Terraform

Task 3: Deploying an EKS Cluster Using Terraform

Terraform provides Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to deploy and manage EKS clusters efficiently.

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Step 1: Install Terraform

Commands

curl -fsSL https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com/gpg | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt-add-repository "deb https://apt.releases.hashicorp.com $(lsb_release -cs) main"
sudo apt update && sudo apt install terraform
terraform -version

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue	Cause	Solution
terraform: command not found	Path issue.	Run export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin or reinstall Terraform.
Error: Unsupported Terraform version	Older Terraform version.	Run terraform -version and upgrade if needed.

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Step 2: Set Up AWS CLI & Configure Credentials

Commands

aws configure

• Enter Access Key, Secret Key, Region (us-east-2), and output format (json).

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue	Cause	Solution
Error: No AWS credentials found	AWS CLI is not configured.	Run aws configure again or check ~/.aws/credentials.
AccessDenied: Not authorized to perform this action	IAM user lacks permissions.	Attach AdministratorAccess or AmazonEKSFullAccess to IAM user.

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Step 3: Create Terraform Configuration for EKS

Commands

mkdir terraform-eks && cd terraform-eks
touch main.tf variables.tf outputs.tf provider.tf

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Step 4: Define Terraform Files

provider.tf - Configure AWS Provider

provider "aws" {
  region = "us-east-2"
}

variables.tf - Define Input Variables

variable "cluster_name" { default = "my-eks-cluster" }
variable "region" { default = "us-east-2" }
variable "node_type" { default = "t3.medium" }
variable "desired_capacity" { default = 2 }
variable "max_capacity" { default = 3 }
variable "min_capacity" { default = 1 }

main.tf - Define EKS Cluster & Nodes

module "eks" {
  source          = "terraform-aws-modules/eks/aws"
  cluster_name    = var.cluster_name
  cluster_version = "1.29"
  subnets         = module.vpc.private_subnets
  vpc_id          = module.vpc.vpc_id

  node_groups = {
    eks_nodes = {
      desired_capacity = var.desired_capacity
      max_capacity     = var.max_capacity
      min_capacity     = var.min_capacity
      instance_types   = [var.node_type]
    }
  }
}

outputs.tf - Get Cluster Details

output "eks_cluster_id" {
  value = module.eks.cluster_id
}

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue	Cause	Solution
Error: No module found	Missing Terraform module.	Run terraform init to download modules.
No valid credential found	AWS CLI not configured.	Run aws configure again.

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Step 5: Initialize Terraform & Deploy Cluster

Commands

terraform init
terraform plan
terraform apply -auto-approve

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue	Cause	Solution
Error: Provider not installed	Terraform providers missing.	Run terraform init to install.
Insufficient IAM permissions	AWS user lacks permissions.	Attach AdministratorAccess to the user.
Resource already exists	EKS cluster name conflict.	Use a different cluster_name in variables.tf.

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Step 6: Configure kubectl to Access EKS

Commands

aws eks update-kubeconfig --region us-east-2 --name my-eks-cluster
kubectl get nodes
kubectl cluster-info

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue	Cause	Solution
Error from server (Unauthorized)	IAM user lacks EKS access.	Attach AmazonEKSClusterPolicy to the IAM role.
Cluster unreachable	Cluster is still provisioning.	Wait a few minutes and retry kubectl get nodes.

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Step 7: Deploy a Sample App

Commands

kubectl create deployment nginx --image=nginx
kubectl expose deployment nginx --type=LoadBalancer --port=80
kubectl get svc nginx

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue	Cause	Solution
Service stuck in Pending	AWS Load Balancer missing.	Install ALB Ingress Controller or use --type=NodePort.

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Step 8: Destroy the Cluster

Command

terraform destroy -auto-approve

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue	Cause	Solution
VPC deletion failed	EKS leaves VPC intact.	Delete subnets manually from AWS Console.

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Summary

✅ Terraform Installed ✅ EKS Cluster Created ✅ Worker Nodes Added ✅ Sample App Deployed ✅ Cluster Destroyed When Done

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Next Task: Do you want to proceed with Kubernetes security tasks or another EKS-related configuration? 😊