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Install MicroK8s from the Snap store, add your user to the microk8s group, wait for the node to become ready, and verify it with the bundled microk8s kubectl. A single-node cluster takes only a few commands; a multi-node cluster requires one separate environment per node, unique hostnames, synchronized clocks, and the join token produced by microk8s add-node. Enable only the addons your workloads need, then deploy a small nginx workload to prove that the API server, scheduler, networking and image handling are working.

What MicroK8s provides

MicroK8s is a Kubernetes distribution packaged as a Snap. It is designed to provide a low-maintenance Kubernetes installation with a small default footprint. Canonical describes it as “a low-ops, minimal production Kubernetes” in its MicroK8s documentation.

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The installation is intentionally minimal. Core Kubernetes services are installed first, while capabilities such as cluster DNS, local storage, ingress, a registry, metrics, dashboards and Helm are delivered as optional addons. This keeps a development node lean and lets you choose components that match your application rather than exposing every service by default.

MicroK8s also ships its own namespaced Kubernetes client. Running microk8s kubectl uses the client associated with that MicroK8s installation, so it does not collide with another kubectl version already installed on the machine. You can create an optional shell alias later if you want to type kubectl by itself.

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Prerequisites and sizing

You need an Ubuntu environment, or another operating system with snapd, plus an internet connection so the Snap and Kubernetes images can be downloaded. Every node in a cluster must have its own environment: a physical machine, virtual machine or container with an independent host identity.

Item Guidance Why it matters
Operating system Ubuntu, or an operating system that supports snapd MicroK8s is installed and maintained through Snap.
Internet access Required during installation and when pulling workload images The Snap package and container images must be reachable.
Minimum memory As little as 540 MB, according to Canonical’s current getting-started guidance This is a minimal installation figure, not a comfortable workload budget.
Recommended workload capacity At least 4 GB of memory and 20 GB of disk space Leaves room for Kubernetes services, images, logs and application data.
Multi-node identity One separate VM, container or physical environment per node; distinct hostnames Nodes must be addressable and recognizable as different members of the cluster.
Time Keep clocks synchronized on all nodes Correct time is important for inter-node communication and cluster coordination.

The 540 MB, 4 GB and 20 GB figures are guidance shown on Canonical’s current page; they are not a dated performance benchmark. Actual requirements rise with the number of pods, image sizes, storage, logging and observability components you run.

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Install a single-node MicroK8s cluster

A single node is the quickest way to learn the command line, test manifests or run a small local service. Perform these commands in a terminal on the Ubuntu host.

1. Install the chosen MicroK8s channel

sudo snap install microk8s --classic --channel=1.35

The channel determines the Kubernetes release line. Select it deliberately according to your compatibility and upgrade policy rather than copying a channel blindly into production. The --classic flag gives the Snap the permissions required to manage Kubernetes services.

2. Grant your account access

sudo usermod -a -G microk8s $USER
mkdir -p ~/.kube
chmod 0700 ~/.kube
su - $USER

The Snap creates a microk8s Unix group. Adding your account to that group lets you run MicroK8s commands without prefixing each one with sudo. The new group membership is not applied to an already-running shell, so start a fresh login session with su - $USER, or log out and back in. The ~/.kube directory is created with mode 0700 so Kubernetes configuration files are readable only by your account.

3. Wait for Kubernetes to become ready

microk8s status --wait-ready

This command waits until the MicroK8s services report readiness. On a first installation it may take time while control-plane services initialize and images are downloaded. If it does not complete, leave the terminal open long enough to see the reported service state, then use the diagnostic steps in the troubleshooting section.

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4. Confirm the node

microk8s kubectl get nodes

The output should contain the host as a Kubernetes node. A healthy single-node installation normally reports the node as Ready. The command is intentionally namespaced: it uses MicroK8s’ bundled client instead of whichever standalone kubectl may be installed elsewhere.

5. Optionally create a kubectl alias

alias kubectl='microk8s kubectl'

This alias affects the current shell. Add it to your shell’s startup file only if you want every new session to use this MicroK8s context; otherwise keep using the explicit command, which makes it obvious which cluster you are addressing.

Enable the addons your workloads require

Do not treat every addon as mandatory. Enable a capability when an application or operational workflow needs it, and inspect the current release’s available list with microk8s status. Addons are managed with microk8s enable and microk8s disable.

DNS for service discovery

microk8s enable dns

Cluster DNS lets pods resolve Kubernetes Services by name. Most multi-container applications expect this behavior, so DNS is a sensible first addon for a general-purpose cluster.

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Host-backed storage for local workloads

microk8s enable hostpath-storage

hostpath-storage provides storage backed by a directory on the node. It is useful for development, laboratories and applications that are intentionally tied to local disk. In a multi-node design, understand that data on one host is not automatically replicated to another; choose a storage design appropriate to the failure and portability requirements of your application.

Other documented capabilities

Addon or capability When to consider it Command pattern
Ingress When HTTP or HTTPS traffic must be routed from outside the cluster to Services microk8s enable ingress
MetalLB When services need load-balancer addresses on a network you control microk8s enable metallb
Registry When you need a registry endpoint for images used by the cluster microk8s enable registry
Metrics Server When resource metrics are needed by commands or autoscaling workflows microk8s enable metrics-server
Prometheus When you are building a metrics and alerting stack microk8s enable prometheus
Dashboard When a browser-based Kubernetes dashboard fits your operating model microk8s enable dashboard
Helm 3 When applications are distributed as Helm charts microk8s enable helm3
RBAC When role-based access controls must be explicitly enabled and managed microk8s enable rbac

Addon names and behavior can vary by MicroK8s release. Check microk8s status and the Canonical getting-started guide before enabling production components. Disable an addon with the corresponding command, for example microk8s disable dashboard, when it is no longer wanted.

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Create a multi-node cluster

A cluster with several nodes adds scheduling capacity and can support high-availability designs, but it introduces networking, identity and operational requirements that do not exist on a standalone machine. Prepare every node separately before joining any of them.

Prepare each node

  • Use a separate VM, container or physical Ubuntu environment for each node. Do not clone a running node in a way that leaves duplicate machine identity.
  • Install the same intended MicroK8s release channel on every node.
  • Give each machine a distinct hostname. The Ubuntu multi-node tutorial specifically recommends changing hostnames so that nodes are recognized distinctly.
  • Ensure that nodes can reach one another over the network and that the address used for joining is reachable from the node being added.
  • Synchronize clocks. The clustering documentation calls out time correctness as important for inter-node communication.
  • Install MicroK8s and complete the group setup on each machine before attempting the join.

Install and prepare the additional machines with the same basic Snap and group commands shown earlier. Add DNS and storage after the cluster topology is established, and make addon choices consistent with the workloads you intend to schedule across nodes.

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Generate a join command on the first node

microk8s add-node

Run this on the existing cluster member. MicroK8s prints one or more join commands containing an address, port and token. The token in the generated command is the authoritative credential for that join operation. Treat it as sensitive while it is valid: send it only to the administrator of the node you intend to add and do not publish it in tickets or shell history shared with untrusted users.

Join the new node

On the node being added, copy the command printed by microk8s add-node. Its shape is:

microk8s join <address>:25000/<token>

Do not replace the address or token with values from another cluster. The generated command binds the new member to the original cluster and carries the cluster-specific authentication material.

Verify membership from the original node

microk8s kubectl get nodes

Run the command on the original node and wait for the new member to appear. A node may be listed before all services are ready; check its status and allow initialization to finish before scheduling important workloads on it.

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Control-plane and worker choices

Use the join option appropriate to the role you need. Additional control-plane members support a highly available control plane when the topology and release support it; worker members contribute scheduling capacity without hosting the full control plane. The official MicroK8s clustering documentation covers adding and removing nodes, worker nodes, storage and high availability. Plan quorum, failure domains and persistent-data placement before treating a small lab cluster as production infrastructure.

Remove a member safely

When a machine must leave, use the documented leave and removal workflow rather than simply deleting its VM. microk8s leave is run on the member that is departing, and microk8s remove-node is available from the remaining cluster to remove a node record. Confirm that workloads and storage have been relocated or recovered before removing a node that holds application data.

Run an nginx smoke test

A tiny deployment verifies more than get nodes: the API server must accept the object, the scheduler must place it, the node agent must start it, the image must be pulled, and basic cluster networking must function.

  1. Create the deployment:
microk8s kubectl create deployment nginx --image=nginx
  1. Watch the pod list:
microk8s kubectl get pods

Wait until the nginx pod reports Running. If it remains in Pending, inspect node readiness, available resources and scheduling events. If it enters ImagePullBackOff or a similar image error, check internet or registry access and the image name. A running pod proves that the basic control path works; it does not by itself publish nginx outside the cluster. Exposing an application externally requires a Service and, where appropriate, an ingress or load-balancer addon.

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Understand the commands you will use during operation

Command Purpose Use it when
microk8s status Show MicroK8s service and addon state You need a quick health or capability overview.
microk8s status --wait-ready Wait until the installation is ready Immediately after installation or startup.
microk8s inspect Collect a diagnostic bundle You need structured information for troubleshooting or support.
microk8s start Start MicroK8s services The local cluster has been stopped and should run again.
microk8s stop Stop MicroK8s services You need to pause the local cluster without uninstalling it.
microk8s reset Reset the cluster state You intentionally want to return the installation to a clean state; preserve anything needed first.
microk8s leave Leave a cluster from the current member A node is being removed from membership.
microk8s remove-node Remove a node from the remaining cluster The departing member must be deleted from cluster records.
microk8s refresh-certs Refresh MicroK8s certificates Certificate maintenance is required; follow the release-specific procedure.

These commands and their current options are documented in the Canonical command reference. Run microk8s inspect before changing configuration when a node behaves unexpectedly; its output gives you a reproducible diagnostic snapshot instead of relying on memory of transient errors.

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Troubleshoot the common failure points

The command says permission is denied

Confirm that the account is a member of the microk8s group and that you started a new login session after running usermod. Until the session is refreshed, the shell does not know about the new supplementary group. Use id to inspect group membership, then retry with microk8s status.

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Check the service state with microk8s status, then collect diagnostics using microk8s inspect. Verify internet access, available memory and disk space, and whether another process is interfering with required ports or services. A low-memory host may install successfully but fail to keep all Kubernetes services healthy under load.

A joined node never appears as ready

Check that the hostname is unique, clocks are synchronized, and the joining node can reach the address and port printed by microk8s add-node. Make sure the complete, current join command was copied without wrapping, truncating or substituting its token. Inspect both nodes and rerun the join procedure only after correcting the underlying network or identity problem.

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The nginx pod is pending

Run microk8s kubectl get nodes and verify that at least one node is Ready. In a multi-node cluster, a node may be unavailable or lack the resources required by the pod. Review pod events with the Kubernetes client if the state persists.

The pod cannot pull its image

Check outbound connectivity and image spelling. If your organization uses a private registry, configure the required registry access and ensure that the node can resolve and reach it. The optional registry addon is available for workflows that need a registry endpoint inside the cluster.

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Review whether the workload uses hostpath-storage. Host-backed volumes are tied to the node’s filesystem and are not automatically replicated when a pod is rescheduled elsewhere. For a stateful multi-node application, select storage that provides the durability and sharing semantics the application requires.

Operate the cluster responsibly

  • Choose and document a MicroK8s channel before installation so upgrades are intentional and compatible with your manifests and addons.
  • Use separate hostnames and synchronized clocks on every member; these are cluster prerequisites, not optional naming conventions.
  • Enable DNS for normal service discovery, but add storage, ingress, metrics, dashboards, registries, Helm or RBAC only when a workload or operating process needs them.
  • Protect join tokens and kubeconfig material. A token printed by add-node is cluster access material while valid.
  • Keep sufficient disk for container images, logs and persistent data. The 20 GB recommendation is a starting point, not a guarantee for a busy cluster.
  • Test recovery procedures, including node removal and certificate maintenance, before a production incident requires them.
  • Use microk8s inspect for diagnostics and consult release-specific addon documentation before exposing a component to users or the public network.

What MicroK8s can and cannot tell you about scale

MicroK8s supports single-node operation and multi-node clustering, including worker and high-availability workflows documented by the project. However, the official material used for this setup does not publish a dated node-count, throughput or capacity benchmark. Do not infer a maximum cluster size from the small-memory installation figure or from a successful nginx test. Capacity depends on CPU, memory, disk performance, network latency, pod density, image and log volume, storage architecture and the addons you enable.

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For a real deployment, measure your own workload: define the number of replicas, resource requests, persistent-volume behavior, failure scenarios and observability overhead, then test those conditions on the exact Ubuntu and MicroK8s channel you intend to run. Treat the 540 MB figure as a minimum installation reference and the 4 GB memory plus 20 GB disk recommendation as a practical starting point for workloads, not as a promise of production capacity.

Complete setup checklist

  • Ubuntu or another snapd-capable operating system is installed and has internet access.
  • Each cluster member has its own VM, container or physical environment.
  • Every node has a unique hostname and a synchronized clock.
  • MicroK8s is installed from the deliberately selected Snap channel.
  • Your account is in the microk8s group and the login session has been refreshed.
  • microk8s status --wait-ready completes successfully.
  • microk8s kubectl get nodes shows the expected node or nodes as ready.
  • DNS and hostpath-storage are enabled when the workload needs them.
  • For a multi-node cluster, the join command came directly from microk8s add-node and was run on the intended machine.
  • The nginx deployment reaches Running before you rely on the cluster for other workloads.
  • Diagnostic and lifecycle commands are known, and persistent-data behavior has been documented.

Following this sequence gives you a verified single-node installation or a clearly joined multi-node foundation, while keeping optional services and storage decisions tied to actual workload requirements.

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