that you have installed.

Or use this for a detailed view of the version:

Step 6: After installing the plugin, clean up the installation files:

OR

Step 1: Install with Homebrew on macOS

If you are on Mac and using Homebrew package manager, you can install kubectl with Homebrew.

Run the installation command:

or

Step 2: Test to ensure the version you installed is up to date

Kubernetes Configuration for Mac

So, for Kubernetes configuration, it's essential to configure Kubectl. So, for kubectl to find and access a Kubernetes cluster, it needs a kubeconfig file, which is developed automatically when you build a cluster using kube-up.sh or successfully install a Minikube cluster. The kubectl configuration is at ~/.kube/config by default.

Step 1: Check that kubectl is correctly configured by getting the cluster state:

If you see a URL response, kubectl is correctly configured to access your cluster.

If you see a similar message, kubectl is not configured correctly or cannot connect to a Kubernetes cluster.

The connection to the server <server-name:port> was refused - did you specify the right host or port?

For example, if you intend to run a Kubernetes cluster on your laptop (locally), you will need to install the Minikube tool first and then re-run the commands above.

Step 2: If kubectl cluster-info returns the URL response, but you can't access your cluster, to check whether it is configured properly, use:

So, that was the most straightforward answer to the question – how to install Kubernetes on Mac?

Summing Up!he Kubernetes installation landscape can be a little daunting. But no worries, we've got it covered. So, that's all for how to install Kubernetes (on different operating systems)? However, the whole installation process will need some time and patience. Still, once it's done you can start managing and maintaining your applications seamlessly. You'll quickly pull off the installation process if you've thoroughly reviewed how to install Kubernetes on Ubuntu, Windows, and Mac in the above sections.However, there will be times when Kubernetes installation can confuse you. So, what to do, then? Talk to experts.And who are the experts? Say Hello to Radixweb.Radixweb is a trusted software development company that helps streamline app development and manage containerized workflow with its top-notch Kubernetes consulting services. Our experts will help you create a zero-disruption Kubernetes strategy to stay ahead of your competitors. Radixweb's Kubernetes consultants ensure you make the best use of this innovative system, from effortless management of containerized apps and automation of production-level workflows to reduced operational costs and improved productivity. If you plan to adopt and install Kubernetes, aka K8s but lack the required expertise, our Kubernetes consulting and development services are for you.Contact us today to learn more about Kubernetes and its services.