Best Practices for Seamless EKS Cluster Upgrades with Fargate: A Hands-On Guide

Introduction:

As cloud-native architectures evolve, managing Kubernetes clusters becomes pivotal for maintaining optimal performance and security. Amazon EKS, combined with Fargate for serverless pod execution, offers a powerful solution. In this guide, we'll delve into best practices for EKS cluster upgrades with Fargate, providing a hands-on approach to ensure a seamless transition. Let's embark on the journey of mastering EKS upgrades!

Best Practices for EKS Cluster Upgrades:

1. Version Compatibility Checks:

Ensure that EKS clusters and Fargate pods run compatible Kubernetes versions. Leverage the Amazon EKS documentation to review version compatibility matrices.

2. Backup and Snapshot Strategies:

Before initiating any upgrade, implement backup and snapshot strategies for critical data and configurations. AWS Backup and Amazon EBS Snapshots are valuable tools in this context.

3. Update Fargate Pod Definitions:
To align Fargate pods with the target EKS cluster version, update pod definitions. Walk through the AWS Fargate documentation to understand how to modify pod specifications.

4. Rolling Updates for Worker Nodes:
Implement rolling updates for worker nodes to minimize downtime. Utilize the Amazon EKS Rolling Update Guide for a step-by-step walkthrough.

Hands-On Guide: Upgrading EKS Cluster with Fargate Pods:

Prerequisites:

• AWS CLI
• kubectl

1. Check EKS Cluster Version:
Use the following AWS CLI command to check your current EKS cluster version:

aws eks describe-cluster --name robinaclusteraws --query "cluster.version"

2. Update Fargate Pod Definitions:
Edit your Fargate pod YAML files to match the target Kubernetes version.

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: robina-pod
spec:
  containers:
  - name: aws-cluster-robina
    image: container-robina

3. Initiate EKS Cluster Upgrade:
Upgrade your EKS cluster using the AWS CLI:

aws eks update-cluster-version --name robina-cluster-aws --kubernetes-version desired-version

4. Monitor Upgrade Progress:
Track the upgrade progress with:

aws eks describe-update --name robina-cluster-aws --update-id your-update-id

5. Rolling Update for Worker Nodes:
Implement a rolling update for worker nodes:

kubectl get nodes
kubectl drain node-name --ignore-daemonsets
kubectl uncordon node-name

Conclusion:

Mastering EKS cluster upgrades with Fargate involves a strategic blend of best practices and hands-on execution. By following these guidelines and leveraging AWS resources, you can ensure a smooth transition, keeping your Kubernetes infrastructure up-to-date and resilient.

Resources:

Amazon EKS Documentation
AWS CLI Documentation
kubectl Documentation