How to Install Cert Manager on Kubernetes

In today's world, security is a top priority for any organization or individual. Cert Manager is a Kubernetes add-on that helps manage and automate the process of obtaining, renewing, and revoking TLS certificates. In this article, we will go through a step-by-step guide on how to install Cert Manager on Kubernetes.

Step 1: Ensure that your Kubernetes cluster is running

Before installing Cert Manager, make sure your Kubernetes cluster is up and running. You can check the status of your cluster by running the following command:

kubectl cluster-info

If the command returns information about your cluster, it means your cluster is running.

Step 2: Install the Cert Manager CRDs

Cert Manager uses custom resource definitions (CRDs) to manage certificates and their associated resources. To install the CRDs, run the following command:

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/jetstack/cert-manager/releases/download/v1.5.4/cert-manager.crds.yaml

Step 3: Create a namespace for Cert Manager

Next, create a namespace for Cert Manager by running the following command:

kubectl create namespace cert-manager

Step 4: Add the Jetstack Helm repository

Cert Manager is installed using the Helm package manager. Add the Jetstack Helm repository to your local Helm installation by running the following command:

helm repo add jetstack https://charts.jetstack.io

Step 5: Install Cert Manager

Finally, install Cert Manager by running the following command:

helm install cert-manager jetstack/cert-manager --namespace cert-manager --version v1.5.4 --set installCRDs=true

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Cert Manager on your Kubernetes cluster.

More Examples:

1. Verify the installation

To verify that Cert Manager is installed and running correctly, you can run the following command:

kubectl get pods --namespace cert-manager

This command should return a list of pods running in the cert-manager namespace.

2. Test Cert Manager

You can test Cert Manager by creating a test certificate. Create a file named test-certificate.yaml with the following content:

apiVersion: cert-manager.io/v1
kind: Certificate
metadata:
  name: test-certificate
  namespace: default
spec:
  secretName: test-certificate-tls
  dnsNames:
  - test.example.com
  issuerRef:
    name: selfsigned-issuer
    kind: ClusterIssuer
  privateKey:
    algorithm: RSA
    size: 2048

Apply the configuration using the following command:

kubectl apply -f test-certificate.yaml

You can check the status of the certificate by running the following command:

kubectl describe certificate test-certificate

If everything is set up correctly, you should see a message that the certificate was issued and is valid.

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