Introduction

Deploying and managing Kubernetes clusters efficiently is crucial for businesses aiming to scale applications seamlessly. By leveraging Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) with Terraform and GitHub Actions, organizations can automate infrastructure provisioning while ensuring consistency and security. This guide outlines best practices for setting up production-ready EKS clusters using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and CI/CD automation.

Benefits of Automating EKS Cluster Deployment

  • Consistency & Reliability: Terraform ensures that the infrastructure remains consistent across environments.
  • Scalability: Kubernetes enables efficient workload distribution and auto-scaling.
  • Automation: GitHub Actions streamline CI/CD workflows, reducing manual intervention.
  • Security & Compliance: Terraform state management and role-based access control (RBAC) enhance security.

Prerequisites

Before setting up the cluster, ensure the following:

  • AWS Account with IAM permissions
  • Terraform installed on a local machine or CI/CD pipeline
  • GitHub Repository with access to GitHub Actions
  • kubectl for interacting with the Kubernetes cluster
  • AWS CLI configured for authentication

Step-by-Step Guide to Deploying an EKS Cluster

Step 1: Configure Terraform for EKS

Define the Terraform configuration for EKS using the AWS provider:

provider “aws” {

  region = “us-east-1”

}

resource “aws_eks_cluster” “eks_cluster” {

  name     = “production-eks”

  role_arn = aws_iam_role.eks_role.arn

  vpc_config {

    subnet_ids = [aws_subnet.public1.id, aws_subnet.public2.id]

  }

}

Step 2: Define Worker Nodes

Worker nodes run application workloads within the EKS cluster. Define them in the Terraform module:

resource “aws_eks_node_group” “eks_nodes” {

  cluster_name  = aws_eks_cluster.eks_cluster.name

  node_role_arn = aws_iam_role.eks_nodes.arn

  subnet_ids    = [aws_subnet.public1.id, aws_subnet.public2.id]

  scaling_config {

    desired_size = 2

    max_size     = 5

    min_size     = 1

  }

}

Step 3: Set Up GitHub Actions for CI/CD Automation

Create a GitHub Actions workflow (.github/workflows/deploy.yml) to automate EKS cluster deployment:

name: Terraform EKS Deployment

on:

  push:

    branches:

      – main

jobs:

  deploy:

    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:

      – name: Checkout Code

        uses: actions/checkout@v3

      

      – name: Set Up Terraform

        uses: hashicorp/setup-terraform@v2

        with:

          terraform_version: 1.3.5

      

      – name: Initialize Terraform

        run: terraform init

      

      – name: Apply Terraform Changes

        run: terraform apply -auto-approve

        env:

          AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: ${{ secrets.AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID }}

          AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY: ${{ secrets.AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY }}

Step 4: Access the EKS Cluster

Once the deployment completes, configure kubectl to interact with the cluster:

aws eks update-kubeconfig –region us-east-1 –name production-eks

kubectl get nodes

Best Practices for Production EKS Clusters

  • Enable Logging & Monitoring: Use AWS CloudWatch and Prometheus for observability.
  • Use RBAC & IAM: Implement least privilege access controls.
  • Implement Auto-Scaling: Configure the Kubernetes Cluster Autoscaler.
  • Manage Secrets Securely: Use AWS Secrets Manager or HashiCorp Vault.

Conclusion

By integrating Terraform, GitHub Actions, and Amazon EKS, teams can deploy scalable and resilient Kubernetes clusters efficiently. Automating cluster provisioning and CI/CD workflows enhances operational efficiency, security, and cost management.