Import a cluster

Connect your existing Kubernetes infrastructure

If you already have a Kubernetes cluster from any source, you can import it into Akua. This works with any existing cluster — whether it’s self-managed, from cloud providers (EKS, GKE, AKS), or other managed Kubernetes services. This lets you leverage your existing investment while gaining access to Akua’s product deployment and marketplace features.

Consider creating a managed cluster instead if you don’t already have a Kubernetes cluster set up. Akua handles all the complex control plane management, so you can focus on your product rather than infrastructure operations. With imported clusters, control plane and worker operations are managed by your cloud provider or yourself, depending on your cluster type.

When to import versus create

Import your cluster

Choose to import your cluster if you already have Kubernetes infrastructure from EKS, GKE, AKS, or other providers, have invested in cluster setup, need specific configurations like custom networking or compliance requirements, or want to maintain your existing cluster management approach.

Create a managed cluster

Consider creating a new managed cluster if you want Akua to handle the control plane with zero operational overhead, are new to Kubernetes and want to avoid complexity, prefer simplicity to focus on products rather than infrastructure, or need quick setup to get running in minutes.

Prerequisites

Before importing your cluster, ensure it meets these requirements:

• Kubernetes version: 1.33+ (check with kubectl version)
• Cluster access: Admin permissions, network connectivity, valid kubeconfig
• Required permissions: Namespace management, workload deployment, RBAC operations

View detailed RBAC permissions

If you’re not using admin kubeconfig, create a service account with these permissions and bind it to a ClusterRole:

RBAC configuration

apiVersion: v1
kind: ServiceAccount
metadata:
  name: cnap-sa
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRole
metadata:
  name: cnap-role
rules:
  - apiGroups: ['']
    resources: ['pods', 'pods/log', 'pods/exec', 'secrets']
    verbs: ['get', 'list', 'watch', 'create', 'update', 'delete']
  - apiGroups: ['apps']
    resources: ['statefulsets', 'statefulsets/status']
    verbs: ['get', 'list', 'watch', 'create', 'update', 'delete']
  - apiGroups: ['']
    resources: ['namespaces', 'namespaces/finalize']
    verbs: ['get', 'list', 'watch', 'create', 'update', 'delete']
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRoleBinding
metadata:
  name: cnap-role-binding
subjects:
  - kind: ServiceAccount
    name: cnap-sa
roleRef:
  kind: ClusterRole
  name: cnap-role
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io

How to import your cluster

1. Prepare your kubeconfig

   Ensure you have a valid kubeconfig file with admin access to your cluster.

   Test cluster connection

   kubectl cluster-info
   kubectl get nodes
   

   Export kubeconfig

   # If using default location
   cat ~/.kube/config
   
   # Or specify custom path
   cat /path/to/your/kubeconfig
   
2. Navigate to the clusters dashboard

   In the clusters dashboard, click “Import Cluster” and choose “Import Existing Cluster”.

3. Upload and validate kubeconfig

   File upload

   Click “Upload kubeconfig file” and select your kubeconfig file.

   Paste content

   Copy your kubeconfig content and paste it into the text area.

   Akua will automatically verify cluster accessibility, required permissions, Kubernetes version compatibility, and network connectivity.

   If validation fails, check your kubeconfig and cluster permissions before retrying.

4. Configure and complete import

   Set up how Akua will interact with your cluster: choose a cluster name, set the default namespace where new products will deploy, configure optional resource limits, and enable Akua observability (recommended). Then click “Import Cluster” to finalize the process.

Limitations of imported clusters

Be aware of these differences compared to managed clusters:

Control plane management

Control plane and worker operations are managed by your cloud provider or yourself, depending on your cluster type. Akua does not manage the control plane for imported clusters.

Worker node provisioning

You manage worker nodes yourself or through your cloud provider. Akua handles product deployments but not worker infrastructure management.

Automatic updates

You must handle Kubernetes version updates and cluster maintenance yourself. Akua does not automatically update imported clusters.

Monitoring

Limited monitoring compared to managed clusters. Akua provides application-layer monitoring, but infrastructure monitoring is your responsibility.

Auto-scaling

Not supported through Akua. You must configure and manage auto-scaling through your cloud provider or cluster management tools.

Support level

Application layer support only. Akua helps with product deployments and troubleshooting, but full infrastructure support is not included.

Troubleshooting

Kubeconfig validation fails

• Verify cluster is accessible from the internet
• Check that kubeconfig has admin permissions
• Ensure Kubernetes version is 1.33 or newer
• Test connection locally:

Test connection

kubectl cluster-info

Expected output

Kubernetes control plane is running at https://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:6443
CoreDNS is running at https://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:6443/api/v1/namespaces/kube-system/services/kube-dns:dns/proxy

To further debug and diagnose cluster problems, use 'kubectl cluster-info dump'.

Network connectivity issues

• Verify cluster API server is publicly accessible
• Check firewall rules allow Akua IP ranges
• Ensure DNS resolution works for your cluster
• Test from external network:

Test API server access

curl -k https://your-cluster-api:6443

Permission errors during import

• Confirm kubeconfig has cluster-admin role
• Check RBAC is properly configured
• Verify service account has necessary permissions
• Test permissions:

Test permissions

kubectl auth can-i "*" "*" --all-namespaces

Products failing to deploy

• Check cluster has adequate resources
• Verify default namespace exists and is accessible
• Review cluster events:

Review events

kubectl get events --sort-by=.metadata.creationTimestamp

• Contact support with deployment logs

API

Manage clusters programmatically.

Clusters API reference

Endpoints, parameters, response shapes, and try-it playground.

Authentication

Mint API tokens for programmatic access.

Related topics

Create a managed cluster

Set up a cluster where Akua manages the control plane.

Clusters overview

Understand how clusters work in Akua.

Storage

Add persistent storage to your cluster.

Regions

Organize clusters into regions for customers.