Install Kubernetes On Ubuntu 24.04: A Comprehensive Guide

Oct 30, 2025 by Team 58 views

Install Kubernetes Cluster on Ubuntu 24.04: A Comprehensive Guide

Hey guys! So, you're looking to install a Kubernetes cluster on Ubuntu 24.04? Awesome! You're in the right place. Setting up a Kubernetes cluster can seem a bit daunting at first, but trust me, it's totally manageable, and the benefits are massive. In this detailed guide, we'll walk through every step of the process, ensuring you have a fully functional Kubernetes cluster up and running on your Ubuntu 24.04 system. We'll cover everything from the initial setup of your machines to deploying your first application. We'll use kubeadm because it offers a straightforward way to get a Kubernetes cluster up and running quickly. It's perfect for learning and experimenting, and it's a solid choice for many production environments too. So, let’s dive in and get your Kubernetes cluster up and running! This guide will focus on creating a single-master cluster for simplicity. You can expand it later to a multi-node cluster, but we'll get you started with the basics first. The goal here is to make this process easy to follow, even if you’re new to Kubernetes. I'll break everything down step-by-step, making sure you understand what’s happening along the way. Kubernetes is a powerful tool for managing containerized applications, and getting your hands dirty is the best way to learn. Now, without further ado, let's get started. We'll ensure that you have the right tools and configurations in place so you can manage your applications effectively. We'll also cover essential topics such as networking and container runtime selection, all designed to give you a strong foundation. You'll soon see how much control you have over your applications and resources. So, buckle up; it's going to be a fun and educational ride. Let's make this Kubernetes installation process as simple and enjoyable as possible, and you'll be well on your way to mastering Kubernetes in no time. We'll be using the latest recommended practices and the newest versions of the tools available at the time of writing. Always check the official documentation for the most up-to-date information, but this guide will get you going with the fundamentals. The setup is designed to be repeatable and easy to adapt to different environments. This means you can follow these steps to set up Kubernetes on your local machine, a cloud provider, or any other Ubuntu 24.04 system. Ready? Let's go!

Prerequisites: What You'll Need

Before we jump into the installation process, let’s make sure you have everything you need. You'll need a couple of machines running Ubuntu 24.04. One will be designated as the master node, and the others will serve as worker nodes. For the sake of this tutorial, we'll be setting up a single-master cluster for simplicity. Here's a quick checklist of the prerequisites:

Ubuntu 24.04: You'll need at least one machine running Ubuntu 24.04. Make sure it's a clean installation. It's always best to start with a fresh system to avoid any conflicts.
Hardware Resources: Each machine should have at least 2 GB of RAM and 2 CPUs. While more resources are always better, this will get you started. If you plan to run resource-intensive applications, you should definitely allocate more resources to your nodes.
Internet Connection: You'll need an active internet connection on all machines to download the necessary packages. Kubernetes installation involves downloading several dependencies, so a stable connection is a must.
User with sudo privileges: Make sure you have a user account with sudo (superuser do) privileges. This account will be used to execute commands that require administrative access. We’ll be using this user to perform all the steps.
Networking: Ensure that your machines can communicate with each other. This is crucial for the cluster to function. If you're using a firewall, make sure it allows traffic on the required ports (6443 for the API server, 10250 for kubelet, etc.).
Disable Swap: Kubernetes generally works best with swap disabled. You can disable it using sudo swapoff -a and prevent it from re-enabling on boot by commenting out the swap entry in /etc/fstab. We'll cover this later in the steps.

Once you've confirmed that you meet these prerequisites, you’re good to go. The next steps will guide you through preparing your system and installing Kubernetes. We'll ensure that your environment is ready, so you can focus on learning and experimenting with Kubernetes. Don't worry if some of these prerequisites seem complicated; we'll walk through them one by one. The key is to prepare your environment meticulously before starting the installation to avoid any potential headaches later on.

Step-by-Step Installation Guide

Alright, let’s get our hands dirty and start the installation process! We’ll break this down into several steps to make it easy to follow. Each step is crucial, so make sure you follow them carefully. Let's get started with the first step of the process. We're going to ensure that each node in your cluster is properly prepared, starting with the master node.

1. Prepare Your Ubuntu 24.04 Machines

First things first, we need to ensure that our Ubuntu machines are ready for Kubernetes. This involves a few key steps that will prevent any installation issues down the line. We will perform these steps on both the master and worker nodes. This consistency ensures that the cluster operates properly. Let's prepare your systems:

Update Package Index: Begin by updating the package index on each machine to make sure you have the latest package information:
```
sudo apt update
```
Install Required Packages: Install packages that are needed for kubeadm, kubelet, and kubectl to function properly. We'll use apt to install these packages:
```
sudo apt install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg
```
Disable Swap: As mentioned earlier, Kubernetes generally performs better with swap disabled. This improves performance and prevents unexpected behavior.
- Disable swap immediately:
```
sudo swapoff -a
```
- Comment out the swap entry in /etc/fstab to prevent it from re-enabling after a reboot. Open /etc/fstab with your favorite text editor (e.g., sudo nano /etc/fstab) and add a # at the beginning of the line that mentions swap.
```
# /swap.img       none    swap    sw      0       0
```
Configure the Hostname and Hosts file:
- Set a unique hostname for each machine. This helps in identifying each node within the cluster.
```
sudo hostnamectl set-hostname <your-hostname>
```
  Replace <your-hostname> with the desired hostname for each machine (e.g., master, node1, node2).
- Edit the /etc/hosts file on all machines to include the IP addresses and hostnames of all nodes in the cluster. This enables internal DNS resolution.
```
sudo nano /etc/hosts
```
  Add lines similar to the following, replacing the IP addresses and hostnames with the actual values:
```
127.0.0.1       localhost
<master-ip>     master
<node1-ip>      node1
<node2-ip>      node2
```
  Save the file after making the necessary changes.

2. Install the Container Runtime (Containerd)

Next up, we need to install a container runtime. Kubernetes uses a container runtime to manage and run containers. Containerd is a lightweight and efficient container runtime, and it's a great choice. Follow these steps to install and configure Containerd:

Install Containerd: Install containerd using apt:
```
sudo apt install containerd
```
Configure Containerd: We need to set up Containerd to work with Kubernetes. Create a configuration file:
```
sudo mkdir -p /etc/containerd
sudo containerd config default | sudo tee /etc/containerd/config.toml
```
Modify Containerd Configuration: Edit the /etc/containerd/config.toml file to use systemd as the CGroup driver. This is required for Kubernetes to function properly.
```
sudo nano /etc/containerd/config.toml
```
Find the `[plugins.