k3s-cluster-automation 🚀

This repository provides streamlined scripts to automate the deployment and cleanup of lightweight Kubernetes clusters using ​K3s, a CNCF-certified, minimal Kubernetes distribution ideal for edge computing, IoT, and development environments. The scripts leverage k3sup for rapid cluster setup and teardown across multiple nodes.

Features ✨

• ​Single-command cluster setup: Deploy a K3s cluster with 1 master + N workers using SSH.
• ​Customizable components: Disable non-essential services (Traefik, metrics-server, etc.) for minimal deployments.
• ​Multi-node support: Configure via environment variables (HOSTS).
• ​Version control: Specify K3s versions (default: v1.28.13+k3s1).
• ​Docker integration: Optional Docker runtime instead of containerd.
• ​Automatic cleanup: Remove all cluster components with one command.

Prerequisites ⚙️

1. ​SSH Key Authentication:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096
ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub your_ssh_user@your-server-ip

2. ​k3sup CLI​ (Installation Guide)

curl -sLS https://get.k3sup.dev | sh
sudo install k3sup /usr/local/bin/

3. ​Environment Setup:

export HOSTS=(192.168.1.10 192.168.1.11 192.168.1.12)  # Master first, then agents
export USER=your_ssh_user

Installation & Usage 🛠️

1. Deploy Cluster

./setupk3s \
  --user $USER \
  --key ~/.ssh/id_rsa \
  --k3s-version v1.28.13+k3s1 \
  --mini  # For minimal cluster (disables Traefik, metrics-server, etc)

Key Parameters:

• --docker: Use Docker runtime instead of containerd
• --mini: Disable Traefik, metrics-server, local-storage, and servicelb
• --no-traefik: Disable Traefik ingress controller only
• --k3s-version: Specify K3s version (supports stable, latest channels)

Cluster config will be saved to ~/.kube/config.

2. Verify Cluster

kubectl get nodes -o wide
kubectl get pods -A

3. Destroy Cluster

./cleanupk3s

This executes k3s-uninstall.sh on master and k3s-agent-uninstall.sh on workers

Design Rationale 💡

Why K3s?

• ​50% lighter​ than standard K8s while maintaining full compatibility
• ​Single-binary architecture​ simplifies deployment
• ​Optimized for edge/IoT​ with ARM support and low resource requirements

Script Advantages over Manual Setup

• ​Consistent configurations: Enforces standardized settings across nodes
• ​Time savings: Reduces multi-node setup from 15+ minutes to <1 minutes
• ​Repeatable deployments: Ideal for CI/CD pipelines and ephemeral test environments

Troubleshooting 🔧

• ​SSH Connection Issues: Verify key permissions: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa
• ​Component Conflicts: Use --mini when needing minimal overhead
• ​Version Mismatches: Ensure consistent K3s versions between master/agents