This article covers running Kpow in Kubernetes using the Kpow Helm Chart.
Update 24-01-2023: The process for installing Kpow with Helm has changed since this article was originally published.
You are advised to follow the instructions described in the Kpow Helm Charts Readme on Github.
The article is left intact below for archive purposes only.
Introduction
Kpow is the all-in-one toolkit to manage, monitor, and learn about your Kafka resources.
Helm is the package manager for Kubernetes. Helm deploys charts, which you can think of as a packaged application.
We publish a Helm chart for Kpow in our Helm Chart Repository. You can view the details of both in ArtifactHUB.
Prerequisites
Before we can install Kpow we need to obtain a trial license, configure our local environment, and connect to Kubernetes.
Get a License
You require a license to run Kpow, sign-up for a free 30-day trial today.
See Kpow on the AWS Marketplace to have Kpow billed automatically to your AWS account, no license required.
Configure Your Environment Environment
You will need to install:
Connect to Kubernetes
Installing Kpow with Helm requires a Kubernetes environment, in this quick-start guide we use Amazon EKS.
Update your EKS Cluster Configuration
Use the AWS CLI to update your current EKS cluster configuration.
aws eks --region <your-aws-region> update-kubeconfig --name <your-eks-cluster-name> Updated context arn:aws:eks:<your-aws-region>:123123123:cluster/<your-eks-cluster-name> in /your/.kube/config
Confirm EKS Cluster Availability
Use kubectl to check the availability of your configured EKS cluster.
kubectl get svc NAME TYPE CLUSTER-IP EXTERNAL-IP PORT(S) AGE kubernetes ClusterIP 12.345.6.7 <none> 443/TCP 28h
Now that we're configured and connected, we're ready to install Kpow!
Install Kpow with Helm
Kpow can be installed in Kubernetes with Helm in these simple steps.
Configure the Kpow Helm Repository
Register the Kpow Helm repository, then update your Helm repo configuration to make sure you install the latest version of Kpow.
helm repo add kpow https://charts.kpow.io && \ helm repo update
Get the Kpow Helm Chart
We pull the Kpow Helm chart to a local directory so that we can make configuration changes before installing Kpow.
helm pull kpow/kpow --untar --untardir .
Update Kpow Configuration
The minimum information required by Kpow to operate is:
- License Details (sign-up for a free 30-day trial today)
- Kafka Bootstrap URL
Kpow is configured by a ConfigMap containing all of the Environment Variables described in our documentation.
Edit the ConfigMap and make the changes required for your environment.
vi ./kpow/templates/kpow-config.yaml
Start Kpow
You are now ready to launch a Kpow instance, in this example we will create and launch in the operatr-io namespace.
helm install --namespace operatr-io --create-namespace my-kpow ./kpow
Access the Kpow UI
Now that your instance is running, you can access the UI by running the commands included in the output of the previous command.
export POD_NAME=$(kubectl get pods --namespace operatr-io -l "app.kubernetes.io/name=kpow,app.kubernetes.io/instance=my-kpow" -o jsonpath="{.items[0].metadata.name}")
echo "Visit http://127.0.0.1:3000 to use your application"
kubectl --namespace operatr-io port-forward $POD_NAME 3000:3000
The Kpow UI is now available on http://127.0.0.1:3000.
Manage the Kpow Instance
If you encounter errors installing Kpow or accessing the Kpow UI you can view the installed pods and their logs.
View the Kpow Pod
Use kubectl to list pods in the operatr-io namespace.
kubectl describe pods --namespace operatr-io
View the Kpow Pod Logs
Using the name of the pod from the previous command output, use kubectl to view the pod logs
kubectl logs --namespace operatr-io my-kpow-9988df6b6-vvf8z
Delete Kpow
Removing the Kpow instance is simple with Helm.
helm delete --namespace operatr-io my-kpow
Next Steps
- If you have any issues or would like to walk through your Kubernetes use cases with us, contact [email protected].
- Visit https://docs.kpow.io for the full list of configuration options and Kpow features available to you.
- Check out our AWS Marketplace guide for details of running Kpow in EKS billed automatically to your AWS account.