Portainer with k3s

Using Portainer with your k3s setup is a great way to manage your Kubernetes cluster through a user-friendly web interface. Below are the steps to install and configure Portainer on your k3s cluster.

Step 1: Install Portainer

1. Access the Master Node (VM1):

   • SSH into your master node (VM1) where k3s is running.

2. Deploy Portainer:

   • You can deploy Portainer using a Kubernetes manifest. Create a file named portainer-deployment.yaml with the following content:
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   apiVersion: apps/v1
   kind: Deployment
   metadata:
     name: portainer
     namespace: portainer
   spec:
     replicas: 1
     selector:
       matchLabels:
         app: portainer
     template:
       metadata:
         labels:
           app: portainer
       spec:
         containers:
         - name: portainer
           image: portainer/portainer-ce
           ports:
           - containerPort: 9000
           volumeMounts:
           - name: portainer-data
             mountPath: /data
         volumes:
         - name: portainer-data
           persistentVolumeClaim:
             claimName: portainer-data

3. Create a Persistent Volume Claim:

   • Create a file named portainer-pvc.yaml to define a Persistent Volume Claim (PVC) for Portainer:
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   apiVersion: v1
   kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
   metadata:
     name: portainer-data
     namespace: portainer
   spec:
     accessModes:
       - ReadWriteOnce
     resources:
       requests:
         storage: 1Gi

4. Create the Portainer Namespace:

   • Create a namespace for Portainer:
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   kubectl create namespace portainer

5. Apply the PVC and Deployment:

   • Apply the PVC and Deployment files:
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   kubectl apply -f portainer-pvc.yaml
   kubectl apply -f portainer-deployment.yaml

Step 2: Expose Portainer

To access Portainer, you need to expose it. You can do this using a Service of type NodePort or LoadBalancer. Here’s how to create a NodePort service:

1. Create a Service for Portainer:

   • Create a file named portainer-service.yaml:
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   apiVersion: v1
   kind: Service
   metadata:
     name: portainer
     namespace: portainer
   spec:
     type: NodePort
     ports:
       - port: 9000
         targetPort: 9000
         nodePort: 30000  # You can specify a port or let Kubernetes assign one
     selector:
       app: portainer

2. Apply the Service:

   • Apply the service file:
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   kubectl apply -f portainer-service.yaml

Step 3: Access Portainer

1. Get the NodePort:

   • If you specified a nodePort, you can access Portainer using the IP address of any of your physical machines (192.168.123.100 or 192.168.123.230) and the port you specified (30000 in this example).
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   http://192.168.123.100:30000

   or

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   http://192.168.123.230:30000

2. Initial Setup:

   • When you first access Portainer, you will be prompted to create an admin user. Follow the instructions to set up your admin account.

3. Connect to the Kubernetes Environment:

   • After logging in, you can add your k3s cluster as an environment. Portainer should automatically detect the Kubernetes environment since it is running in the same cluster.

Step 4: Manage Your Kubernetes Cluster

Once Portainer is set up, you can use it to manage your Kubernetes resources, deploy applications, and monitor your cluster.

Additional Considerations

• Security: Consider securing your Portainer instance, especially if you plan to expose it to the internet. You can use HTTPS and authentication methods to enhance security.
• Resource Limits: Depending on your cluster's resources, you may want to set resource limits for the Portainer deployment to ensure it doesn't consume too many resources.

By following these steps, you should have Portainer up and running on your k3s cluster, providing a convenient interface for managing your Kubernetes resources.

• difference of using Portainer via Helm