KubeForge

KubeForge is a Go-based tool for automating Kubernetes cluster installation and setup on Linux systems. It provides a simple, interactive way to bootstrap both control plane and worker nodes.

Features

• Automatic detection of Linux distribution
• Support for Debian and RedHat based distributions
• Containerd runtime installation and configuration
• Kubernetes control plane initialization
• Calico network plugin installation
• Optional Kubernetes Dashboard installation
• Worker node join command generation
• High-availability cluster setup
• Node joining (both worker and control plane nodes)
• Node labeling and tainting
• Cluster upgrade capabilities
• Cluster status checking
• robust configuration options

Control Plane Setup

When setting up a control plane node, KubeForge will:

• Install and configure containerd
• Install Kubernetes components (kubeadm, kubelet, kubectl)
• Initialize the Kubernetes control plane
• Install the Calico network plugin
• Generate a join command for worker nodes
• Optionally install the Kubernetes Dashboard

Worker Node Setup

When setting up a worker node, KubeForge will:

• Install and configure containerd
• Install Kubernetes components
• Prompt for the join command from the control plane
• Join the node to the cluster

High Availability Setup

KubeForge supports high availability setups with multiple control plane nodes. When configuring a high availability cluster:

• Set up a load balancer in front of the API servers
• Configure the first control plane node with the load balancer endpoint
• Join additional control plane nodes using certificate key

Installation

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/ochestra-tech/kubeforge.git
cd KubeForge
make build
sudo make install

Building and Installing KubeForge with Docker

This is more practical approach that uses Docker only as a build environment, producing a standalone binary that can be run directly on the host system. This addresses security concerns while leveraging containerization for consistent builds.

Using Docker as a Build Environment

KubeForge provides a containerized build environment that produces standalone binaries for direct use on the host system. This approach avoids running privileged containers while still leveraging Docker for consistent builds.

Key Benefits of This Approach

• Secure: No need for privileged containers at runtime

• Portable: Builds binaries for multiple architectures

• Consistent: Same build environment regardless of host OS

• Simple: Easy installation process using generated script

• Flexible: Can run directly on the host with full access to system resources

• CI/CD friendly: Easy to integrate into build pipelines

a. Build the binaries:

./scripts/docker-build.sh

b. Install KubeForge on the host system:

./scripts/install-host.sh

c. Run KubeForge

kubeforge

Manual Installation

If you prefer to build and install KubeForge manually:

1. Build the binary:

go build -o kubeforge cmd/kubeforge/main.go

2. Install it

sudo cp kubeforge /usr/local/bin/
sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/lib/kubeforge/assets
sudo cp -r assets/* /usr/local/lib/kubeforge/assets/
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/kubeforge

Usage Demo

# Build the binaries
./build.sh

# Install KubeForge on the host system
./install-host.sh

# Run KubeForge
kubeforge

K8s Cluster Setup with Batch Script

scripts/k8s-cluster-setup is the batch script version of this go cluster creation tool

Usage Instructions

1. Save the script to a file (e.g., setup-kubernetes.sh)
2. Make it executable: chmod +x setup-kubernetes.sh
3. Run it as root: sudo ./setup-kubernetes.sh
4. First run the script on the machine you want to be the master node
5. When prompted, indicate it's a master node
6. Save the join command that is generated
7. Run the script on each worker node
8. When prompted, indicate it's not a master node
9. Run the join command you saved earlier on each worker node

After completing these steps, you'll have a functional Kubernetes cluster with networking configured and ready to deploy applications.