What is EKS Auto Mode? What is EKS Auto Mode? EKS Auto Mode is a management enhancement for Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) that simplifies the operational management of Kubernetes clusters and extends AWS’s control beyond the cluster itself. It automates the setup and management of the infrastructure required for running workloads, including compute, networking, storage, and scaling, while integrating deeply with AWS services like EC2, EBS, and ELB EKS Auto Mode Key Features of EKS Auto Mode Key Features of EKS Auto Mode Streamlined Management: Production-ready clusters with minimal operational overhead and automation of key tasks. Streamlined Management: Automated Compute and Scaling: Automated Compute and Scaling: · Automated node lifecycle, scaling with Karpenter, and GPU support. · Regular node replacements for security (21-day max lifetime). Networking and Load Balancing: Networking and Load Balancing: · Automates Pod/service networking with IPv4/IPv6 support. · Integrates with AWS Elastic Load Balancers for seamless traffic management. Cost Optimization: Cost Optimization: · Automatically consolidates workloads and terminates unused nodes. · Supports cost-saving configurations like Spot instances. Security: Security: · Immutable AMIs, SELinux enforcement, and no direct SSH/SSM access. · Regular updates to enhance security posture. Customizability: Customizability: · Custom NodePools and NodeClasses for specialized workloads. · Support for DaemonSets to add custom monitoring/services. AWS Integration: Fully integrates with EC2, EBS, ELB, and other AWS services. AWS Integration: EKS Auto Mode Pricing: EKS Auto Mode Pricing: EKS Auto Mode Pricing simplifies Amazon EKS cluster management by automatically selecting and scaling the underlying infrastructure. Pricing includes: EC2 Instance Costs: Standard charges for the EC2 instances provisioned for your workloads.
Management Fee: A per-hour fee for each EC2 instance, which varies by instance type, to cover the automation of infrastructure management. EC2 Instance Costs: Standard charges for the EC2 instances provisioned for your workloads. Management Fee: A per-hour fee for each EC2 instance, which varies by instance type, to cover the automation of infrastructure management. Auto Mode dynamically optimizes resource usage and scales across Availability Zones, ensuring high availability and cost-effectiveness. You only pay for the compute and management fees associated with your active workloads Step 1: Create EKS Cluster with Auto Mode Step 1: Create EKS Cluster with Auto Mode Open the AWS Management Console, search for EKS, and click on Elastic Kubernetes Service EKS Elastic Kubernetes Service Click on Create cluster Create cluster Select Quick configuration (with EKS Auto Mode) to enable EKS Auto Mode Quick configuration (with EKS Auto Mode) EKS Auto Mode Enter the EKS cluster name and select the Kubernetes version EKS cluster name Kubernetes version Click Create recommended role to create the Cluster IAM role Create recommended role Cluster IAM role Select AWS Service as the trusted entity AWS Service Select EKS as the service and EKS-Auto Cluster as the use case, then click Next EKS EKS-Auto Cluster Next Here, you can view the permission policies. After reviewing, click Next permission policies Next Enter the role name and click Create role role name Create role The role has been successfully created for the EKS Auto Cluster EKS Auto Cluster Click Create recommended role to create the Node IAM role Create recommended role Node IAM role Select AWS Service as the trusted entity AWS Service Select EKS as the service name and EKS Auto Node as the use case EKS EKS Auto Node The permission policies for EKS Auto Node are added. Click Next to proceed permission policies EKS Auto Node Next Enter the role name and click Create role role name Create role The role has been successfully created Refresh the Node IAM role, select the role you created, then choose the VPC and Subnets Node IAM role VPC Subnets You can now view the EKS Auto Mode capabilities EKS Auto Mode capabilities Here, you can see that the EKS Auto Mode value is set to enabled EKS Auto Mode enabled Click Create to initialize the creation of the cluster Create The cluster creation request has been submitted, and it will take some time to complete Once the EKS cluster is created, you will see EKS Auto Mode displayed as Enabled EKS Auto Mode Enabled Step 2: Disable EKS Auto Mode Step 2: Disable EKS Auto Mode Go to the EKS Cluster dashboard and click on Manager EKS Cluster dashboard Manager Uncheck the Use EKS Auto Mode option to disable Use EKS Auto Mode Click Save changes Save changes Type confirm to delete the EKS Auto Mode nodes, then click Delete confirm Delete Now, you will see the EKS Auto Mode status updated to Disabled Method 2: Create an EKS Auto Mode Cluster with eksctl Method 2: Create an EKS Auto Mode Cluster with eksctl To create an EKS Auto Mode cluster using eksctl, ensure you have the eksctl CLI installed. Then, run this command: eksctl create cluster — name=devops-auto-mode — enable-auto-mode. This will create a cluster named devops-auto-mode with EKS Auto Mode enabled eksctl create cluster — name=devops-auto-mode — enable-auto-mode If you encounter the error “unknown flag: — enable-auto-mode”, it means your eksctl version is outdated. “unknown flag: — enable-auto-mode” Upgrade the eksctl version to the latest release Upgrade the eksctl version to the latest release Run the brew update command to update Homebrew brew update Run the brew upgrade eksctl command to upgrade eksctl to the latest version brew upgrade eksctl Now, run the command eksctl create cluster — name=devops-auto-mode — enable-auto-mode to create the EKS Auto Mode cluster eksctl create cluster — name=devops-auto-mode — enable-auto-mode You will be able to view the newly created EKS cluster in the AWS Management Console Navigate to the newly created EKS cluster in the AWS Management Console, where you will see that EKS Auto Mode is set to Enabled EKS Auto Mode Enabled Disabling EKS Auto Mode is not possible using the eksctl command. To remove Auto Mode, you need to delete the existing cluster and recreate it without enabling Auto Mode. To delete the cluster, run this command eksctl delete cluster — name=devops-auto-mode EKS Auto Mode eksctl delete cluster — name=devops-auto-mode Conclusion Conclusion EKS Auto Mode simplifies Kubernetes cluster management by automating infrastructure and operational tasks, making it easier to deploy and maintain production-ready environments. With features like automated scaling, cost optimization, enhanced security, and seamless AWS integration, it provides a balanced approach to managing workloads effectively while reducing operational overhead Keep Learning, Keep EKS-ing!!! Keep Learning, Keep EKS-ing!!! For more insightful content on AWS best practices, cloud security, devops and technology updates, don’t forget to follow me! 🚀 follow me! Feel free to reach out to me, if you have any other queries or suggestions Stay connected on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahendran-selvakumar/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mahendran-selvakumar/

The code in this story is for educational purposes. The readers are solely responsible for whatever they build with it.

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Step-by-Step Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) Cluster Setup with Auto Mode via AWS Console and eksctl

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