How to Install Kubernetes on Ubuntu 24.04

Kubernetes (K8s) is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. In this guide, we'll walk through the steps to install Kubernetes on Ubuntu 24.04.

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

You can install Docker following this guide

And here is a summary on how to install Docker:

Update package lists:

Install dependencies:

Add Docker’s official GPG key:

Add Docker APT repository:

Enable and start Docker:

Verify Docker installation:

Kubernetes requires swap to be disabled for optimal performance.

Turn off swap:

You can disable swap permanently by editing /etc/fstab:

Find the line that refers to swap and comment it out by adding # at the beginning.

Kubernetes consists of several components. We'll install kubeadm, kubelet, and kubectl.

1- Add Kubernetes repository:

2- Update the package list and install Kubernetes:

3- Hold the versions to prevent auto-updates:

1- Initialize the cluster (replace <your-cidr> with the appropriate network CIDR, usually 192.168.0.0/16):

After initialization, you'll see a message with commands to configure your user and install a network plugin. Take note of the kubeadm join command, as you'll use it to add worker nodes to the cluster.

2- Set up kubeconfig for the admin user:

Kubernetes requires a network plugin to manage inter-pod communications. Here, we'll install Calico, a widely-used network plugin.

1- Install Calico:

2- Verify the installation:

For each worker node:

1- Run the kubeadm join command generated during the master node initialization:

Replace <master-ip>, <token>, and <hash> with the actual values from the master node setup.

Verify that the nodes have joined: On the master node, run:

You should see both the master and worker nodes listed.

Once the installation is complete, Check the status of nodes:

All nodes should be in the Ready state.

Check the status of system pods:

All essential Kubernetes pods should be running.

You now have a fully functional Kubernetes cluster running on Ubuntu 24.04! From here, you can start deploying your containerized applications, setting up services, and scaling your applications with ease.