Configure kubectl with MKE

MKE installations include Kubernetes. Users can deploy, manage, and monitor Kubernetes using either the MKE web UI or kubectl.

To install and use kubectl:

1. Identify which version of Kubernetes you are running by using the MKE web UI, the MKE API version endpoint, or the Docker CLI docker version command with the client bundle.

   Caution

   Kubernetes requires that kubectl and Kubernetes be within one minor version of each other.

2. Refer to Kubernetes: Install Tools to download and install the appropriate kubectl binary.

3. Download the client bundle.

4. Refer to Configure the client bundle to configure kubectl with MKE using the certificates and keys contained in the client bundle.

5. Optional. Install Helm, the Kubernetes package manager, and Tiller, the Helm server.

   Caution

   Helm requires MKE 3.1.x or higher.

   To use Helm and Tiller with MKE, grant the default service account within the kube-system namespace the necessary roles:

   kubectl create rolebinding default-view --clusterrole=view \
   --serviceaccount=kube-system:default --namespace=kube-system
   
   kubectl create clusterrolebinding add-on-cluster-admin \
   --clusterrole=cluster-admin --serviceaccount=kube-system:default
   

   Note

   Helm recommends that you specify a Role and RoleBinding to limit the scope of Tiller to a particular namespace. Refer to the official Helm documentation for more information.