Kubesense

Requirements

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with the deployment of KubeSense, please ensure your system meets the following requirements to avoid any compatibility or installation issues.

Core Requirements

  • Helm: Ensure Helm is installed and configured on your local system to manage Kubernetes deployments.
  • kubectl: Must be installed and connected to your Kubernetes cluster to enable cluster management and resource configuration.
  • Kubernetes Cluster: An operational Kubernetes cluster with version 1.21+ is required.
  • Node Permissions: Sufficient permissions to install Helm charts, deploy pods, and manage resources in your Kubernetes cluster.
  • eBPF Support: Nodes in the Kubernetes cluster must support eBPF, which is available on most modern Linux distributions with kernel version 4.18+. This enables KubeSense to monitor network traffic and resource utilization effectively.

Installing Helm

If Helm is not already installed, you can quickly install it by running:

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/master/scripts/get-helm-3 | bash

After installation, verify that Helm is set up correctly:

helm version

note: For detailed Helm installation instructions, see the Helm Documentation.


System Compatibility Overview

This section provides detailed compatibility information, including specific Kubernetes environments, supported operating systems, and hardware requirements for deploying KubeSense.

Kubernetes Compatibility

KubeSense requires Kubernetes v1.21+ to operate effectively. Below is a list of Kubernetes environments that have been tested with KubeSense:

K8s EnvironmentSupport
AKSSupported
EKSSupported (including support on Bottlerocket AMIs)
EKS FargateNot Supported (Fargate does not support eBPF)
GKESupported
GKE AutopilotNot Supported (Autopilot does not support eBPF)
OKESupported
OpenShiftSupported
Self-hostedSupported; verify Linux kernel version for eBPF compatibility

Operating System Requirements

KubeSense runs exclusively on Linux nodes. Ensure your nodes meet the following specifications:

OSSupportKernel Version
LinuxSupportedv4.14+

Supported Linux Distributions

The following Linux distributions are known to be compatible with KubeSense:

DistributionMinimum Version
CentOS7.3+
Debian10+
RedHat Enterprise Linux8+
Ubuntu16.04+

CPU Architecture Requirements

KubeSense’s server components require an x86-64 architecture to function effectively. However, KubeSense sensors support both x86-64 and ARM architectures, enabling broader compatibility across different hardware platforms.

ArchitectureSupport
x86-64Supported
ARMSupported

By ensuring your environment meets these prerequisites, you can streamline the deployment process and unlock the full capabilities of KubeSense for monitoring and observability in your Kubernetes cluster.