How to install Istio on Kubernetes

In this article, we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to install Istio on Kubernetes cluster. By the end, you’ll have a working Istio deployment and a solid foundation to leverage its advanced features. As Kubernetes continues to gain popularity for container orchestration, Istio has emerged as a powerful service mesh solution for managing and securing microservices-based applications.

Prerequisites: Before diving into the installation process, ensure that you have the following prerequisites in place:

1. A Kubernetes cluster up and running.
2. kubectl, the Kubernetes command-line tool, installed and configured.
3. Helm, the package manager for Kubernetes, installed.

Step 1: Download and Install Istio on Kubernetes

1. Visit the official Istio website (istio.io) and navigate to the “Get Started” section.
2. Download the latest stable release of Istio suitable for your operating system.
3. Extract the Istio package to a directory of your choice.

Step 2: Install Istio on Kubernetes using Helm

1. Open a terminal and navigate to the Istio installation directory.
2. Run the following command to install Istio using Helm:

helm install istio-base ./manifests/charts/base --namespace istio-system

Wait for the installation to complete. Verify that all Istio components are deployed by running:

kubectl get pods -n istio-system

Step 3: Enable Istio Automatic Sidecar Injection

By default, Istio on Kubernetes requires sidecar injection to enable its functionality.

Label the Kubernetes namespace where you want to enable Istio injection:

kubectl label namespace istio-injection=enabled

Replace <namespace> with your desired namespace.

Step 4: Deploy Sample Application

Let’s deploy a sample application to test Istio’s functionality.

Create a YAML file named sample-app.yaml with the following contents:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Namespace
metadata:
  name: sample-app
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: sample-app
  namespace: sample-app
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: sample-app
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: sample-app
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: sample-app
          image: <your-image>
          ports:
            - containerPort: 8080
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: sample-app
  namespace: sample-app
spec:
  selector:
    app: sample-app
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 8080
      targetPort: 8080

Replace <your-image> with the container image of your choice.

Deploy the sample application:

kubectl apply -f sample-app.yaml

Step 5: Verify Istio Integration

Ensure that the sample application and its associated pods are running:

kubectl get pods -n sample-app

Confirm that the Istio sidecar containers are injected into the sample application pods:

kubectl get pods -n sample-app -o jsonpath='{range .items[*]}{.metadata.name}{"\t"}{.spec.containers[*].name}{"\n"}{end}'

Final Thoughts

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Istio on your Kubernetes cluster and integrated it with a sample application. Istio on Kubernetes provides powerful features like traffic management, observability, and security for your microservices architecture. Make sure to explore Istio’s documentation and experiment with its extensive capabilities to leverage the full potential of this service mesh solution.