/terraform-gke-autopilot

Primary LanguageHCLMIT LicenseMIT

Simplified Terraform GKE Autopilot Cluster

A streamlined Terraform configuration for deploying Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Autopilot clusters with cost optimization and best practices.

Features

  • Simplified Architecture: Clean, minimal configuration focused on essential features
  • GKE Autopilot: Fully managed Kubernetes with automatic scaling and cost optimization
  • Cost-Optimized: Minimal logging/monitoring components and efficient resource usage
  • Easy Deployment: Single command deployment with sensible defaults
  • Workload Identity: Secure, keyless access to Google APIs
  • Sample Application: Includes a Go web app for testing deployment

Repository Structure

.
├── main.tf                    # Root Terraform configuration
├── variables.tf               # Configuration variables
├── outputs.tf                 # Cluster outputs
├── modules/
│   └── gke-autopilot/        # GKE Autopilot module
│       ├── main.tf
│       ├── variables.tf
│       ├── outputs.tf
│       └── versions.tf
├── app/                      # Sample Go web application
│   ├── main.go
│   ├── Dockerfile
│   └── README.md
└── k8s/                      # Kubernetes manifests
    └── deployment.yaml

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Deploy the Cluster

  1. Clone and navigate to the repository:

    git clone <repository-url>
cd terraform-gke-autopilot

  2. Configure your GCP project (optional):

    gcloud config set project YOUR_PROJECT_ID
gcloud config set compute/region YOUR_REGION

  3. Deploy with Terraform:

    terraform init
terraform plan
terraform apply

  4. Configure kubectl:

    gcloud container clusters get-credentials <cluster-name> --region <region>

Deploy Sample Application

  1. Build and push the container image:

    cd app
gcloud builds submit --tag gcr.io/$(gcloud config get-value project)/demo-go-app:latest .

  2. Deploy to Kubernetes:

    kubectl apply -f ../k8s/deployment.yaml

  3. Get the external IP:

    kubectl get service demo-go-app-service

Configuration

Essential Variables

Variable Description Default
cluster_name Name of the GKE cluster "autopilot-cluster"
region GCP region for deployment "" (uses gcloud config)
project_id GCP project ID "" (uses gcloud config)
environment Environment label "dev"
deletion_protection Enable deletion protection false

Customization Example

Create a terraform.tfvars file:

cluster_name = "my-autopilot-cluster"
environment  = "production"
region       = "us-central1"

Cost Optimization Features

  • Autopilot Mode: Pay only for running workloads, not idle nodes
  • Minimal Logging: Only system components logging enabled by default
  • Efficient Monitoring: Basic monitoring configuration to reduce costs
  • Regional Deployment: Required for Autopilot, provides high availability

Security Features

  • Workload Identity: Secure service-to-service authentication
  • Latest Kubernetes: STABLE release channel for security updates
  • Resource Labels: Proper tagging for governance and cost tracking

Maintenance

  • Automatic Updates: Managed by GKE Autopilot
  • Maintenance Window: Configured for off-hours (2-6 AM UTC)
  • No Node Management: Autopilot handles all node operations

Cleanup

To destroy all resources:

terraform destroy

Support

This is a simplified, production-ready configuration suitable for:

  • Development environments
  • Small to medium production workloads
  • Teams wanting minimal operational overhead
  • Cost-conscious deployments

For advanced features like private clusters, custom networking, or enterprise security, consider extending the module configuration.