Add a Kubernetes Cluster Via Service Account

This guide describes how to set up a Kubernetes cluster in StrongDM with the credentials of a Kubernetes service account. This process involves setting up a Kubernetes cluster, generating a permanent service account token, and using that token to configure a new Kubernetes (Service Account) cluster in the StrongDM Admin UI. When done with this guide, you will be able to use StrongDM to connect to a Kubernetes cluster with the credentials of a Kubernetes service account.

Prerequisites #

Ensure that the API server you intend to add to StrongDM is accessible from your StrongDM nodes (gateways, relays, or proxy clusters). See our guide on Nodes for more information.

Configure the Kubernetes Cluster #

Before you can add the cluster to your StrongDM environment, you need to set up the cluster itself. Follow these steps to configure your cluster.

1. Create a ServiceAccount:

   kubectl create serviceaccount <serviceaccount-name>
   

2. Create a Role or ClusterRole.

   The permissions given in this Role are exactly what StrongDM users get when they connect to this resource.

   The following example ClusterRole gives blanket permissions to the whole cluster:

   apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
   kind: ClusterRole
   metadata:
     annotations:
       rbac.authorization.kubernetes.io/autoupdate: "true"
     labels:
       kubernetes.io/bootstrapping: rbac-defaults
     name: <clusterrolebinding-name>
   rules:
     - apiGroups:
         - '*'
       resources:
         - '*'
       verbs:
         - '*'
     - nonResourceURLs:
         - '*'
       verbs:
         - '*'
   

3. Create a RoleBinding or ClusterRoleBinding to associate the Role or ClusterRole with the ServiceAccount.

   To create a RoleBinding:

   kubectl create rolebinding <rolebinding-name> --role <role-name> --serviceaccount <serviceaccount-name>
   

   To create a ClusterRoleBinding:

   kubectl create clusterrolebinding <clusterrolebinding-name> --clusterrole <clusterrole-name> --serviceaccount <serviceaccount-name>
   

4. Create a Secret to manually generate a permanent token.

   In this step, you manually create a token secret that the kube-apiserver detects and then populates with a token associated with the ServiceAccount. This secret (and token) does not expire. For reference, please see the Kubernetes documentation, Configure Service Accounts for Pods.
   1. First save and complete the following yaml template:

      apiVersion: v1
      kind: Secret
      metadata:
        name: build-robot-secret
        annotations:
          kubernetes.io/service-account.name: <serviceaccount-name>
      type: kubernetes.io/service-account-token
      

   2. Run:

      kubectl apply -f template.yaml
      

   3. If not done already, obtain the generated token by inspecting the Secret just created.

      kubectl get secret spirit -o json | jq -r '.data.token'
      

   4. Save the token in a safe place, as you will need it when adding your resource in the StrongDM Admin UI next.

Add Your Kubernetes (Service Account) Cluster in StrongDM #

1. Log in to the StrongDM Admin UI and go to Resources > Clusters.
2. Click Add cluster.
3. For Cluster Type, select Kubernetes (Service Account).
4. For API Token, set the token that you generated and saved in the previous section of this guide.
5. Set all other required resource properties to configure how the StrongDM node connects.
6. Click Create to save the resource.

The Admin UI updates and shows your new cluster in a healthy or unhealthy state. Healthy indicates a successful connection. If it is unhealthy, click into the cluster’s name and view the Diagnostics tab to determine where the connection is failing.

Resource properties #

The following table describes the configuration properties available for your Kubernetes (Service Account) cluster.

Display name #

Some Kubernetes management interfaces, such as Visual Studio Code, do not properly render cluster names containing spaces. If you run into problems, please choose a Display Name without spaces.

Secret Store #

By default, server credentials are stored in StrongDM. However, these credentials can also be saved in a secrets management tool.

Non-StrongDM options appear in the Secret Store dropdown if they are created under Settings > Secrets Management. When you select another Secret Store type, its unique properties display. For more details, see Configure Secret Store Integrations.