Apiserver-Only Clusters for Fun and Profit

Explore the concept of apiserver-only Kubernetes clusters in this conference talk by Matt Turner and Liam White from Tetrate. Learn how to leverage the extensibility of Kubernetes by running just the apiserver and database components without the controller-manager, scheduler, or workload support. Discover how this bare-bones configuration can host Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) and Operators, making it an ideal lightweight control plane for other systems. Follow along as the speakers demonstrate how an Operator, specifically Istio, can function on this minimalist control plane to provide networking services to external resources like virtual machines. Gain insights into the theory behind this deployment style and receive practical guidance on setting it up yourself. Understand the potential applications and benefits of using apiserver-only clusters for creating efficient, purpose-built control planes.