Kubernetes Dashboard Tutorial: Visual Monitoring for Your Cluster

When it comes to container orchestration, Kubernetes proves to be an excellent solution thanks to its flexibility, efficiency, and support from a rich ecosystem. Speaking of ecosystems, Kubernetes is constantly expanding with advanced and innovative tools like managed Kubernetes services and GitOps practices. However, any Kubernetes consultant will tell you that old-fashioned tools from the platform’s ecosystem are still relevant.

In this article, we will focus on another important part of the Kubernetes toolset, namely the Kubernetes Dashboard. It is a convenient web-based UI that helps software engineers and DevOps specialists manage clusters and visualize Kubernetes resources.

While some specialists believe that this functionality is pretty outdated and can be replaced with other tools, the Kubernetes Dashboard is, actually, a very useful tool. Keep reading to understand the key benefits of using the Kubernetes Dashboard, get tips on installing and securing it, and learn best practices on using this tool.

First, let’s explore the key benefits of using the Kubernetes Dashboard. Some of the key strengths of this tool include:

• A visual layer for beginners. The dashboard makes Kubernetes more accessible for developers without prior expertise with the service. The Dashboard helps them bridge the skill gap by providing a visual map of cluster resources. This means greater team efficiency and allows teams to achieve excellent results without allocating experienced experts.
• Real-time insights. The tool allows teams to quickly check pod health and resource utilization, which ensures more efficient and cost-effective resource utilization in real time.
• Rapid troubleshooting. Another important benefit of the Kubernetes Dashboard in terms of efficient manageability is its capabilities for rapid troubleshooting. The solution allows users to verify a deployment’s status without digging through logs or running multiple commands.

Overall, the use of the Kubernetes Dashboard can enhance many processes as the solution can simply display core orchestration processes during training or demo sessions. In addition, it ensures efficient management of resources in real time and complements the platform’s automation capabilities. The key point is to perceive the dashboard as a powerful tool supporting Kubernetes automation.

However, before you start leveraging the benefits of the Kubernetes Dashboard, it is important to focus on installation workflows. Let’s proceed with an overview of this workflow.

So, basically, these are the steps you should take while installing the Kubernetes Dashboard.

1. Apply the dashboard manifest. To do so, use the following command:

kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes/dashboard/v2.7.0/aio/deploy/recommended.yaml

2. During the second step, you need to use the commands for admin-level access. Apply the following:

apiVersion: v1

kind: ServiceAccount

metadata:

  name: admin-user

  namespace: kubernetes-dashboard

—

apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1

kind: ClusterRoleBinding

metadata:

  name: admin-user

roleRef:

  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io

  kind: ClusterRole

  name: cluster-admin

subjects:

– kind: ServiceAccount

  name: admin-user

  namespace: kubernetes-dashboard

Apply it with:

kubectl apply -f admin-user.yaml

3. Upon getting admin permissions, make sure to retrieve the access token that you will use to log in.

Once you run these commands, the main challenge that remains is accessing the dashboard safely. In the next chapter, we provide some tips for this workflow.

By default, the Dashboard is not exposed externally. However, there are several options you can use for safe access to the dashboard.

1. Accessing the dashboard via kubectl proxy. It is a preferred approach for local use. In this case, enter the following command:

kubectl proxy

Then open:

http://localhost:8001/api/v1/namespaces/kubernetes-dashboard/services/https:kubernetes-dashboard:/proxy/

2. If you are working with the production environment, you can use secure ingress with TLS. In this case, configure an Ingress with HTTPS, which is secured by Cert-Manager. You will be able to identify a provider for your authentication.

3. The third and, by far, one of the most common options involves applying the role-based access control (RBAC). While using this approach, you should follow several rules:

• Never use the cluster-admin binding in production
• You should create granular roles per team (read-only for developers, admin for DevOps specialists)
• It is essential to audit token usage with Kubernetes’ native logging.

As has already been mentioned, one of the key benefits of the dashboard is control over the resources. But what can you monitor with Kubernetes specifically? These are cluster resources that you can monitor with the dashboard:

• Services and ingresses; this feature provides you with control over resource connectivity and exposure of workloads.
• Workloads, such as pods, deployments, StatefulSets, ReplicaSets, jobs, and DaemonSets.
• Configuration and storage resources, such as ConfigMaps, Secrets, and PersistentVolumeClaims.
• Cluster information, which includes nodes, namespaces, and resource usage patterns.
• Container logs; such Kubernetes monitoring dashboard provides information essential for debugging.

Experienced Kubernetes specialists perceive the dashboard as a lightweight observability layer. This simple yet efficient monitoring allows teams to avoid issues with resource clusters. As a result, Kubernetes engineers can reduce downtime and avoid costly errors in the system.

While the Kubernetes Dashboard is a very efficient tool for resource orchestration, several similar services are worth mentioning. The table below compares such alternative services.

Overall, we still recommend using the official Dashboard in most cases. The point is that it is the most lightweight and vendor-neutral choice.

Read also: Insights on the difference between Kubernetes and Docker.

Just like any other tool, Kubernetes Dashboard has several notable lifehacks that allow engineers to deploy it more efficiently. Here are some smart and ingenious ways, according to our specialists:

• There is an option of using namespace-specific deployments. Here it goes about deploying separate dashboards for different teams with scoped RBAC.
• If you want to simplify the deployment process, you can use a Helm chart for installation and upgrades.
• You can rely on the GitOps approach, where you manage dashboard manifests through ArgoCD or Flux.
• You can choose to spin up the dashboards only when needed with the so-called ephemeral deployments.

These approaches can differ in their purpose and essence drastically. Everything depends on your needs, but the ultimate option is always consulting with specialists with a strong understanding of Kubernetes deployment models.

“Kubernetes keeps impressing me with its flexibility. As new tools, libraries, and practices constantly appear, the platform shows that there are no limits to its agility.”

Volodymyr Shynkar, Founder at AppRecode

LinkedIn

Speaking of experts and their help, there are several Kubernetes practices that may not seem evident but are, actually, very useful. In particular, our specialists suggest:

• Using read-only roles for most users because it ensures operational stability, reducing downtime risks.
• Pairing the dashboard with tools like Prometheus and Grafana for metrics because it enhances your workflows with efficient observability and visual analytics.
• Automating logins via OIDC providers instead of static tokens because it makes authentication simpler while maintaining centralized identity management, which is crucial to security patterns.

These are just some general tips that may help you use the Kubernetes Dashboard more efficiently. The tool has a lot to offer, and new lifehacks or Kubernetes architecture components can emerge with each update.

It is important to note that there are some common issues associated with the use of the Kubernetes Dashboard. Fortunately, most of them can be fixed with the right approach. The table below summarizes these problems and quick fixes to them.

The Kubernetes Dashboard is an important part of the Kubernetes ecosystem. It provides DevOps specialists and engineering teams with greater control over clustered resources and helps newcomers understand the platform’s core principles better. It is important to perceive the dashboard as a tool that efficiently complements other Kubernetes features and services.

It is also vital to pay attention to RBAC best practices and focus on platform security. With the right approach, you can efficiently ensure that the dashboard delivers actual value.

And if you want to leverage the Kubernetes Dashboard as an efficient companion to the broader Kubernetes toolset, rely on industry specialists with a solid portfolio on Clutch, such as the AppRecode team. We are always ready to help, so make sure to contact us and get even more insights.