Installing on Kubernetes

Installing OpenSquiggly on the Kubernetes cloud orchestrator, instead of a virtual machine is also possible. In this section we give an overview of the installation process on Kubernetes, and discuss pros and cons of using Kubernetes vs. a virtual machine.

Overview of Installing on Kubernetes

Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that enables automated deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It is a powerful tool for managing complex distributed systems and has gained popularity among developers and IT teams for its ability to simplify deployment and management of applications. In this section, and in the subsequent cloud-specifc sections, we will walk you through the steps for installing OpenSquiggly on Kubernetes.

For more information on Kubernetes in general, visit https://kubernetes.io

When it comes to choosing between installing OpenSquiggly on a virtual machine, as discussed in the prior sections, or a Kubernetes cluster, there are several factors to consider.

Pros

  1. Fewer Installation Steps: While Kubernetes brings with it a learning curve and some some added complexity, you may actually find it easier and faster to install OpenSquiggly on Kubernetes because the Helm chats we provide making it possible to install OpenSquiggly with a single command. This is especially true if your company already has an existing Kubernetes cluster that you can connect to with your kubectl command line.

  2. Managing External Disks: Kubernetes' usage of persistent volumes and persistent volume claims, along with dynamic provisioning, makes it easier to add external disk space to your OpenSquiggly service. With a VM installation, you need to manually create the disk using your cloud provider’s tools, then attach it to the VM, then partition and format it, then mount it, then add the mounting spec to your fstab file. Even if it only takes a few minutes to do, it’s still a hassle. With Kubernetes and our Helm charts, you just tell us how big you want your disk, and Kubernetes will dynamically provision it and set it all up with no extra steps.

  3. Standardization: Kubernetes provides a standardized way of deploying and managing applications, which makes it easier to manage and maintain your application infrastructure. Kubernetes is generally cloud-agnostic and is available as a managed service on all popular cloud providers.

  4. Familiarity: In recent years Kubernetes has become the dominant, and arguably the de facto standard container orchestrator in cloud computing. Most IT departments are already familiar with it.

  5. Better Resource Utilization: Kubernetes enables better resource utilization by scheduling containers on nodes based on available resources. This means that you can get the most out of your hardware resources, without having to manually optimize virtual machines.

  6. High Availability: Kubernetes ensures that your applications are highly available by automatically detecting and replacing failed containers. This means that your application can recover quickly from failures, without having to manually manage virtual machines.

Cons:

  1. Complexity: Kubernetes has a steep learning curve and requires a significant investment in terms of time and effort to set up and manage. This means that it may not be the best choice for small projects or teams with limited resources. With that being said, we’ve tried our best to provide thorough setup documentation and instructional videos to make installation on Kubernetes as easy as possible.

  2. Overhead: Kubernetes adds an additional layer of abstraction between your application and the underlying infrastructure. This means that there is some overhead involved in managing Kubernetes clusters, which may impact the performance of your application.

  3. Cost: Kubernetes requires additional resources to run, such as nodes and networking infrastructure. This means that there may be additional costs associated with running Kubernetes clusters, compared to running virtual machines.

Overall, installing OpenSquiggly on Kubernetes can provide a more robust, easier to install, and easier to maintain experience than installing it on a virtual machine.

Installing kubectl

The kubectl command line tool is used to connect to your Kubernetes cluster and create and manage its resources, including the OpenSquiggly resources that we cover in later sections. You’ll need the kubectl command installed in your desktop in order to execute the installation instructions provided in later sections.

Installing kubectl on Windows

Download the latest release kubectl.exe from the official Kubernetes releases page on GitHub.

After downloading the executable, place it in a directory that’s in your system’s PATH.

Installing kubectl on MacOS

The easiest way to install kubectl on macOS is through Homebrew. If you don’t have Homebrew installed, you can install it by following the instructions at https://brew.sh/.

Installing kubectl on Linux

  1. On Linux, you can use curl to download kubectl. Replace VERSION with the version number of Kubernetes you want to download:
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/vVERSION/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl"

Testing Your kubectl Installation

After installing kubectl, verify it is in your path and accessible from your command line shell.

kubectl version --short

Installing Helm

Helm is often referred to as the ‘package manager for Kubernetes’. It’s a tool that streamlines the process of installing, configuring, and upgrading applications that are deployed on Kubernetes. Helm uses a packaging format called ‘charts’, which are collections of files that describe a related set of Kubernetes resources. By using Helm, you can manage complexity and simplify the deployment of applications in your Kubernetes clusters. In the following sections, we’ll guide you through the process of installing Helm on your system.

Installing Helm on Windows

  1. Install Chocolatey, a package manager for Windows. You can find the instructions at https://chocolatey.org/install.

  2. Once Chocolatey is installed, install Helm by running the following command in your command prompt:

Installing Helm on MacOS

  1. The easiest way to install Helm on macOS is through Homebrew. If you don’t have Homebrew installed, you can install it by following the instructions at https://brew.sh/.

  2. Once Homebrew is installed, you can install Helm with the following command:

Installing Helm on Linux

  1. On Linux, you can use curl to download the latest Helm binary. Run:
curl -fsSL -o get_helm.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/main/scripts/get-helm-3