Looking for Tips on Setting Up a Test Environment for Kubernetes
Asked by
CuriousCat99
Hey everyone! I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to self-hosting, but I've got a running system and want to learn more about DevOps. Currently, I have Proxmox running on a mini PC with HA OS and a Debian LXC for my Docker Compose stack, along with a small 2-bay Synology NAS for storage. I'm thinking about creating an additional test environment with Kubernetes to really dig into the learning process. My plan is to tinker with Kubernetes until I understand it well enough to use it in a production setting later on. Do you think this is a solid approach? Should I set up another VM for Kubernetes on my existing server, or would it make sense to get another mini PC and run Kubernetes there? If I go with a second machine, could I eventually integrate my current setup into the cluster? I'd love to hear how you usually approach learning and testing new technologies!
Answers
If you’re just starting out, I'd recommend going for something lighter like K3s or Minikube to get the hang of it. Once you’re comfortable and you really like it, you can deploy a VM and use kubeadm to set up a production-ready Kubernetes cluster.
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You might want to consider setting up k3s on a set of Raspberry Pis using the Turing Pi V2. It's a fun and affordable way to experiment with Kubernetes! Plus, you can manage it nicely with k9s for a better experience.
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I recently set up Kubernetes on Proxmox too, and I found using k3s made the setup simpler. If you're looking to test things out with multiple nodes, I recommend checking out Google Cloud's offer of £180 for 90 days for new users—it’s great for learning as you can leave it running without worrying too much about costs while you finish up courses. Just a heads up, I ended up using a VM instead of a container for Docker Swarm on Proxmox because I had issues exposing ports in swarm services.
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I’ve got several VPS servers around and I set up RKE2, which is the full Kubernetes experience. If you want to dive deep and understand Kubernetes more thoroughly, that can be a good way to go!
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PunctualPanda22: Haha, I get you on the punctuation—it can be tricky sometimes!