Linkerd as lightweight alternative in Kubernetes - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Linkerd as Lightweight Alternative in Kubernetes

📖 Scenario: You are managing a Kubernetes cluster and want to add a simple service mesh to improve communication between your microservices. Instead of using a complex tool, you decide to use Linkerd, a lightweight service mesh that is easy to install and use.

🎯 Goal: Learn how to install Linkerd on a Kubernetes cluster, configure it for a sample application, and verify that Linkerd is running and managing traffic between services.

📋 What You'll Learn

Have access to a Kubernetes cluster

kubectl installed and configured

Linkerd CLI installed on your local machine

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Linkerd is used in real Kubernetes environments to add observability, reliability, and security to microservices communication without heavy resource use.

💼 Career

Knowing how to install and verify Linkerd is valuable for DevOps engineers and site reliability engineers working with Kubernetes clusters.

1

Install Linkerd CLI

Download and install the Linkerd CLI by running curl -sL https://run.linkerd.io/install | sh followed by export PATH="${PATH}:${HOME}/.linkerd2/bin" in your terminal.

Kubernetes

# Run the commands to install Linkerd CLI and add to PATH
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use the official Linkerd installation script from their website.

2

Verify Linkerd CLI Installation

Check that the Linkerd CLI is installed correctly by running linkerd version and ensure it shows the client version.

Kubernetes

curl -sL https://run.linkerd.io/install | sh
export PATH="${PATH}:${HOME}/.linkerd2/bin"
# Run the command to check Linkerd CLI version
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use linkerd version to see the installed client version.

3

Install Linkerd Control Plane on Kubernetes

Install the Linkerd control plane on your Kubernetes cluster by running linkerd install | kubectl apply -f -.

Kubernetes

curl -sL https://run.linkerd.io/install | sh
export PATH="${PATH}:${HOME}/.linkerd2/bin"
linkerd version
# Install Linkerd control plane on Kubernetes
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use the Linkerd CLI to generate the install manifest and apply it with kubectl.

4

Verify Linkerd Control Plane Installation

Check that the Linkerd control plane pods are running by executing kubectl get pods -n linkerd and verify all pods have status Running.

Kubernetes

curl -sL https://run.linkerd.io/install | sh
export PATH="${PATH}:${HOME}/.linkerd2/bin"
linkerd version
linkerd install | kubectl apply -f -
# Verify Linkerd pods are running
# Your code here

Need a hint?

Use kubectl get pods -n linkerd to see the status of Linkerd pods.