Cluster Creation

Using eksctl (Recommended)

Basic Cluster

eksctl create cluster \
  --name my-cluster \
  --region us-west-2 \
  --without-nodegroup

Cluster with Managed Node Group

eksctl create cluster \
  --name my-cluster \
  --region us-west-2 \
  --nodegroup-name standard-workers \
  --node-type t3.medium \
  --nodes 3 \
  --nodes-min 1 \
  --nodes-max 4 \
  --managed

Cluster with Fargate

eksctl create cluster \
  --name my-cluster \
  --region us-west-2 \
  --fargate

Cluster with Karpenter

eksctl create cluster \
  --name my-cluster \
  --region us-west-2 \
  --with-karpenter

Using Terraform

module "eks" {
  source  = "terraform-aws-modules/eks/aws"
  version = "~> 20.0"
 
  cluster_name    = "my-cluster"
  cluster_version = "1.30"
 
  vpc_id     = module.vpc.vpc_id
  subnet_ids = module.vpc.private_subnets
 
  eks_managed_node_groups = {
    standard = {
      instance_types = ["t3.medium"]
      min_size       = 1
      max_size       = 4
      desired_size   = 2
    }
  }
}

Using AWS Console

1. Navigate to EKS in AWS Console
2. Click “Create cluster”
3. Configure:
   • Name and Kubernetes version
   • IAM role for EKS service
   • VPC and subnets
   • Security groups
   • Endpoint access (public/private)
4. Click “Create”

Cluster Configuration Options

Endpoint Access

Type	Control Plane	Worker Nodes
Public	Public endpoint	Same VPC
Private	Private endpoint only	Private subnets
Public & Private	Both endpoints	Private subnets

Networking Considerations

• At least 2 subnets in different AZs
• Subnets must have DNS hostnames enabled
• Consider NAT Gateway costs for private-only clusters
• Security groups must allow EKS control plane communication

References

• Creating an EKS cluster with eksctl
• EKS Cluster VPC Requirements
• EKS Workshop - Cluster Creation