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Your First Kubernetes Cluster

Kubernetes is the de facto standard for container orchestration — it automates deploying, scaling, and operating containerized applications. Our platform offers a managed Kubernetes service: we run the Control Plane (Master Nodes) for you, so you only manage your Worker Nodes and workloads.

This page is a short overview — each step links to the detailed instructions in the Kubernetes Management documentation.

Prerequisites

  • You can sign in to the Cloud Services Portal (see First Login).
  • You have a project with sufficient quota (vCPU, RAM, storage) for the Worker Nodes.
  • You need the permission to create Kubernetes clusters in the portal.
  • Optionally: kubectl installed on your workstation.

The path in five steps

  1. Create a cluster — in the Cloud Services Portal, navigate to Kubernetes Management and start the wizard. Pick a cluster name (max 10 characters), a purpose (testing = no monitoring/HA, production = monitoring + HA), a worker image, Kubernetes version, flavor, availability zones, and worker count (min/max for autoscaling).

    Create a Cluster

  2. Wait for healthy status — provisioning takes up to 10 minutes depending on the number of workers. The cluster appears in the list once it's ready.

  3. Download the kubeconfig — once the cluster is healthy, generate an admin or viewer configuration from the cluster's dropdown menu.

    24-hour validity

    The downloaded kubeconfig is only valid for 24 hours for security reasons, regardless of the number of days entered in the form. For persistent access, see step 5.

    Accessing the Cluster

  4. Configure kubectl — either copy the YAML file to ~/.kube/config or export it:

    export KUBECONFIG=/tmp/kubeconfig-<cluster-name>-admin.yml

  5. Verify the cluster — query your nodes:

    kubectl get nodes

    You should see one row per Worker Node with status Ready.

Persistent access with a Service Account

The portal-generated kubeconfig expires after 24 hours. For automation or long-term access, create a Service Account inside the cluster that doesn't expire. This requires the admin kubeconfig once, then creates a persistent credential.

Create a Service Account

Next step

Tired of clicking through the portal? Automate everything with Terraform and the OpenStack CLI.

For the full Kubernetes documentation — editing clusters, managing worker groups, scaling, and deletion — see Kubernetes Management.