Github · GitHub Repository Radar
kelseyhightower kubernetes-the-hard-way
Bootstrap Kubernetes the hard way. No scripts.
Stars
49,639
Forks
15,846
Watchers: 49,639
Language
—
License: Apache License 2.0
Repository Radar Score
46 / 100
Growth
- 7d
- +0
- 30d
- +0
- %
- 0.0%
Not enough metric snapshots yet to chart growth for this repository.
Score breakdown
- popularity 89
- growth 0
- activity 15
- freshness 100
- community 60
Need help integrating this stack?
Our team builds with modern open-source stacks. Tell us what you are shipping.
Get a quote →This tutorial walks you through setting up Kubernetes the hard way. This guide is not for someone looking for a fully automated tool to bring up a Kubernetes cluster. Kubernetes The Hard Way is optimized for learning, which means taking the long route to ensure you understand each task required to bootstrap a Kubernetes cluster.
The results of this tutorial should not be viewed as production ready, and may receive limited support from the community, but don't let that stop you from learning!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The target audience for this tutorial is someone who wants to understand the fundamentals of Kubernetes and how the core components fit together.
Kubernetes The Hard Way guides you through bootstrapping a basic Kubernetes cluster with all control plane components running on a single node, and two worker nodes, which is enough to learn the core concepts.
Component versions:
- kubernetes v1.32.x
- containerd v2.1.x
- cni v1.6.x
- etcd v3.6.x
This tutorial requires four (4) ARM64 or AMD64 based virtual or physical machines connected to the same network.
- Prerequisites
- Setting up the Jumpbox
- Provisioning Compute Resources
- Provisioning the CA and Generating TLS Certificates
- Generating Kubernetes Configuration Files for Authentication
- Generating the Data Encryption Config and Key
- Bootstrapping the etcd Cluster
- Bootstrapping the Kubernetes Control Plane
- Bootstrapping the Kubernetes Worker Nodes
- Configuring kubectl for Remote Access
- Provisioning Pod Network Routes
- Smoke Test
- Cleaning Up
Repository Radar analysis
Deterministic insights derived from public metadata and our observations — not personal testing or reviews.
Why this repository is interesting
- High absolute popularity (49,639 stars) signals broad adoption.
Who should use it
- Engineers researching open-source options in this stack
Potential use cases
- Benchmark approach, license, and activity before adopting
- Compare with similar repositories on Repository Radar
Strengths
- README present in our index
- Declared license: Apache License 2.0
- Substantial fork count (15,846) suggests reuse and contribution interest
Limitations / considerations
- Insights are derived from public metadata and our observations — not a substitute for code review
What to watch
- Re-check last push, issues, and releases on GitHub before production adoption
Strong signals: Strong community interest
Source: GitHub (public metadata) + Repository Radar analysis. We do not claim ownership of third-party repositories.
Similar repositories
mrdoob/three.js
★ 115,076 · JavaScript · radar 68
ant-design/ant-design
★ 99,374 · TypeScript · radar 68
openclaw/openclaw
★ 388,845 · TypeScript · radar 67
nilbuild/developer-roadmap
★ 366,309 · TypeScript · radar 67
react/react
★ 249,074 · JavaScript · radar 67
n8n-io/n8n
★ 203,331 · TypeScript · radar 67