How to install MicroK8s Single Node Kubernetes

What is MicroK8s?

MicroK8s is one of the easiest and fastest way to get Kubernetes up and running and start experimenting.

In a lab, testing or home environment using a single node kubernetes can make a lot of sense because of the low hardware overhead. In a production environment, it should not be used and instead a normal kubernetes environment should be deployed with at least 3 nodes. With that said, lets see how to quickly deploy MicroK8s.

The easiest way to install is with Ubuntu, since snaps are natively enabled. An extra step to enable snap is required in other environments for this method.

How to Install MicroK8s on Ubuntu 20 LTS

Step 1: Check OS is up to date

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Disable swap

sudo swapoff -a

comment out any swap entry in /etc/fstab (yes this step could be done with sed, but the syntax changes on differnt versions. So lets use vi to edit /etc/fstab and then insert a hash onto the swap line

sudo vi /etc/fstab

# comment out swap
# UUID=cfc0b054-0ce9-46e5-8616-bbf033c55b0a none            swap    sw              0       0

Step 3: Install MicroK8s snap

sudo snap install microk8s --classic

add current user to microk8s group

usermod -aG username microk8s

Step 4: Enable any required add-ons

microk8s.enable dashboard

check the status

microk8s status

Summary

Microk8s should now be installed and you are ready to start deploying apps onto it! For further information about the project visit the MicroK8s website.