Module 11 - Kubernetes on AWS - EKS

This repository contains a demo project created as part of my DevOps studies in the TechWorld with Nana – DevOps Bootcamp.

Demo Project: CD - Deploy to EKS cluster from Jenkins Pipeline

Technologies used: Kubernetes, Jenkins, AWS EKS, Docker, Linux

Project Description:

• Install kubectl and aws-iam-authenticator on a Jenkins server
• Create kubeconfig file to connect to EKS cluster and add it on Jenkins server
• Add AWS credentials on Jenkins for AWS account authentication
• Extend and adjust Jenkinsfile of the previous CI/CD pipeline to configure connection to EKS cluster

---

Prerequisites

Before starting, complete the following setup modules:

• Jenkins on DigitalOcean: jenkins-module-8.1
• Build Tools (Maven, Node): jenkins-module-8.2

---

Step 1 — Install kubectl and aws-iam-authenticator on the Jenkins server

Note: aws-iam-authenticator is bundled with eksctl and installed automatically when you use it.

1.1 Install kubectl

Enter the Jenkins container as root:

docker ps
docker exec -it -u 0 <container_id> bash

Download and install kubectl:

curl -LO "https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/$(curl -s https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl"
chmod +x ./kubectl
mv ./kubectl /usr/local/bin/kubectl

# Verify installation
kubectl version --client

1.2 Install aws-iam-authenticator

Still inside the Jenkins container, run:

curl -Lo aws-iam-authenticator \
  https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/aws-iam-authenticator/releases/download/v0.6.11/aws-iam-authenticator_0.6.11_linux_amd64
chmod +x ./aws-iam-authenticator
mv ./aws-iam-authenticator /usr/local/bin

# Verify installation
aws-iam-authenticator version

---

Step 2 — Create and deploy kubeconfig to the Jenkins server

2.1 Create the EKS cluster (if it doesn't exist)

See the cluster config: cluster.yaml Reference: eks-module-11.3

eksctl create cluster -f cluster.yaml

2.2 Build the kubeconfig file

Copy the template: config-template.yaml

cp ./config-template.yaml config.yaml

Replace <cluster-name> with demo-cluster, then fill in the cluster endpoint and certificate. Choose one option:

Option A — AWS Console

Navigate to EKS → Clusters → demo-cluster → Overview, then copy:

• API server endpoint → cluster.server
• Certificate authority → cluster.certificate-authority-data

Option B — Local kubeconfig

Pull the values from your local ~/.kube/config:

• cluster.server
• cluster.certificate-authority-data

2.3 Deploy kubeconfig to the Jenkins server

Transfer the file to your DigitalOcean droplet:

scp config.yaml root@<DROPLET_IP>:/root

Create the .kube directory inside the Jenkins container:

docker ps
docker exec -it <container_id> bash -c "mkdir -p ~/.kube && exit"

Copy the config into the container:

docker cp config.yaml <container_id>:/var/jenkins_home/.kube/config

# Verify the file was copied
docker exec -it <container_id> cat ~/.kube/config

---

Step 3 — Configure a Multibranch Pipeline in Jenkins

1. Go to Dashboard → New Item
2. Name it java-maven-app, select Multibranch Pipeline, click OK

Branch Sources:

Click Add source → GitHub and fill in:

Field	Value
Credentials	github
Repository HTTPS URL	https://github.com/explicit-logic/eks-module-11.4

Click Validate to confirm access.

Behaviors — click Add and enable:

• Discover branches

Build Configuration:

• Script Path: Jenkinsfile

3. Click Save — Jenkins will scan the repository and create a job for each branch.

---

Step 4 — Add AWS credentials to Jenkins

4.1 Create an IAM user for Jenkins

1. Go to IAM → Users → Create user
   • Name: jenkins
2. Select Attach policies directly and attach the following managed policies:
   • AmazonEKSClusterPolicy
   • AmazonEKSWorkerNodePolicy
   • AmazonEC2ContainerRegistryFullAccess
3. Complete user creation.

4.2 Grant the IAM user access to the EKS cluster

Find the user's ARN in the IAM console:

eksctl create iamidentitymapping \
  --cluster demo-cluster \
  --region <REGION> \
  --arn arn:aws:iam::<ACCOUNT_ID>:user/jenkins \
  --group system:masters \
  --username jenkins

4.3 Create an access key

1. In IAM, open the jenkins user → Security credentials → Create access key
2. Use case: Application running outside AWS
3. Copy the Access key and Secret access key

4.4 Store credentials in Jenkins

Go to java-maven-app → Credentials → Global → Add Credentials

Add two Secret text credentials:

ID	Secret
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID	<Access key>
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY	<Secret access key>

---

Step 5 — Update Jenkinsfile to deploy to EKS

Add a deploy stage to your Jenkinsfile:

stage('deploy') {
    environment {
        AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID     = credentials('AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID')
        AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY = credentials('AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY')
    }
    steps {
        script {
            echo 'Deploying Docker image to EKS...'
            sh 'kubectl create deployment nginx-deployment --image=nginx'
        }
    }
}

---

Demo