🧱 Prerequisites (Debian / Ubuntu)
Works great on:
- Debian 11 / 12
- Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04
- VPS, VM, or bare metal
1️⃣ Update the system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
2️⃣ Install required packages
sudo apt install -y curl ca-certificates gnupg
3️⃣ Disable swap (required for Kubernetes)
sudo swapoff -a
sudo sed -i '/ swap / s/^/#/' /etc/fstab
🚀 Install k3s (Single-node Control Plane)
k3s is maintained by Rancher, and the install is famously a one-liner.
🔹 Install k3s (Traefik disabled, kubeconfig readable)
curl -sfL https://get.k3s.io | \
INSTALL_K3S_EXEC="--disable traefik" \
K3S_KUBECONFIG_MODE="644" sh -
✔ Installs k3s
✔ Disables Traefik (useful if you plan to install your own ingress)
✔ Makes kubeconfig readable without sudo
✅ Verify Installation
Check k3s service
sudo systemctl status k3s
Check nodes
sudo k3s kubectl get nodes
Expected output:
NAME STATUS ROLES AGE VERSION
debian Ready control-plane,master 1m v1.xx.x+k3s
🧠 kubectl Setup (Recommended)
So you don’t have to type sudo k3s kubectl every time:
mkdir -p $HOME/.kube
sudo cp /etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml $HOME/.kube/config
sudo chown $(id -u):$(id -g) $HOME/.kube/config
echo 'export KUBECONFIG=$HOME/.kube/config' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
Test:
kubectl get pods -A
🌐 Allow kubectl Access from Outside (VPS)
If you want to access the cluster remotely.
Edit kubeconfig:
sudo nano /etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml
Change:
server: https://127.0.0.1:6443
To:
server: https://<YOUR_SERVER_IP>:6443
Restart k3s:
sudo systemctl restart k3s
⚠️ Make sure port 6443 is open in your firewall / security group.
➕ Add Worker Nodes (Agents)
On the control-plane node
sudo cat /var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/node-token
On the worker node
curl -sfL https://get.k3s.io | \
K3S_URL=https://<SERVER_IP>:6443 \
K3S_TOKEN=<NODE_TOKEN> sh -
Verify:
kubectl get nodes
🔥 Common Useful Commands
kubectl get pods -A
kubectl cluster-info
sudo systemctl stop k3s
sudo systemctl start k3s
🧹 Uninstall k3s
Server
/usr/local/bin/k3s-uninstall.sh
Agent
/usr/local/bin/k3s-agent-uninstall.sh