Enable Kubectl Shell for GKE

Configure the kubectl shell for for DuploCloud-managed GKE deployments

Enabling kubectl shell access in GCP is part of a one-time DuploCloud Portal setup process.

Prerequisite

Ensure a Node Pool Exists: Before creating the k8s-shell service, make sure that your GKE tenant has at least one node pool.

To check:

1. Go to Kubernetes → Nodes in the DuploCloud Portal.

2. If no nodes are listed, navigate to Kubernetes → Node Pools and click Add to create a new node pool.

   • Choose an appropriate Instance Type and Node Count (you can scale it down later).

   • Submit and wait for the nodes to become active.

Once a node pool is available, proceed to create the shell service.

Step 1. Create a DuploCloud Service

1. From the Tenant list box, select the correct Tenant.

2. Navigate to Kubernetes -> Services.

3. Click Add. The Add Service page displays.

4. Fill in the fields below. Leave any fields not listed at their default values.

Name	k8s-shell
Cloud	Google
Platform	GKE Linux
Docker Image	duplocloud/shell:terraform-kubectl-latest

1. Enter the following in the Environmental Variables field:

- Name: FLASK_APP_SECRET
  Value: b33d13ab-5b46-443d-a19d-asdfsd443
- Name: DUPLO_AUTH_URL
  Value: https://<CUSTOMER_NAME>.duplocloud.net

1. Click Next, and then Create.

Step 2: Create a Load Balancer

1. From the DuploCloud Portal, navigate to Kubernetes -> Services.

2. From the NAME column, select the k8s-shell Service you created in the previous step.

3. Select the Load Balancers tab, and click Configure Load Balancer.

4. Fill in the fields below. Leave any fields not listed at their default values.

Type	Application LB
Container port	80
Health Check	/duplo_auth
Certificate	Select your certificate from the list box. If none are present, you will need to configure a certificate.
External port	443
Visibility	Public
Application mode	Docker mode
Health Check	/duplo_auth
Backend Protocol	http

1. Click Add.

Step 3: Add the DNS Name to System Settings

1. Navigate to Administrator -> Systems Settings.

2. Select the System Config tab, and click Add. The Add Config pane displays.

3. Fill in the fields below.

Config Type	AppConfig
Key	Other
Key	DuploShellFqdn
Value	Paste the fully qualified DNS name* of your kubectl shell ingress/Load Balancer. Example: https://k8s-shell.example.duplocloud.net

To find the DNS name, go to Kubernetes → Services, select the k8s-shell Service, then select the Load Balancers tab. Click the name of the Load Balancer, and copy the DNS name from the DNS Name box.

1. Click Submit. Access to the kubectl shell is enabled.