Creating an EKS Cluster in Auto Mode

This guide walks you through setting up an Amazon EKS cluster in auto mode using the AWS Management Console and CLI. It includes steps to configure networking, storage, access permissions, and load balancer support.

---

1. Deploy VPC and EKS Cluster

1.1 Create a New VPC

• Go to the VPC Console
• Select “VPC and more” to create a new VPC
• Leave default settings: 2 private subnets and 2 public subnets

Create VPC

Important: Modify NAT gateway configuration - Change NAT Gateway to 1 per Availability Zone

Create a VPC Resources

VPC

1.2 Create EKS Cluster

• Go to Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) → Add Cluster → Create

Create EKS Cluster

• Cluster name: taikun-demo06
• Use Recommended IAM roles (create them if not present)
• Select the VPC from step 1.1
• Choose subnets (should be auto-selected)

Configure Cluster

• Deploy the cluster - this may take ~15 minutes

Creating Cluster

1.3 Connect to the Cluster

Once the cluster is ready:

aws eks update-kubeconfig --name "taikun-demo06" --region "eu-west-3"
kubectl get no

You should see the cluster nodes listed.

---

2. Create a Working StorageClass

The default gp2 storage class created by EKS is deprecated in favor of gp3. To replace it:

2.1 Deleting Existing StorageClass

kubectl delete sc gp2

2.2 Create a New Defautl StorageClass

Apply the following manifest to create gp3- based default storage class:

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: storage.k8s.io/v1
kind: StorageClass
metadata:
  name: auto-ebs-sc
  annotations:
    storageclass.kubernetes.io/is-default-class: "true"
provisioner: ebs.csi.aws.com
volumeBindingMode: WaitForFirstConsumer
parameters:
  type: gp3
  encrypted: "true"
EOF

---

3. Enable LoadBalancer by Tagging Public Subnets

To allow the creation of LoadBalancer-type services, public subnets must be tagged properly:

Required Tag:

Key	Value
kubernetes.io/role/elb	1

Tag both public subnets in your VPC with this key-value pair via the VPC console or CLI.

VPC Dashboard

---

4. Add Access to the Cluster

If you or your team need access to the EKS cluster:

Option A: Admin Access

Attach the following IAM policy to your role:

• AmazonEKSClusterAdminPolicy

Option B: Read-Only Access

Attach:

• AmazonEKSAdminViewPolicy

Manage access in the “Access” tab of your EKS cluster configuration in the console.

Cluster Access

---

Creating an EKS Cluster via CLI

This guide walks you through provisioning a fully functional EKS cluster using the AWS CLI, including VPC setup, cluster creation, node group deployment, and configuration.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• AWS CLI v2 installed and configured
• kubectl installed
• eksctl installed

---

Step-by-Step: Create EKS Clsuter via CLI

1. Create the EKS Cluster (with VPC and Node Group)

eksctl create cluster \
  --name taikun-demo06 \
  --region eu-west-3 \
  --nodegroup-name taikun-workers \
  --enable-auto-mode

This will:

• Create a VPC with public and private subnets
• Launch an EKS cluster named taikun-demo06
• Set up a managed node group with 2–4 EC2 nodes

Note

The process may take 10-15 minutes.

2. Verify the Clsuter and Nodes

After the cluster is ready:

aws eks update-kubeconfig --name taikun-demo06 --region eu-west-3
kubectl get nodes

3. Set up a Default StorageClass (gp3)

EKS creates a gp2 storage class by default. To use gp3, delete the old one and apply a new manifest.

kubectl delete sc gp2

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: storage.k8s.io/v1
kind: StorageClass
metadata:
  name: auto-ebs-sc
  annotations:
    storageclass.kubernetes.io/is-default-class: "true"
provisioner: ebs.csi.eks.amazonaws.com
volumeBindingMode: WaitForFirstConsumer
parameters:
  type: gp3
  encrypted: "true"
EOF

4. Enable LoadBalancer Support

Tag your public subnets so EKS can provision external LoadBalancers.

1. Get the VPC ID:

aws eks describe-cluster \
  --name taikun-demo06 \
  --region eu-west-3 \
  --query "cluster.resourcesVpcConfig.vpcId" \
  --output text

2. List the subnet IDs in the VPC:

aws ec2 describe-subnets \
--filters Name=vpc-id,Values=<your-vpc-id> \
--query 'Subnets[*].{Name:Tags[?Key==`Name`]|[0].Value,ID:SubnetId,AZ:AvailabilityZone}' \
--output table

3. Tag each public subnet with:

aws ec2 create-tags \
  --resources <subnet-id-1> <subnet-id-2> \
  --tags Key=kubernetes.io/role/elb,Value=1

5. Grant Access to Other IAM Users/Roles

To grant access to others, modify the EKS access configuration:

1. Create or edit the aws-auth config map:

kubectl edit configmap aws-auth -n kube-system

2. Add a new IAM role or user:

 mapRoles: |
    - rolearn: arn:aws:iam::<account-id>:role/AdminRole
      username: admin
      groups:
        - system:masters