Clusters & Environments

Introduction

Devtron allows you to connect and manage your existing Kubernetes clusters by adding them to its platform. Once a cluster is added, you can create different environments within it, making it possible to deploy your applications.

Go to Global Configurations → Clusters & Environments → Add Cluster (button)

You can add any of the following cluster types:

• Kubernetes Cluster - If you have access to the cluster, use this option.

• Isolated Cluster - For airgapped-related use-cases, use this option.

Add Kubernetes Cluster

On the Add Cluster screen, select Connect Cluster.

You can choose to add your Kubernetes cluster using either of the following methods:

• Server URL & Bearer Token

• Kubeconfig

Add Cluster Using Server URL & Bearer Token

1. To add a Kubernetes cluster on Devtron using Server URL and Bearer Token, provide the following information:

1. Complete the remaining steps (optional):

• Choose Connection Type

• Use Secure TLS Connection

• Configure Prometheus

• Assign a Category

Add Cluster Using Kubeconfig

In case you prefer to add clusters using kubeconfig, follow these steps:

1. Copy and paste your kubeconfig file into the editor. Alternatively, you may browse and select the file as well.

1. Click the Get Cluster button. This action will display the cluster details alongside the kubeconfig.

1. If your kubeconfig file lists multiple clusters, they will be displayed in the window. Use the checkboxes to select the desired cluster(s) and click Save.

1. Click the saved cluster, and complete the remaining steps (optional):

• Choose Connection Type

• Use Secure TLS Connection

• Configure Prometheus

• Assign a category

Assign Category to a Cluster

Devtron allows you to assign a category (for e.g. Prod, QA, Dev, or Stage) to your clusters. This enables category-based filtering in the UI, allowing you to determine whether an application is deployed to the Prod, QA, Dev, or Stage environment.

Before assigning a category, you must first add the category. To add a category, refer to the Adding a Category section to learn more.

To assign a category to a cluster, follow the steps below:

1. Select a category from the dropdown under Assign Category and click Update Cluster.

   
2. The selected category will be assigned to the cluster.

   

Choose Method of Connection

When adding a new cluster to Devtron, you must choose how Devtron will connect to it. There are three connection options available:

Direct Connection

Clusters with a directly accessible API server endpoint—either publicly or via private peering—can be added as Direct Connection clusters.

• Devtron connects directly without an intermediary.

• Recommended when the cluster is publicly accessible or has a direct network route from Devtron.

Via Proxy

For security reasons, some Kubernetes clusters are deployed behind a proxy. In this setup, Devtron routes all communication through the specified proxy URL.

• Use this option when network restrictions require traffic to go through a proxy server.

• Requires specifying a Proxy URL (e.g., http://proxy.example.org:3128).

• Limitation: Deployments via GitOps (ArgoCD) are not recommended for clusters connected via proxy.

Via SSH Tunnel

When a direct connection isn't possible, Devtron can connect to the Kubernetes cluster through an SSH tunnel, ensuring secure and encrypted communication.

• Requires:

  • SSH Server URL (e.g., http://proxy.example.org).

  • Username for authentication.

  • Authentication Method:

    • Password

    • SSH Private Key

    • Both Password & SSH Private Key

• Limitation: Deployments via GitOps (ArgoCD) are not recommended for clusters connected via SSH Tunnel.

Use Secure TLS Connection

For a secure cluster connection, you can opt for TLS connection, where you need to provide Certificate Authority Data, a TLS Key, and a TLS Certificate.

If your cluster is managed (e.g., EKS, AKS, GKE), you might need to download these certificates from your cloud provider’s dashboard or API.

Configure Prometheus (Enable Application Metrics)

If you want to see application metrics against the applications deployed in the cluster, Prometheus must be deployed in the cluster. Prometheus is a powerful tool to provide graphical insight into your application behavior.

Enable application metrics to configure Prometheus as shown below. In case it is not available, make sure to install the Monitoring (Grafana) integration from Devtron Stack Manager to configure Prometheus.

Provide the information in the following fields:

Click Save Cluster to save your cluster on Devtron.

Add Isolated Cluster

For air-gapped Kubernetes clusters with restricted inbound and outbound traffic, Devtron enables seamless management using isolated clusters. While these are not actual clusters with API endpoints, they provide a convenient way to deploy applications in such environments.

1. On the Add Cluster screen, select Add Kubernetes Cluster.

1. Add a cluster name (e.g. banking-airgapped-cluster) and click Save Cluster.

You have successfully configured an isolated cluster.

Add Environment to a Cluster

1. Whether it is a Kubernetes Cluster or Isolated Cluster, a newly created cluster initially has no environments, so click Add Environment.

1. Fill the following details within the Add Environment modal window.

1. Assign a Category to environment - Devtron allows you to assign a category (for e.g. Prod, QA, Dev, or Stage) to your environments. This enables category-based filtering in the UI, allowing you to determine whether an application is deployed to Prod, QA, Dev, or Stage environment. To assign a category to your environment, follow the steps below:

   1. Select a category from the dropdown under Assign Category and click Update.

   

   1. The selected category will be assigned to the environment.

   

Note: Before assigning a category, you must first add the category. To add a category, refer to Adding a Category section to learn more.

1. Add/Edit labels to namespace - You can attach labels to your specified namespace in the Kubernetes cluster. Using labels will help you filter and identify resources via CLI or other Kubernetes tools. Click here to know more about labels.

1. Click Save. Your new environment will be visible in your cluster as shown below.

Edit Environment

You can also make edits to an existing environment if needed by clicking the edit icon.

Click Update to save your changes.

Delete Environment

If an environment is no longer needed, you can delete it by following these steps:

1. Click the delete icon for the environment you wish to remove.

1. A confirmation dialog will appear. Click Confirm to permanently delete the environment.

   

Add Category

Before assigning a category, you must first add the category. To add a category, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Global Configurations.

   
2. Select Clusters and Environments and click Manage Categories, a modal window will open.

   
3. Enter the name of the category in the CATEGORIES field and provide a description in the DESCRIPTION field.

1. If you wish to add more categories, click Add Category, a new row will appear, enter the name and description of the new category.

   
2. Click Update and your categories will be added.

   

Delete Category

To delete a category, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Global Configurations.

   
2. Select Clusters and Environments and click Manage Categories, a modal window will open.

   
3. Select the x icon next to the categories you want to delete.

   Note: You cannot delete a category if it is assigned to a cluster or environment.

1. Click Update to delete the categories.

Extras

Get Cluster Credentials

You can get the Server URL and Bearer Token by running the following command, depending on the cluster provider:

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/devtron-labs/utilities/main/kubeconfig-exporter/kubernetes_export_sa.sh && bash kubernetes_export_sa.sh cd-user  devtroncd

curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/devtron-labs/utilities/main/kubeconfig-exporter/kubernetes_export_sa.sh && sed -i 's/kubectl/microk8s kubectl/g' \
kubernetes_export_sa.sh && bash kubernetes_export_sa.sh cd-user \
devtroncd

Benefits of Self-hosted URL

• Disaster Recovery:

  • You cannot edit the server URL of a cloud-specific provider. If you're using an EKS URL (e.g. *****.eu-west-1.elb.amazonaws.com), it will be a tedious task to add a new cluster and migrate all the services one by one.

  • But in case of using a self-hosted URL (e.g. clear.example.com), you can just point to the new cluster's server URL in DNS manager and update the new cluster token and sync all the deployments.

• Easy Cluster Migrations:

  • In case of managed Kubernetes clusters (like EKS, AKS, GKE etc) which is a cloud provider specific, migrating your cluster from one provider to another will result in waste of time and effort.

  • On the other hand, migration for a self-hosted URL is easy, as the URL belongs to a single hosted domain independent of the cloud provider.