You cannot learn swimming by reading a book. You have to jump into the water. Similarly, you cannot learn Kubernetes just by reading. You need a cluster.

Install kubectl to communicate with Kubernetes API.

the three most effective ways to install kubectl on Windows, ranked from easiest to most manual.

Winget (Recommended)

If you are on Windows 10 or 11, you likely already have the Windows Package Manager (winget) installed. This is the cleanest method as it handles the PATH setup automatically.

1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell.
2. Run the following command: winget install -e --id Kubernetes.kubectl
3. Restart your terminal to ensure the path changes take effect.

Chocolatey or Scoop

If you are a developer who already uses a 3rd-party package manager, use the specific commands below.

• Chocolatey: choco install kubernetes-cli
• Scoop: scoop install kubectl

Manual Binary (The “Old School” Way)

Use this if you cannot use package managers or need a specific version.

1. Download: Download the latest stable release (v1.32.0 as of early 2026) directly: Download Kubernetes and save the exe file in system32 folder
2. or Move: Create a folder (e.g., C:\k8s) and move the downloaded kubectl.exe file there.
3. Add to PATH:
   • Press Win key, type “Env”, and select Edit the system environment variables.
   • Click Environment Variables.
   • Under System variables, find the Path row and click Edit.
   • Click New and paste the path to your folder (e.g., C:\k8s).
   • Click OK on all windows.

Verification

Regardless of the method used, verify the installation by opening a new terminal window and running:

kubectl version --client
# It will show Kubectl version.

we will set up a Kubernetes Lab. You have two options:

1. Local Lab: Free, runs on your laptop. Best for learning.
2. Online Learning Setup:
3. Cloud Lab: Real production environment (AWS/GCP). Costs money, but you need to know this for jobs.

Local Setup: The Battle of Tools

Years ago, setting up Kubernetes locally was a nightmare. Now, it is just one command. But which tool should you use?

Minikube (The Classic)

By creating a virtual machine (VM) or a container on your laptop, it spins up a cluster where the Master (Control Plane) and the Worker (Node) are the same machine. This makes it perfect for learning, testing, and developing applications before pushing them to a real cloud environment.

Quick Commands:

• minikube start: Creates and starts the cluster.
• minikube dashboard: Opens the web-based GUI.
• minikube pause: Pauses the VM to save battery/RAM without deleting the cluster.
• minikube tunnel: Creates a network route to expose LoadBalancer services to your host.

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kind (Kubernetes in Docker)

Kind (which stands for Kubernetes inDocker) is a tool that allows you to run Kubernetes clusters using Docker containers as “nodes.” Instead of creating heavy Virtual Machines (VMs) like Minikube does, Kind tricks your computer into thinking a simple Docker container is a full-blown server. Because containers are light, Kind is blazing fast.

• Container-based Nodes: The Master and Worker nodes are just Docker containers running on your laptop.
• Multi-Node Support: Unlike Minikube (which struggles with this), Kind can easily simulate a 3-node or 5-node cluster on a single laptop.
• CI/CD Friendly: Because it is just a container, it is very easy to run Kind inside a Jenkins or GitHub Actions pipeline.

 Kind is more than just a toy; it is a compliant K8s distribution.

• CNI (Container Network Interface): By default, Kind uses a simple CNI called kindnetd. However, you can disable the default CNI during installation and install powerful ones like Calico or Cilium to test advanced network policies locally.
• Ingress Controllers: Kind allows you to map ports from the Docker container to your localhost. This means you can run an NGINX Ingress Controller and access your apps via localhost:80 just like production. using MetalLB
• HA Control Plane: You can configure Kind to run multiple control plane nodes. This is critical for testing High Availability (HA) scenarios and seeing how your application behaves if one master node “dies” (you can manually stop the Docker container to simulate a crash).
• StorageClass: It uses the standard StorageClass which creates files on the node container. For data persistence on your actual laptop, you must use extraMounts in the config to mount a folder from your host OS into the Kind node.

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k3d (The Lightweight Champion)

k3d runs k3s (a lightweight version of Kubernetes) inside Docker containers. It creates a “cluster” where every node is just a Docker container running the k3s software. It is incredibly fast and uses very little RAM, making it the best choice for developers with older laptops or those who want to run 5-6 clusters at the same time.

1. Tiny Binary: The k3s binary inside the container is less than 100MB.
2. Database Swap: By default, it often uses SQLite instead of the heavy etcd database (though you can switch to etcd).
3. Docker-in-Docker: It relies on the Docker daemon on your host machine to run.

Docker Desktop/Rancher Desktop/Podman Desktop:

Many popular desktop container tools have an option to enable a local Kubernetes cluster with a single click, providing the easiest path to a working environment if you already use these tools.

• Docker Desktop: Official Website
• Rancher Desktop: Official Website
• Podman Desktop: Official Website

MicroK8s:

MicroK8s is a “low-ops” Kubernetes. It packages all the complex components (API server, controller, scheduler, database) into a single package called a Snap. You don’t install them one by one; you just install the Snap, and it automatically sets up a production-ready cluster. It is famous for its “Add-on” system—you can enable complex tools like Istio or Prometheus with a single command, like flipping a light switch.

• A lightweight, fully-featured Kubernetes that installs with a single command and supports useful add-ons like Istio or Prometheus. 

Web Based Kubernetes Learning

Killercoda and Play with Kubernetes (PWK) are the “Cyber Cafés” of the Kubernetes world. They give you a temporary, fully working Kubernetes cluster right inside your web browser. You don’t need to install anything, you don’t use your own RAM/CPU, and if you break the cluster, you just close the tab and open a new one. It is the safest, zero-risk way to learn.

Browser-based environments that give you instant, temporary access to a Kubernetes cluster without local installation.

1. Killercoda provides interactive Kubernetes scenarios and a playground environment
2. Play with Kubernetes gives you a temporary Kubernetes cluster in your browser

Cloud Setup: The “Real” World

(EKS, GKE, AKS)

2. EKS (Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service)

• AWS is the market leader. 70% of jobs ask for EKS.
• Cost: Not Free. The Control Plane costs ~$0.10/hour (~$72/month) even if you don’t run any pods!
• Warning: Be careful with EKS labs. Turn them off immediately after use.
• eksctl.io

1. GKE (Google Kubernetes Engine)

• Google invented Kubernetes. GKE is the smartest, fastest, and most automated version.
• Free Tier: Google gives $300 free credit for 90 days. GKE management fee is often free for one zonal cluster.
• Best for: Learning the “pure” Kubernetes experience.
• Google Cloud SDK

3. AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service)

• Why: Microsoft Enterprise favorites.
• Cost: The Control Plane is Free! You only pay for the worker nodes (VMs).
• Best for: Budget-conscious learners who want a real cloud experience.
• Azure CLI

This is a complete, copy-paste-ready guide formatted for a blog post or technical documentation page. It covers setting up an EKS cluster with Spot Instances and configuring IAM access for specific users.

Create an EKS Cluster

with Spot Instances & IAM Access using Terraform

This guide provides a complete, step-by-step walkthrough to provision a production-ready Amazon EKS cluster. We will use Spot Instances to save up to 90% on compute costs and configure IAM Access Entries so specific users can manage the cluster.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following installed:

• Terraform (v1.0+)
• AWS CLI (configured with aws configure)
  • Get AWS Access and Secret key and configure on your local machine
• kubectl (to interact with the cluster)

Clone the Terraform Code to Create EKS cluster

git clone https://github.com/Rajkumar-Aute/Create-an-EKS-Cluster-Lab.git
cd Create-an-EKS-Cluster-Lab/

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How to Deploy

Open your terminal in the project folder and run the following commands.

Step 1: Initialize

Download the required provider plugins.

terraform init

Step 2: Plan

Review what Terraform intends to create.

# Basic plan (Only you get access)
terraform plan

Step 3: Apply

Create the infrastructure. (This takes about 15 minutes).

terraform apply -auto-approve

3. How to Connect & Verify

Once the apply command finishes, Terraform will output a configuration command.

Step 1: Configure kubectl

Run the command provided in the output:

aws aws eks --region us-east-1 update-kubeconfig --name  "kubernetes-cluster"

Note: This updates your ~/.kube/config file to use the credentials of the active AWS CLI user.

Step 2: Verify Nodes

Check if your Spot Instances are running and registered.

kubectl get nodes --label-columns=eks.amazonaws.com/capacityType

Expected Output:

NAME                          STATUS   ROLES    AGE     VERSION               CAPACITYTYPE
ip-10-0-1-xxx.ec2.internal    Ready    <none>   5m      v1.31.0-eks-abcde     SPOT
ip-10-0-2-xxx.ec2.internal    Ready    <none>   5m      v1.31.0-eks-abcde     SPOT

Step 3: Verify IAM User Access

If you added an additional user via the admin_user_arn variable, ask that user to run:

# They must configure their CLI first
aws configure 

# Then update their kubeconfig
aws eks --region us-east-1 update-kubeconfig --name "kubernetes-cluster"

# Then test access
kubectl auth can-i "*" "*"

If configured correctly, the output will be yes.

Learn and Practice Kubernetes on AWS EKS, all the commands

Cleanup

To delete the cluster and stop incurring costs:

terraform destroy -auto-approve

⚠️ Cost Warning:

Always run terraform destroy when you are done practicing! If you leave a cluster running, the cloud provider will charge you money even while you sleep.