How to Install Minikube in Linux¶

This guide will walk you through installing Minikube on a Linux system, allowing you to run a single-node Kubernetes cluster locally.

Prerequisites¶

Before installing Minikube, ensure your system meets these requirements:

2 CPUs or more
2GB of free memory
20GB of free disk space
Internet connection
Container runtime (Docker)

Step-by-Step Installation¶

1. Install Docker (if not already installed)¶

# Update package index
sudo apt-get update

# Install required packages
sudo apt-get install -y \
    apt-transport-https \
    ca-certificates \
    curl \
    software-properties-common

# Add Docker's official GPG key
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

# Add Docker repository
echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list

# Install Docker
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

# Add your user to the docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

2. Install Minikube¶

# Download the latest Minikube binary
curl -LO https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/latest/minikube-linux-amd64

# Install Minikube
sudo install minikube-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/minikube

# Verify installation
minikube version

3. Start Minikube¶

# Start Minikube with Docker driver
minikube start --driver=docker

# Verify the status
minikube status

4. Install kubectl¶

# Download kubectl
curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl"

# Make kubectl executable
chmod +x kubectl

# Move kubectl to PATH
sudo mv kubectl /usr/local/bin/

# Verify installation
kubectl version --client

Verify Installation¶

Check if everything is working:

# Check cluster info
kubectl cluster-info

# Check nodes
kubectl get nodes

# Check pods in all namespaces
kubectl get pods --all-namespaces

Common Commands¶

Basic Minikube Commands¶

# Stop cluster
minikube stop

# Start cluster
minikube start

# Delete cluster
minikube delete

# Access dashboard
minikube dashboard

# Get cluster IP
minikube ip

Basic kubectl Commands¶

# Get cluster information
kubectl cluster-info

# List all pods
kubectl get pods

# List all services
kubectl get services

# List all deployments
kubectl get deployments

Troubleshooting¶

Common Issues and Solutions¶

Insufficient Resources

# Start with fewer resources
minikube start --memory=2048mb --cpus=2

Docker Permission Issues

# Add user to docker group and reload
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Network Issues

# Check if minikube can reach the internet
minikube ssh ping -c 1 google.com

Checking Logs¶

# View minikube logs
minikube logs

# View specific pod logs
kubectl logs <pod-name>

Next Steps¶

After successfully installing Minikube, you can:

Deploy your first application
Explore the Kubernetes dashboard
Learn about Kubernetes objects
Create your first deployment

Best Practices¶

Regular Updates

# Update minikube
minikube update-check

Resource Management
Monitor resource usage
Clean up unused resources
Stop cluster when not in use
Backup
Regularly backup configurations
Document custom settings

Additional Tips¶

Enable Addons

# List available addons
minikube addons list

# Enable specific addon
minikube addons enable <addon-name>

Access Services

# Create a tunnel to services
minikube service <service-name>

Multiple Clusters

# Create a second cluster
minikube start -p cluster2