FAQ — Kubernetes
How do I create a Kubernetes cluster?
In the Hikube console, open Infrastructure > Kubernetes and click Create cluster. The wizard has four steps: General, Nodes, Addons and Summary. The quick start details each step.
Which instance types are available?
Hikube offers three instance series for Kubernetes nodes:
| Series | Prefix | vCPU:RAM ratio | Recommended use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (S) | s1 | 1:2 | Economical use, development, testing |
| Universal (U) | u1 | 1:4 | General use: web servers, applications |
| Memory (M) | m1 | 1:8 | Databases, caches, in-memory processing |
Each series is available in several sizes, for example s1.small, u1.large, m1.2xlarge. The full list is in the concepts.
Which storage class should I use in my cluster?
The persistent volumes of your workloads use the replicated storage class, replicated across several datacenters:
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
name: my-data
spec:
accessModes:
- ReadWriteOnce
storageClassName: replicated
resources:
requests:
storage: 10Gi
Choosing another storage class for the cluster is not offered in the console; contact support.
Which addons are available?
The Addons step of the wizard offers:
| Addon | Description | Enabled by default |
|---|---|---|
| Cert-Manager | Automatic SSL/TLS certificate management | Yes |
| Ingress NGINX | NGINX-based Ingress controller | Yes |
| Gateway API | Kubernetes Gateway API CRDs | No |
| GPU Operator | NVIDIA GPU management | No (enforced if a group has GPUs) |
| HAMi | Sharing a GPU between several pods (requires GPU Operator) | No |
| Flux CD | GitOps continuous deployment | No |
| Monitoring Agents | Monitoring agents for logs and metrics | Yes |
| Ouroboros | Fixes Ingress NGINX hairpin NAT (requires Ingress NGINX) | No |
| Velero | Backup and restore | No |
Cilium, CoreDNS and Vertical Pod Autoscaler are always present; their configuration is overridden in the Advanced Configuration section. Addons are enabled at creation or from Edit > Extensions & Addons. See the Plugins section, starting with Cilium.
How do I retrieve my kubeconfig?
Open the cluster detail page in the console and click Kubeconfig in the Actions section. The browser downloads the kubeconfig-<cluster-name>.yaml file:
export KUBECONFIG=~/Downloads/kubeconfig-<cluster-name>.yaml
kubectl get nodes
The kubeconfig grants administrator access to the cluster: downloading it is reserved for project administrators. For other members, the Kubeconfig button is disabled with the note "Reserved for project administrators."
See Access and tools.
How do I scale node groups?
Scaling is controlled by the Minimum nodes and Maximum nodes of each group. The autoscaler automatically adjusts the number of nodes between these two bounds according to the load.
To change the bounds: Edit > Node groups, expand the group, change the values, then Save. See How to configure autoscaling.
How do I add GPU nodes to my cluster?
Add a new node group (Edit > Add node group) and choose the GPU model and number in its GPU section. The console then automatically enables the GPU Operator addon, which installs the NVIDIA drivers.
- The chosen GPUs are attached to each node of the group, and the reservation is calculated on the maximum number of nodes: a group of at most 4 nodes with 1 GPU per node reserves 4 GPUs, with a direct impact on billing.
- An existing group created without GPUs cannot receive any: create a new group.
See How to add and modify a node group.
Can I modify the control plane after creation?
No. The Control Plane Instance Size and Control Plane High Availability cannot be changed in the console after creation; contact support. The edit page shows, read only, the size of each of the four control plane components. The Kubernetes version (only to a higher version), the API endpoint, the node groups and the addons remain editable.