Setting Up Local Kubernetes Cluster for .NET Applications

Kubernetes has become the de facto standard for deploying and managing containerized applications. Running a local Kubernetes cluster allows .NET developers to test their microservices architecture before deploying to a production environment. In this guide, we will set up a local Kubernetes cluster using Minikube, deploy .NET Core services, and configure ingress and networking for microservices.

By the end of this tutorial, you will have a fully functional local Kubernetes setup for .NET applications, enabling seamless development and debugging.

---

1. Install Minikube and Kubectl

1.1 Prerequisites

Before installing Minikube, ensure you have the following installed on your system:

• Docker (or VirtualBox/Hyper-V for virtualization)
• kubectl (Kubernetes CLI tool)

1.2 Installing Minikube

Minikube can be installed on Windows, macOS, or Linux. Run the following commands based on your OS:

Windows (Using Chocolatey)

choco install minikube

macOS (Using Homebrew)

brew install minikube

Linux (Using Curl)

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

1.3 Starting Minikube

After installation, start Minikube with:

minikube start --driver=docker

Verify installation with:

kubectl get nodes

This should display a running Minikube node.

---

2. Deploy .NET Core Services in Local Kubernetes

2.1 Creating a .NET Core API

First, create a simple ASP.NET Core Web API:

dotnet new webapi -o MyK8sApi
cd MyK8sApi

2.2 Dockerizing the Application

Create a Dockerfile in the project root:

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0 AS base
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "MyK8sApi.dll"]

Build and tag the Docker image:

docker build -t myk8sapi:latest .

2.3 Creating Kubernetes Deployment and Service

Create a Kubernetes deployment file deployment.yaml:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: myk8sapi
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: myk8sapi
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: myk8sapi
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: myk8sapi
        image: myk8sapi:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80

Apply the deployment:

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

Expose the service:

kubectl expose deployment myk8sapi --type=NodePort --port=80

Find the service URL:

minikube service myk8sapi --url

---

3. Configure Ingress and Networking for Microservices

3.1 Enabling Ingress Controller

To enable the ingress controller in Minikube, run:

minikube addons enable ingress

3.2 Defining an Ingress Resource

Create an ingress resource file ingress.yaml:

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: myk8sapi-ingress
spec:
  rules:
  - host: myk8sapi.local
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: myk8sapi
            port:
              number: 80

Apply the ingress configuration:

kubectl apply -f ingress.yaml

Update your /etc/hosts file (Linux/macOS) or C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts (Windows) to map the domain:

127.0.0.1 myk8sapi.local

Now, you can access the API using http://myk8sapi.local.

---

Conclusion

We have successfully set up a local Kubernetes cluster for .NET applications using Minikube. This guide covered:

• Installing Minikube and Kubectl
• Deploying a .NET Core API in Kubernetes
• Configuring ingress and networking for microservices

By following these steps, you can now develop and test your .NET microservices efficiently in a local Kubernetes environment before deploying to production.