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Minikube Essentials

Essential Minikube concepts for local Kubernetes development and testing

March 10, 2024
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Updated regularly

Minikube Essentials

Quick reference guide for Minikube - local Kubernetes development.

What is Minikube?

Minikube is a lightweight Kubernetes implementation that:

  • Runs Kubernetes locally on your machine
  • Perfect for development and testing
  • Single-node cluster (simpler than full K8s)
  • Supports multiple drivers (Docker, VirtualBox, etc.)
  • Built-in addons for common tools
  • Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows

    • Installation

    macOS

    # ========== Using Homebrew ==========
brew install minikube

# ========== Verify Installation ==========
minikube version

    Linux

    # ========== Download Binary ==========
curl -LO https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/latest/minikube-linux-amd64
sudo install minikube-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/minikube

# ========== Verify Installation ==========
minikube version

    Windows

    # Using Chocolatey
choco install minikube

# Or download installer from:
# https://minikube.sigs.k8s.io/docs/start/

    Install kubectl

    # ========== macOS ==========
brew install kubectl

# ========== Linux ==========
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl"
sudo install -o root -g root -m 0755 kubectl /usr/local/bin/kubectl

# ========== Verify ==========
kubectl version --client

    Basic Commands

    Cluster Management

    # ========== Start Minikube ==========
minikube start

# Start with specific driver
minikube start --driver=docker
minikube start --driver=virtualbox

# Start with specific Kubernetes version
minikube start --kubernetes-version=v1.28.0

# Start with more resources
minikube start --cpus=4 --memory=8192

# ========== Check Status ==========
minikube status

# ========== Stop Minikube ==========
minikube stop

# ========== Delete Cluster ==========
minikube delete

# ========== Pause/Unpause ==========
minikube pause
minikube unpause

# ========== SSH into Node ==========
minikube ssh

# ========== Get Cluster IP ==========
minikube ip

    Configuration

    # ========== View Config ==========
minikube config view

# ========== Set Default Driver ==========
minikube config set driver docker

# ========== Set Default Resources ==========
minikube config set cpus 4
minikube config set memory 8192

# ========== List Profiles ==========
minikube profile list

# ========== Create New Profile ==========
minikube start -p dev-cluster

# ========== Switch Profile ==========
minikube profile dev-cluster

    Working with kubectl

    Basic kubectl Commands

    # ========== Get Cluster Info ==========
kubectl cluster-info
kubectl get nodes

# ========== Get All Resources ==========
kubectl get all
kubectl get all -A

# ========== Get Pods ==========
kubectl get pods
kubectl get pods -o wide
kubectl get pods -w

# ========== Describe Resources ==========
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>
kubectl describe node minikube

# ========== View Logs ==========
kubectl logs <pod-name>
kubectl logs <pod-name> -f

# ========== Execute Command ==========
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- /bin/bash

    Deploying Applications

    Simple Deployment

    # ========== Create Deployment ==========
kubectl create deployment nginx --image=nginx:latest

# ========== Expose Deployment ==========
kubectl expose deployment nginx --port=80 --type=NodePort

# ========== Get Service URL ==========
minikube service nginx --url

# ========== Open in Browser ==========
minikube service nginx

    YAML Deployment

    # deployment.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: my-app
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: my-app
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: my-app
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: app
        image: nginx:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: my-app-service
spec:
  selector:
    app: my-app
  type: NodePort
  ports:
  - port: 80
    targetPort: 80
    nodePort: 30080

    # ========== Apply YAML ==========
kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

# ========== View Deployment ==========
kubectl get deployments
kubectl get services

# ========== Access Service ==========
minikube service my-app-service

    Docker Integration

    Using Minikube's Docker Daemon

    # ========== Configure Shell ==========
eval $(minikube docker-env)

# This makes your shell use Minikube's Docker daemon
# Now `docker` commands work with Minikube's registry

# ========== Build Image ==========
docker build -t myapp:v1 .

# ========== Deploy Local Image ==========
kubectl run myapp --image=myapp:v1 --image-pull-policy=Never

# ========== Reset to Host Docker ==========
eval $(minikube docker-env -u)

    Example: Build and Deploy

    # 1. Point to Minikube's Docker
eval $(minikube docker-env)

# 2. Build your application
docker build -t myapp:latest .

# 3. Create deployment (no need to push to registry)
kubectl create deployment myapp --image=myapp:latest --image-pull-policy=Never

# 4. Expose service
kubectl expose deployment myapp --port=8080 --type=NodePort

# 5. Access service
minikube service myapp

    Addons

    Enable Addons

    # ========== List Available Addons ==========
minikube addons list

# ========== Enable Dashboard ==========
minikube addons enable dashboard
minikube dashboard

# ========== Enable Ingress ==========
minikube addons enable ingress

# ========== Enable Metrics Server ==========
minikube addons enable metrics-server
kubectl top nodes
kubectl top pods

# ========== Enable Registry ==========
minikube addons enable registry

# ========== Enable Storage Provisioner ==========
minikube addons enable storage-provisioner
minikube addons enable default-storageclass

# ========== Disable Addon ==========
minikube addons disable dashboard

    # ========== Ingress Controller ==========
minikube addons enable ingress

# ========== Istio Service Mesh ==========
minikube addons enable istio
minikube addons enable istio-provisioner

# ========== Helm (Package Manager) ==========
minikube addons enable helm-tiller

# ========== Logging with EFK ==========
minikube addons enable efk

# ========== Nvidia GPU Support ==========
minikube addons enable nvidia-gpu-device-plugin

    Kubernetes Dashboard

    # ========== Enable Dashboard ==========
minikube addons enable dashboard

# ========== Open Dashboard ==========
minikube dashboard

# ========== Get Dashboard URL ==========
minikube dashboard --url

# ========== Access Dashboard via Proxy ==========
kubectl proxy
# Then open: http://localhost:8001/api/v1/namespaces/kubernetes-dashboard/services/http:kubernetes-dashboard:/proxy/

    Ingress

    Enable and Configure Ingress

    # ========== Enable Ingress Addon ==========
minikube addons enable ingress

# ========== Verify Ingress Controller ==========
kubectl get pods -n ingress-nginx

    Example Ingress Configuration

    # app-ingress.yaml
apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: app-ingress
  annotations:
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /
spec:
  rules:
  - host: myapp.local
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: my-app-service
            port:
              number: 80

    # ========== Apply Ingress ==========
kubectl apply -f app-ingress.yaml

# ========== Get Ingress IP ==========
kubectl get ingress

# ========== Add to /etc/hosts ==========
echo "$(minikube ip) myapp.local" | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts

# ========== Access Application ==========
curl http://myapp.local

    Persistent Storage

    Using PersistentVolume

    # pvc.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
  name: my-pvc
spec:
  accessModes:
  - ReadWriteOnce
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 1Gi
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: app-with-storage
spec:
  containers:
  - name: app
    image: nginx
    volumeMounts:
    - name: data
      mountPath: /data
  volumes:
  - name: data
    persistentVolumeClaim:
      claimName: my-pvc

    # ========== Apply PVC ==========
kubectl apply -f pvc.yaml

# ========== Check PVC Status ==========
kubectl get pvc
kubectl get pv

    Mounting Host Directory

    # ========== Start with Mount ==========
minikube start --mount --mount-string="/host/path:/minikube/path"

# ========== Mount After Start ==========
minikube mount /host/path:/minikube/path

    LoadBalancer Services

    Using Minikube Tunnel

    # ========== Create LoadBalancer Service ==========
kubectl create deployment web --image=nginx
kubectl expose deployment web --port=80 --type=LoadBalancer

# ========== Start Tunnel (in separate terminal) ==========
minikube tunnel

# ========== Get External IP ==========
kubectl get services
# Access via the EXTERNAL-IP shown

# Note: Keep tunnel running while accessing the service

    Multi-Node Cluster

    # ========== Start Multi-Node Cluster ==========
minikube start --nodes 3

# ========== Add Node to Existing Cluster ==========
minikube node add

# ========== List Nodes ==========
kubectl get nodes
minikube node list

# ========== Delete Node ==========
minikube node delete <node-name>

    Common Workflows

    Development Workflow

    # ========== 1. Start Minikube ==========
minikube start

# ========== 2. Point to Minikube Docker ==========
eval $(minikube docker-env)

# ========== 3. Build Application ==========
docker build -t myapp:dev .

# ========== 4. Deploy Application ==========
kubectl create deployment myapp --image=myapp:dev --image-pull-policy=Never

# ========== 5. Expose Service ==========
kubectl expose deployment myapp --port=8080 --type=NodePort

# ========== 6. Access Application ==========
minikube service myapp

# ========== 7. Update Application ==========
# Make code changes
docker build -t myapp:dev .
kubectl rollout restart deployment myapp

# ========== 8. View Logs ==========
kubectl logs -f deployment/myapp

    Testing with ConfigMaps

    # configmap.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: app-config
data:
  database_url: "postgres://localhost:5432"
  log_level: "debug"
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: app
spec:
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: myapp
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: myapp
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: app
        image: myapp:latest
        envFrom:
        - configMapRef:
            name: app-config

    # ========== Apply Config ==========
kubectl apply -f configmap.yaml

# ========== Update ConfigMap ==========
kubectl edit configmap app-config

# ========== Restart Deployment ==========
kubectl rollout restart deployment app

    Monitoring and Debugging

    Resource Usage

    # ========== Enable Metrics Server ==========
minikube addons enable metrics-server

# ========== Wait for Metrics ==========
sleep 30

# ========== View Resource Usage ==========
kubectl top nodes
kubectl top pods
kubectl top pods --all-namespaces

# ========== Detailed Node Info ==========
kubectl describe node minikube

    Debugging Pods

    # ========== Get Pod Details ==========
kubectl describe pod <pod-name>

# ========== View Logs ==========
kubectl logs <pod-name>
kubectl logs <pod-name> --previous

# ========== Stream Logs ==========
kubectl logs -f <pod-name>

# ========== Execute Commands ==========
kubectl exec -it <pod-name> -- /bin/bash
kubectl exec <pod-name> -- env

# ========== Port Forward ==========
kubectl port-forward pod/<pod-name> 8080:80

# ========== Copy Files ==========
kubectl cp <pod-name>:/path/to/file ./local-file
kubectl cp ./local-file <pod-name>:/path/to/file

    View Events

    # ========== Get Events ==========
kubectl get events --sort-by=.metadata.creationTimestamp

# ========== Watch Events ==========
kubectl get events --watch

# ========== Events for Specific Namespace ==========
kubectl get events -n default

    Performance Tuning

    Resource Allocation

    # ========== Start with More Resources ==========
minikube start --cpus=4 --memory=8192 --disk-size=50g

# ========== Check Current Config ==========
minikube config view

# ========== Delete and Recreate ==========
minikube delete
minikube start --cpus=4 --memory=8192

    Driver Selection

    # ========== Docker (Fastest, No VM) ==========
minikube start --driver=docker

# ========== VirtualBox (Full VM) ==========
minikube start --driver=virtualbox

# ========== Hyperkit (macOS) ==========
minikube start --driver=hyperkit

# ========== KVM2 (Linux) ==========
minikube start --driver=kvm2

    Troubleshooting

    Common Issues

    # ========== Minikube Won't Start ==========
# Check driver status
minikube status

# Delete and restart
minikube delete
minikube start

# Check logs
minikube logs

# ========== Cannot Access Services ==========
# Check if tunnel is needed
minikube tunnel

# Get service URL
minikube service <service-name> --url

# ========== Pod ImagePullBackOff ==========
# Use local image with correct pull policy
kubectl set image deployment/<name> <container>=<image> --image-pull-policy=Never

# Or point to Minikube Docker
eval $(minikube docker-env)

# ========== Out of Disk Space ==========
# Clean up
minikube ssh
docker system prune -a

# Or increase disk size
minikube delete
minikube start --disk-size=50g

# ========== Reset Everything ==========
minikube delete --all --purge

    View Logs

    # ========== Minikube Logs ==========
minikube logs

# ========== Last 100 Lines ==========
minikube logs --length=100

# ========== Follow Logs ==========
minikube logs -f

# ========== Component Logs ==========
minikube ssh
sudo journalctl -u kubelet

    Best Practices

    Development

  • Use Docker driver for best performance on most systems
  • Allocate sufficient resources (min 2 CPUs, 4GB RAM)
  • Use image pull policy Never for local images
  • Leverage ConfigMaps for environment-specific configs
  • Use kubectl port-forward for quick service testing
  • Enable metrics-server to monitor resource usage

    • Resource Management

    # Set reasonable defaults
minikube config set cpus 4
minikube config set memory 8192
minikube config set driver docker

# Clean up regularly
kubectl delete pod --field-selector=status.phase==Succeeded
kubectl delete pod --field-selector=status.phase==Failed

    Namespace Organization

    # Create development namespace
apiVersion: v1
kind: Namespace
metadata:
  name: development
---
# Use in deployments
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: myapp
  namespace: development

    Quick Commands Cheat Sheet

    # ========== Cluster ==========
minikube start                    # Start cluster
minikube stop                     # Stop cluster
minikube delete                   # Delete cluster
minikube status                   # Check status
minikube dashboard                # Open dashboard

# ========== Service Access ==========
minikube service <name>           # Open service in browser
minikube service <name> --url     # Get service URL
minikube tunnel                   # Create LoadBalancer tunnel

# ========== Docker ==========
eval $(minikube docker-env)       # Use Minikube Docker
eval $(minikube docker-env -u)    # Reset to host Docker

# ========== Addons ==========
minikube addons list              # List addons
minikube addons enable <name>     # Enable addon
minikube addons disable <name>    # Disable addon

# ========== Troubleshooting ==========
minikube logs                     # View logs
minikube ssh                      # SSH into node
minikube ip                       # Get cluster IP

    Tips

  • Use profiles for multiple environments (dev, staging, test)
  • Enable dashboard for visual cluster management
  • Use ingress to test routing rules locally
  • Clean up resources regularly to free disk space
  • Snapshot images by building in Minikube Docker
  • Use LoadBalancer with tunnel for testing load balancers
  • Enable auto-completion for kubectl and minikube
  • Document your setup in a startup script
  • Test Helm charts before deploying to production

    • Resources

  • Minikube Official Documentation
  • Kubernetes Documentation
  • kubectl Cheat Sheet
  • Minikube GitHub
  • Kubernetes Tutorials

    • Topics

    MinikubeKubernetesDockerDevOpsDevelopment
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