How to install Kubernetes on Hetzner cloud step-by-step guide

Installing Kubernetes on the Hetzner Cloud involves a few steps to set up and configure both the Kubernetes cluster and the underlying infrastructure. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

Prerequisites:
– A Hetzner Cloud account with an API token.
– Basic familiarity with the command line and Linux.

Step 1: Provision Servers:
1. Log in to your Hetzner Cloud account.
If you don’t have it, register one through this link and instantly get €20 in free credits.

2. Create the desired number of servers to form your Kubernetes cluster. You’ll typically need at least one control plane node and multiple worker nodes.

Step 2: Set Up SSH Access:
1. Generate an SSH key pair if you don’t have one already:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

2. Add the public key to your Hetzner Cloud account through the Hetzner Cloud Console.

Step 3: Install kubeadm, kubelet, and kubectl:
1. SSH into each server and run the following commands to install the required Kubernetes components:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y apt-transport-https curl
curl -s https://packages.cloud.google.com/apt/doc/apt-key.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
echo "deb http://apt.kubernetes.io/ kubernetes-xenial main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kubernetes.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y kubelet kubeadm kubectl

Step 4: Set Up Master Node:
1. On the control plane node, initialize the cluster using `kubeadm`:

sudo kubeadm init --pod-network-cidr=10.244.0.0/16

2. After initialization, follow the instructions provided by `kubeadm` to set up the kubeconfig file and network addon (e.g., Calico or Flannel).
3. Copy the `kubeadm join` command provided at the end of the initialization process.

Step 5: Join Worker Nodes:
1. On each worker node, paste and run the `kubeadm join` command copied from the master node.

Step 6: Install kubectl on Your Local Machine:
1. Install `kubectl` on your local machine to manage the cluster remotely:

sudo apt-get install -y kubectl

Step 7: Verify Cluster:
1. On your master node, run the following to check the status of your nodes:

kubectl get nodes

Congratulations! You now have a basic Kubernetes cluster up and running on the Hetzner Cloud. Keep in mind that this guide provides a simplified setup process. For a production environment, you’ll need to consider security, network configuration, high availability, and more. Additionally, Kubernetes has a dynamic ecosystem with many tools and configurations that can be tailored to your specific needs. It’s a good idea to consult the official Kubernetes documentation and other resources for in-depth information and best practices.