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Configuring Kubectl to Access a Remote Cluster

Kubectl is a powerful tool for managing a Kubernetes cluster. While kubectl can be used from one of the servers that makes up your cluster, it can also be used from your local command line to manage the cluster remotely. In this learning activity, you will configure kubectl on one machine to interact with a Kubernetes cluster on another machine. After completing this activity, you will have hands-on experience in configuring kubectl to connect to a cluster remotely.

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Path Info

Level

Intermediate

Duration

1h 0m

Last updated

Aug 02, 2025

Challenge

Set the kubectl cluster data.

You can set the cluster data like this. Be sure to set KUBERNETES_PUBLIC_ADDRESS to the public IP of your controller.

KUBERNETES_PUBLIC_ADDRESS=&lt;Controller public IP>

kubectl config set-cluster kubernetes-the-hard-way 
  --certificate-authority=ca.pem 
  --embed-certs=true 
  --server=https://${KUBERNETES_PUBLIC_ADDRESS}:6443

Challenge

Set the credentials for kubectl.
The credentials are the certificate and key files admin.pem and admin-key.pem. These can be found in the home directory on the workspace server. You can set them up for kubectl like this:
```
kubectl config set-credentials admin 
  --client-certificate=admin.pem 
  --client-key=admin-key.pem
```

Challenge

Set the context for the cluster.

Set the context like this:

kubectl config set-context kubernetes-the-hard-way 
  --cluster=kubernetes-the-hard-way 
  --user=admin

Challenge

Use the new kubectl context to check which pods are currently running on the cluster.
Configure kubectl to use the new context like this:
```
kubectl config use-context kubernetes-the-hard-way
```
Verify that everything is working with:
```
kubectl get pods
```
Since there are no pods right now, you should get the following response:
```
No resources found.
```
This indicates that kubectl is set up correctly to access the cluster!

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