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What is Minikube?

Learn that Minikube is a local Kubernetes cluster.

What is Minikube?

Minikube is a tool that runs a single-node (or, if you want, multi-node) Kubernetes cluster on your own computer. It's ideal for learning and local development. It sets up the cluster inside a Docker container or a virtual machine; this is called the driver.

Similar tools: kind (Kubernetes in Docker, popular in CI), k3d, Docker Desktop's built-in Kubernetes.

minikube start --driver=docker
kubectl get nodes
# minikube   Ready   control-plane   30s   v1.31.2

Using local images

The Minikube cluster uses its own container runtime; it doesn't automatically see an image you built on your computer. There are two ways:

minikube image load api:1.0          # copy the local image into the cluster
eval $(minikube docker-env)          # in this shell, docker commands go to Minikube's Docker
docker build -t api:1.0 .            # build directly inside the cluster

Then imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent is used in the pod definition so it doesn't try to pull from a registry.

Practice Work with a local image

Write three commands: build api:1.0 from the current folder; load it into Minikube; create a deployment named api with the api:1.0 image.

Starter code

terminal
# buraya yaz

Sample solution

terminal
docker build -t api:1.0 .
minikube image load api:1.0
kubectl create deployment api --image=api:1.0

Expected output

[+] Building 5.2s (10/10) FINISHED
 => naming to docker.io/library/api:1.0 done
deployment.apps/api created

Questions and answers

Review the lesson questions together with their answers. To test yourself, solve the lesson interactively.

1 Which roles does the single node take on in Minikube?

  • None; it runs in the cloud
  • Both control plane and worker Correct answer
  • Only worker
  • Only control plane

Explanation: Both roles are combined on one machine.

2 Load a local image into Minikube.

Question 
minikube image ____ api:1.0
Answer 
minikube image load api:1.0

Explanation: image load transfers the local image into the cluster runtime.

3 Match.

Term Meaning
minikube Local K8s cluster
kind K8s in Docker
--driver=docker Set up inside a container
image load Transfer a local image

All lessons in Intermediate

1 What is Kubernetes?

  1. What is Kubernetes?
  2. Why Kubernetes?
  3. Cluster architecture
  4. Control plane
  5. Worker node
  6. Summary - What is Kubernetes

2 Minikube

  1. What is Minikube?
  2. Installing Minikube
  3. minikube start
  4. minikube status
  5. minikube dashboard
  6. Summary - Minikube

3 kubectl basics

  1. What is kubectl?
  2. kubectl get
  3. kubectl describe
  4. kubectl apply
  5. kubectl delete
  6. Summary - kubectl

4 Pod

  1. What is a Pod?
  2. Pod YAML
  3. Creating a Pod
  4. Pod status
  5. Multi-container Pod
  6. Summary - Pod

5 Deployment

  1. What is a Deployment?
  2. Deployment YAML
  3. Replica count
  4. Rolling update
  5. Rollback
  6. Summary - Deployment

6 ReplicaSet

  1. What is a ReplicaSet?
  2. ReplicaSet YAML
  3. ReplicaSet selector
  4. Scaling
  5. Self-healing
  6. Summary - ReplicaSet

7 Service

  1. What is a Service?
  2. ClusterIP
  3. NodePort
  4. LoadBalancer
  5. Service selector
  6. Summary - Service

8 ConfigMap

  1. What is a ConfigMap?
  2. ConfigMap YAML
  3. Environment variable
  4. Mounting as a volume
  5. kubectl create configmap
  6. Summary - ConfigMap

9 Secret

  1. What is a Secret?
  2. Secret types
  3. Secret YAML
  4. Mounting a Secret
  5. kubectl create secret
  6. Summary - Secret

10 Namespace

  1. What is a Namespace?
  2. kubectl get namespaces
  3. Creating a Namespace
  4. The -n flag
  5. Default Namespace
  6. Summary - Namespace

11 Labels and selectors

  1. What is a label?
  2. Adding labels
  3. Label selector
  4. kubectl get -l
  5. Equality and set selectors
  6. Summary - Labels

12 Project: Multi-tier app

  1. Project design
  2. Database Deployment
  3. Web Deployment
  4. ConfigMap and Secret
  5. Putting it together - multi-tier

13 Troubleshooting

  1. kubectl logs
  2. kubectl exec
  3. kubectl describe pod
  4. CrashLoopBackOff
  5. Pending Pod
  6. Summary - Troubleshooting

14 Intermediate final

  1. Challenge - Pod YAML
  2. Challenge - Deployment
  3. Challenge - Service
  4. Challenge - ConfigMap
  5. Challenge - Intermediate project