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.
- Recommended Version: Helm 3.x (Installation Guide)
- kubectl: Must be installed and connected to your Kubernetes cluster to enable cluster management and resource configuration.
- Recommended Version: Aligns with your Kubernetes cluster version (Installation Guide)
- 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 Environment | Support |
|---|---|
| AKS | Supported |
| EKS | Supported (including support on Bottlerocket AMIs) |
| EKS Fargate | Not Supported (Fargate does not support eBPF) |
| GKE | Supported |
| GKE Autopilot | Not Supported (Autopilot does not support eBPF) |
| OKE | Supported |
| OpenShift | Supported |
| Self-hosted | Supported; verify Linux kernel version for eBPF compatibility |
🖥️ Operating System Requirements
Kubesense runs exclusively on Linux nodes. Ensure your nodes meet the following specifications:
| OS | Support | Kernel Version |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | Supported | v4.14+ |
Supported Linux Distributions
The following Linux distributions are known to be compatible with Kubesense:
| Distribution | Minimum Version |
|---|---|
| CentOS | 7.3+ |
| Debian | 10+ |
| RedHat Enterprise Linux | 8+ |
| Ubuntu | 16.04+ |
🧠 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.
| Architecture | Support |
|---|---|
| x86-64 | Supported |
| ARM | Supported |
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.