Install Istio: Part 1: Docker and Kubernetes
Before proceeding to the installation steps, its strongly recommended to read my previous article — What is Istio a dummies guide to Service Mesh
This is a 3 part series to Installing Istio.
If you follow all the steps in this 3 part series, there will be absolutely no problem in getting Istio successfully installed on your mac laptop.
Step 1: Install Docker
Download Docker for Mac and run the dmg file
When you see the docker ship icon in the top bar it means docker is installed correctly.
You can also verify through the terminal by running the following command
docker ps
If there is no error, you should see something like
Step 2: Install Kubernetes
Installing kubernetes via Docker for Mac is as simple as clicking a checkbox. By far this has been the simplest way to get your local kubernetes cluster setup
- Open the Docker dashboard (if you have closed)
- Go to Setting gear icon (on top) > Kubernetes (on left)
- Click the Enable Kubernetes checkbox > Apply & Restart
Please note that once you click Apply & Restart it takes some ~5–8 mins for kubernetes to get running. So please be patient and don’t panic if your laptop processor or fan starts making noise :-)
Step 3: Install the Kube dashboard (optional step. But highly recommended)
If you like playing with kubectl commands then you can skip this step. For others, Kubernetes provides an easy to understand dashboard but it does not come by default. You need to install it. So execute the following command from the terminal
kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes/dashboard/v2.0.4/aio/deploy/recommended.yaml
In this command, we are simply applying the config in recommended.yaml file at the remote github location. If everything is ok, you should see something like
Before you can access the kube dashboard, you will need 2 things — a default token to access and a proxy
a) Get a default token by executing the following command
kubectl -n kube-system describe secret default | grep token: | awk ‘{print $2}’
If everything goes well, you should see a token printed on the terminal screen. Copy it. You can use this whenever the kube dashboard session times out.
b) Setup the proxy by executing the command
kubectl proxy
Now your Kube Dashboard is ready. Visit the url -
Enter the token from previous step. You should get the kube dashboard screen
Once these steps are done proceed to Part 2
