Nginx: Kubernetes Environments

Deploying Nginx Ingress Controller#

The Nginx Ingress Controller allows external access to Kubernetes services using Ingress resources. It provides load balancing, SSL termination, and name-based virtual hosting.

Installing the Nginx Ingress Controller with Helm#

helm repo add ingress-nginx https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx
helm repo update
helm install my-nginx ingress-nginx/ingress-nginx --namespace ingress-nginx --create-namespace

Verifying the Installation#

kubectl get pods -n ingress-nginx

Configuring Ingress Rules#

An Ingress resource defines how HTTP and HTTPS traffic is routed to backend services in Kubernetes.

Creating a Basic Ingress Resource#

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: myapp-ingress
  annotations:
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /
spec:
  rules:
    - host: myapp.example.com
      http:
        paths:
          - path: /
            pathType: Prefix
            backend:
              service:
                name: myapp-service
                port:
                  number: 80

Applying and Verifying the Ingress Configuration#

kubectl apply -f myapp-ingress.yaml
kubectl get ingress

Monitoring and Logging Nginx with Prometheus and Grafana#

Monitoring Nginx performance and logs is essential for debugging and optimizing traffic handling in Kubernetes.

Enabling Metrics Collection in Nginx#

apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: nginx-config
  namespace: ingress-nginx
data:
  enable-metrics: "true"

Deploying Prometheus in Kubernetes#

kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/prometheus-operator/prometheus-operator/main/bundle.yaml

Accessing Nginx Metrics with Prometheus#

kubectl port-forward svc/prometheus-k8s 9090 -n monitoring

Integrating Grafana Dashboards for Nginx Monitoring#

• Deploy Grafana in Kubernetes.
• Configure Prometheus as a data source.
• Import Nginx Ingress Controller dashboards for real-time monitoring.

Secure Deployments within Kubernetes#

Security is a crucial aspect of Ingress Controller deployments to ensure encrypted traffic and controlled access.

Enforcing HTTPS Using TLS Certificates with Cert-Manager#

apiVersion: cert-manager.io/v1
kind: Certificate
metadata:
  name: myapp-cert
  namespace: default
spec:
  secretName: myapp-tls
  issuerRef:
    name: letsencrypt-prod
    kind: ClusterIssuer

Applying and Verifying TLS Settings#

kubectl apply -f myapp-cert.yaml

Enabling RBAC for Nginx Ingress Controller#

Restricting access to Kubernetes resources using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) ensures that only authorized services can modify Ingress settings.

apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRoleBinding
metadata:
  name: nginx-ingress-clusterrole
subjects:
  - kind: ServiceAccount
    name: ingress-nginx
    namespace: ingress-nginx
roleRef:
  kind: ClusterRole
  name: nginx-ingress-role
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io

Hands-On Exercise#

To reinforce these concepts, try the following exercises:

• Deploy the Nginx Ingress Controller in Kubernetes.
• Configure Ingress rules to route traffic to an application.
• Monitor Nginx performance using Prometheus and Grafana.
• Secure an Ingress setup using TLS certificates and RBAC.

By mastering these techniques, you’ll be able to deploy and manage scalable, secure, and high-performance Nginx environments in Kubernetes.