Kubernetes Part 2: Installation
Published: 04/18/2026 · 5 min read ·
Originally published on Medium.
In Part 1 we learned about essential concepts. In this part we go through a Step-by-Step Guide to install production kubernetes with Kubeadm
Getting a Kubernetes cluster up and running doesn’t have to be complicated. In this guide, I’ll walk you through installing Kubernetes using Kubeadm, a tool designed to bootstrap a minimal viable Kubernetes cluster. Whether you’re new to Kubernetes or just want a quick setup, this approach focuses on simplicity without sacrificing functionality.
What You’ll Install
Before we dive in, here’s what we’re putting together:
- Kubernetes v1.35 — The container orchestration powerhouse
- Containerd 2.2.2 — A lightweight container runtime
- Calico 3.31.4 — For networking and security policies
This stack is production-tested and widely used in real-world deployments.
Prerequisites
You’ll need:
- Two or more Linux machines (bare metal or cloud VMs)
- Root or sudo access on all machines
- At least 2GB RAM per machine (4GB+ recommended)
- Basic SSH access between nodes
Step 1: Prepare Your Machines
Disable Swap
Kubernetes doesn’t play well with swap memory. Let’s turn it off:
sudo swapoff -a
To make this permanent, edit /etc/fstab or your systemd swap configuration.
Get System Info
Check that each machine has a unique MAC address and Product UUID — Kubernetes requires this:
ip link # MAC address
sudo cat /sys/class/dmi/id/product_uuid # Product UUID
Open Required Firewall Ports
We need to disable firewall. Becaus calico and firewall doesn’t play well togther.
sudo systemctl stop firewalld
Configure IPv4 Forwarding
Kubernetes needs this to route traffic between containers:
cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/sysctl.d/k8s.conf
net.ipv4.ip_forward = 1
EOF
sudo sysctl --system
Disable SELinux (if present)
sudo setenforce 0
sudo sed -i 's/^SELINUX=enforcing$/SELINUX=permissive/' /etc/selinux/config
Step 2: Install Containerd
Containerd is your container runtime. Here’s the quick version:
# Download and verify
wget https://github.com/containerd/containerd/releases/download/v2.2.2/containerd-2.2.2-linux-amd64.tar.gz
wget https://github.com/containerd/containerd/releases/download/v2.2.2/containerd-2.2.2-linux-amd64.tar.gz.sha256sum
sha256sum --check containerd-2.2.2-linux-amd64.tar.gz.sha256sum
# Extract to /usr/local
tar Cxzvf /usr/local containerd-2.2.2-linux-amd64.tar.gz
# Add systemd service
wget -P /usr/local/lib/systemd/system https://raw.githubusercontent.com/containerd/containerd/main/containerd.service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now containerd
Install Runc
wget https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/releases/download/v1.5.0-rc.2/runc.amd64
wget https://github.com/opencontainers/runc/releases/download/v1.5.0-rc.2/runc.sha256sum
sha256sum --check runc.sha256sum
sudo install -m 755 runc.amd64 /usr/local/sbin/runc
Install CNI Plugins
wget https://github.com/containernetworking/plugins/releases/download/v1.9.1/cni-plugins-linux-amd64-v1.9.1.tgz
wget https://github.com/containernetwork/plugins/releases/download/v1.9.1/cni-plugins-linux-amd64-v1.9.1.tgz.sha256
sha256sum --check cni-plugins-linux-amd64-v1.9.1.tgz.sha256
mkdir -p /opt/cni/bin
tar Cxzvf /opt/cni/bin cni-plugins-linux-amd64-v1.9.1.tgz
Configure Containerd
mkdir -p /etc/containerd
containerd config default > /etc/containerd/config.toml
# Enable systemd cgroup driver
sudo sed -i 's/SystemdCgroup = false/SystemdCgroup = true/' /etc/containerd/config.toml
# Enable CRI plugin
sudo sed -i 's/disabled_plugins = \["cri"\]/disabled_plugins = []/' /etc/containerd/config.toml
# Restart
sudo systemctl restart containerd
Step 3: Install Kubeadm, Kubelet, and Kubectl
Add the Kubernetes repository:
cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/kubernetes.repo
[kubernetes]
name=Kubernetes
baseurl=https://pkgs.k8s.io/core:/stable:/v1.35/rpm/
enabled=1
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://pkgs.k8s.io/core:/stable:/v1.35/rpm/repodata/repomd.xml.key
exclude=kubelet kubeadm kubectl cri-tools kubernetes-cni
EOF
# Install
sudo yum install -y kubelet kubeadm kubectl --disableexcludes=kubernetes
# Enable kubelet
sudo systemctl enable --now kubelet
Step 4: Initialize the Control Plane
On your control plane node only, run:
sudo kubeadm init --pod-network-cidr=192.168.0.0/16
This generates your cluster’s certificates and tokens. Once it completes, you’ll see a kubeadm join command—save this! You’ll need it for worker nodes.
Set Up Kubectl Access
mkdir -p $HOME/.kube
sudo cp -i /etc/kubernetes/admin.conf $HOME/.kube/config
sudo chown $(id -u):$(id -g) $HOME/.kube/config
Verify the control plane is ready:
kubectl get nodes
Step 5: Install Calico Networking
Kubernetes needs a network plugin. Calico is simple and powerful:
# Install Tigera operator (Calico's management system)
kubectl create -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/projectcalico/calico/v3.31.4/manifests/operator-crds.yaml
kubectl create -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/projectcalico/calico/v3.31.4/manifests/tigera-operator.yaml
# Download and apply Calico configuration
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/projectcalico/calico/v3.31.4/manifests/custom-resources-bpf.yaml
kubectl create -f custom-resources-bpf.yaml
# Monitor deployment. All will be in true state after few minutes
watch kubectl get tigerastatus
Step 6: Join Worker Nodes
On each worker node, run the kubeadm join command from Step 4:
sudo kubeadm join <CONTROL_PLANE_IP>:6443 --token <TOKEN> \
--discovery-token-ca-cert-hash sha256:<HASH>
Replace the placeholders with the actual values from your init output.
Verify worker status on the control plane:
kubectl get nodes
All nodes should show as Ready within a few minutes.
Step 7: Test Your Cluster
Deploy a simple Nginx application:
kubectl create deployment test-app --image=nginx
kubectl expose deployment test-app --type=NodePort --port=80
kubectl get svc test-app
Find the NodePort (usually in the 30000–32767 range), get a node’s IP, and test:
# Get worker node internal ip. That is node ip. eg: 192.168.1.10
kubectl get nodes -o wide
#Get node port. e.g: 30000-32767
kubectl get svc
curl http://<NODE-IP>:<NODE-PORT>
You should see the Nginx welcome page. Success! 🎉
Cleanup (Optional)
kubectl delete service test-app
kubectl delete deployment test-app
Troubleshooting Tips
- Nodes not ready? Check kubelet logs: journalctl -u kubelet -f
- Pods pending? Ensure Calico is running: kubectl get pods -n calico-system
- Can’t reach services? Verify firewall is stopped
Resources
That’s it! You now have a fully functional Kubernetes cluster. From here, the sky’s the limit. Happy containerizing! 🚀
