Kubernetes Dashboard and Visualization Tools: Simplify Cluster Management

Kubernetes dashboards and visualization tools

Without the proper tools, managing and monitoring a Kubernetes cluster can be challenging. Kubernetes Dashboard and a variety of third-party visualization tools make it easier to effectively interact, monitor, and debug cluster resources.

In this article, we’ll explore the Kubernetes dashboard, its functionality, settings, and some popular third-party visualization tools.

Kubernetes dashboard

The Kubernetes dashboard is a web-based UI that provides a visual interface to manage and monitor Kubernetes clusters. It allows users to view and control workloads, services and cluster resources.

Main features

1. Workload management: View and manage Deployment, ReplicaSet, Pod, etc.
2. service discovery: Monitor services, portals and network configurations.
3. Namespace management: Switch namespace to view resources.
4. Resource indicators: View CPU and memory usage of Pods and nodes (requires metrics server).
5. Secrets and ConfigMap: Manage configuration data securely.
6. interactive shell:Access Pod through interactive terminal.

Set up the Kubernetes dashboard

1. Install the Kubernetes dashboard

Deploy the dashboard using the official YAML manifest:

kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes/dashboard/v2.7.0/aio/deploy/recommended.yaml

2. Access the dashboard

Use public dashboards kubectl proxy:

kubectl proxy

To access the dashboard:

http://localhost:8001/api/v1/namespaces/kubernetes-dashboard/services/https:kubernetes-dashboard:/proxy/

3. Create a service account for access

Create a service account with appropriate permissions to access the dashboard.

Example: Administrator User Service Account

apiVersion: v1
kind: ServiceAccount
metadata:
  name: admin-user
  namespace: kubernetes-dashboard
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRoleBinding
metadata:
  name: admin-user-binding
roleRef:
  kind: ClusterRole
  name: cluster-admin
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
subjects:
  - kind: ServiceAccount
    name: admin-user
    namespace: kubernetes-dashboard

Application configuration:

kubectl apply -f admin-user.yaml

Retrieve the authentication token:

kubectl -n kubernetes-dashboard create token admin-user

Use this token to log in to the dashboard.

Popular Kubernetes visualization tools

1.Lens (Kubernetes IDE)

• describe:Lens is an open source Kubernetes IDE that simplifies cluster management through a graphical interface.
• feature:
  • Cluster inspection and monitoring.
  • Integrated operation terminal kubectl Order.
  • Visibility of workloads, network and storage.

• Install: Get footage

2.K9s

• describe: Terminal-based UI for managing Kubernetes clusters.
• feature:
  • Real-time resource monitoring.
  • Lightweight and fast for advanced users.
  • Command line integration kubectl.

• Install:

  brew install k9s

3. Prometheus and Grafana

• describe: Prometheus is a monitoring and alerting toolkit, and Grafana is used to visualize metrics.
• feature:
  • Custom dashboard for resource metrics.
  • Instant alerts.
  • Visualization of cluster performance and trends.

• settings: Deploy Prometheus and Grafana in a cluster using Helm:

  helm install prometheus prometheus-community/kube-prometheus-stack

4. Octant

• describe: Octant is an open source Kubernetes dashboard tailored for developers.
• feature:
  • Context-aware view of cluster resources.
  • Resource visualization and relationships.
  • Extensible plug-in architecture.

• Install:

  brew install octant

5. Cube Box

• describe: Terminal-based dashboard for Kubernetes and monitoring tools.
• feature:
  • Instant pod and node metrics.
  • Cluster-wide logs and resource usage.
  • Compatibility with Prometheus metrics.

Best practices for using visualization tools

1. secure access:

   • Use role-based access control (RBAC) to restrict access to sensitive resources.
   • Enable HTTPS for web-based tools to secure communications.

2. Monitoring indicators:

   • Set up metrics servers to enhance visualization of resource usage in tools like Kubernetes Dashboard.

3. Integrated alerts:

   • Use tools such as Prometheus Alertmanager to notify administrators of cluster issues.

4. Regular audit:

   • Regularly check the permissions and access configuration of these tools.

5. Combination tools:

   • Use a combination of tools like Lens, Prometheus, and Grafana to cover different aspects of cluster management.

in conclusion

Kubernetes dashboards and visualization tools simplify cluster management and provide important insights into resource usage and application performance. By leveraging these tools, administrators and developers can effectively manage workloads, resolve issues, and optimize resource utilization.

Choose tools based on your team’s requirements and ensure they are securely configured to protect your Kubernetes environment.