Course by  Márk Sági-Kazár

Kubernetes the (Very) Hard Way

A hands-on, step-by-step guide to assembling a Kubernetes cluster from the ground up, (without using any automation) while deeply exploring each component's role and functionality along the way.

Kubernetes the (Very) Hard Way (cover image)

About This Course

The course is available for free for a limited time.

Inspired by Kelsey Hightower's Kubernetes the Hard Way, this course guides you through building a Kubernetes cluster manually from scratch.

The course follows a bottom-up approach:

  • Install and configure worker node components
  • Set up the control plane
  • Finally, connect everything into a fully functional cluster

Why the very hard way? You won't just install each component and move on— you'll see exactly what it does and how it fits into the system as a whole.

The course includes lab environments so you can focus on learning without needing to set up or manage virtual machines.

Ideal for anyone who wants to understand how Kubernetes works under the hood.

Want to see what you'll build?

The final result is available in this playground.

What's Inside?

Enroll in course

Get notified about new lessons straight to your inbox!

How to Author Courses on iximiuz Labs

Instead of providing a subpar online editing experience, iximiuz Labs offers a helper CLI tool called labctl, allowing you to use your favorite text editor (or a full-featured IDE) to write content from the comfort of your local machine.

Install labctl CLI

curl -sf https://labs.iximiuz.com/cli/install.sh | sh

This will download and install the latest version of the labctl CLI. You only need to do this once per workstation.

Authorize labctl

labctl auth login

This will open a browser window asking you to authorize labctl to access your account. You need to do it after a fresh install of labctl and repeat it whenever the auth session expires.

Pull course content

labctl content pull course kubernetes-the-very-hard-way-0cbfd997

This will create a local copy of the course content in a directory named kubernetes-the-very-hard-way-0cbfd997. You only need to do this once per course.

Stream your changes

labctl content push -fw course kubernetes-the-very-hard-way-0cbfd997

Run this command in a separate terminal to continuously upload your changes to the server while editing the course in your favorite text editor or IDE.

You can also use labctl to create, list, and delete your content. Learn more about the available commands: labctl content --help