Getting Started with Kubernetes Gatekeeper on Azure

Kubernetes is a popular container orchestration system that allows for easy deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. However, as the number of applications and microservices in a cluster grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage access and security policies across the entire system.

This is where Kubernetes Gatekeeper comes in - it is an open-source admission controller that enforces policies and ensures that only authorized workloads are deployed into the Kubernetes cluster.

In this article, we will discuss how to set up and use Kubernetes Gatekeeper on Azure. We will cover the following topics:

Table of Content:

1. Prerequisites
2. Setting up Kubernetes Cluster on Azure
3. Installing Kubernetes Gatekeeper
4. Creating a Policy
5. Enforcing the Policy
6. Additional Examples

Prerequisites:

• Azure Account
• Azure CLI
• kubectl
• helm

Setting up Kubernetes Cluster on Azure:

1. Open the Azure portal and navigate to the Kubernetes services.
2. Click on "Add" and provide the necessary details like Subscription, Resource Group, Cluster Name, and other details.
3. Choose the number of nodes and the node size.
4. Configure the networking details like Virtual Network, Subnet, and Service Principal.
5. Finally, review and create the Kubernetes Cluster.

Installing Kubernetes Gatekeeper:

1. Open the Azure portal and navigate to the Kubernetes Cluster.
2. Click on "Deploy" and then "Helm Chart".
3. Choose the "gatekeeper" chart from the available charts and click on "Select".
4. Provide the necessary values like Name, Namespace, and other details.
5. Click on "Review + Create" and finally click on "Create" to install the chart.

Creating a Policy:

1. Open the Azure portal and navigate to the Kubernetes Cluster.
2. Click on "Gatekeeper" and then "Constraints".
3. Click on "Add" and provide the necessary details like Name, Namespace, and other details.
4. Choose the "template" and provide the policy details like API Version, Kind, and Spec.
5. Finally, click on "Create" to create the policy.

Enforcing the Policy:

1. Open the Azure portal and navigate to the Kubernetes Cluster.
2. Click on "Gatekeeper" and then "Constraints".
3. Click on the created policy and click on "Edit".
4. Change the status to "Enforced" and click on "Save".

Additional Examples:

1. Enforce a policy that ensures all deployments must have resource limits.
2. Enforce a policy that ensures all pods must run with a non-root user.
3. Enforce a policy that ensures all pods must run with a specified label.

So, Kubernetes Gatekeeper is an important tool for enforcing policies in a Kubernetes cluster. With the help of Azure, it is easy to set up and use Kubernetes Gatekeeper. By following the above steps, you can create and enforce policies that ensure the security and reliability of your Kubernetes workloads.

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That's it for this post. Keep practicing and have fun. Leave your comments if any.