Quick Multi-Node Kubernetes Cluster

Multipass

Multipass lets you easily spin up Ubuntu VMs on a workstation.

# Install
snap install multipass --classic

Then to create a new instance, just run multipass launch. It will create a new instance based on an Ubuntu LTS image.

To access the instance, just run multipass shell $name. You then have full access to the instance.

The instances can also be bootstrapped via cloud-init in the same way that instances on cloud providers are.

Microk8s

Microk8s is a small Kubernetes distribution designed for appliances.

# Install
sudo snap install microk8s --classic --channel=1.16/stable
sudo usermod -a -G microk8s $USER
su - $USER

Cluster

So with two Multipass instances launched, and Microk8s installed on each, we can now join them together to form a cluster by running microk8s.add-node on the proposed master and then the requisite microk8s.join command on the other node.