Kubernetes Cluster Setup with KIND + Local Docker Registry

This project ships a one‑click script that spins up / tears down an isolated Kubernetes Kind cluster and a co‑located Docker registry (kind-registry) so you can push images at localhost:5000/... without leaving your laptop. Perfect for:

• Local development & iterative testing
• CI pipelines that need ephemeral clusters
• Reproducing production issues in a hermetic lab

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Prerequisites

Tool	Minimum Version	Purpose
Docker Desktop	24.x	Runs both the registry and the Kind nodes
Kind	v0.23+	Launches Kubernetes-in‑Docker clusters
kubectl	1.29+	(Optional) Interact with the cluster once it’s up

Make sure Docker is running before you call the script—kind-create.sh checks this for you.

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Getting Started

# 1. Clone & enter the repo
$ git clone https://github.com/iflan7744/kind_cluster.git
$ cd kind_cluster
$ chmod +x kind-create.sh

# 2. Create your first cluster → myfirstcluster
$ ./kind-create.sh create myfirstcluster

What happens under the hood?

1. Local registry: If not already present, a registry:2 container called kind-registry is started on port 5000 and attached to the “kind” Docker network.
2. Kind cluster: A three‑node (control‑plane + 2 workers) cluster is created from kind-config.yaml.
3. Containerd mirror: The cluster’s container runtime is auto‑patched so any pull for localhost:5000 is transparently redirected to kind-registry:5000.

Build ‑› Push ‑› Deploy cycle

# Build a local image …
$ docker build -t localhost:5000/demo:dev .

# …push it to the registry
$ docker push localhost:5000/demo:dev

# …and use the tag in Kubernetes
$ kubectl --context kind-myfirstcluster run demo \
    --image=localhost:5000/demo:dev --restart=Never

Destroy everything

$ ./kind-create.sh destroy myfirstcluster

If no other Kind clusters remain, the script also tears down the registry container so your Docker environment stays clean.

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Repository Layout

.
├── kind-create.sh      # Main automation script (create / destroy)
├── kind-config.yaml    # Cluster topology + containerd mirror patch
└── README.md           # You’re reading it 🙂

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FAQ

Question	Answer
Can I expose the registry on a different port?	Edit REGISTRY_PORT near the top of kind-create.sh.
Does it support TLS + auth?	The default registry is plaintext (dev‑only). For production‑style TLS/basic‑auth, follow the comments inside kind-create.sh.
How do I inspect the cluster?	kubectl cluster-info --context kind-<name> or kubectl get nodes -o wide.

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Roadmap

• Automatic registry bootstrap
• Optional self‑signed TLS
• Helm chart for common add‑ons (Ingress‑NGINX, Cert‑Manager)

PRs & issues welcome!

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License

MIT © 2025 Iflan