Course description

In this advanced project, you’ll build a production-ready Kubernetes cluster on AWS using Terraform and kubeadm, then perform a live upgrade of the cluster from version 1.29 to 1.30. Starting with infrastructure as code, you’ll provision a VPC, subnets, security groups, and EC2 instances for control plane and worker nodes. You’ll automate node setup with cloud-init scripts, configure containerd, and initialize the cluster with Flannel CNI.

In the upgrade phase, you’ll follow Kubernetes best practices: upgrade kubeadm, apply cluster upgrades, drain nodes, update kubelet and kubectl, and restore node schedulability—all while maintaining cluster availability. You’ll validate the upgrade at each step and ensure system pods remain healthy.

This project is essential for DevOps engineers, SREs, and Kubernetes administrators responsible for cluster lifecycle management in production environments.

Additionally, all learners receive dedicated online support through our Slack workspace where you can ask questions, get troubleshooting help, and interact with our team throughout the entire project.

Click here to access Slack workspace link

What will i learn?

• Provision a Kubernetes cluster on AWS using Terraform and kubeadm
• Configure containerd runtime, disable swap, and set up Kubernetes repositories
• Initialize a cluster with kubeadm and join worker nodes
• Safely upgrade the Kubernetes control plane using kubeadm
• Drain, upgrade, and uncordon worker nodes without service disruption
• Verify cluster health and component status post-upgrade
• Automate node setup using cloud-init scripts and S3 for join commands
• Follow version-specific upgrade paths and best practices for production clusters

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