eksctl

AWS EKS cluster management CLI

TLDR

Create EKS cluster

$ eksctl create cluster --name [cluster_name]

Create with node configuration

$ eksctl create cluster --name [name] --nodes [3] --node-type [t3.medium]

List clusters

$ eksctl get clusters

Delete cluster

$ eksctl delete cluster --name [cluster_name]

Create nodegroup

$ eksctl create nodegroup --cluster [name] --name [ng-name]

Scale nodegroup

$ eksctl scale nodegroup --cluster [name] --name [ng-name] --nodes [5]

Update kubeconfig

$ eksctl utils write-kubeconfig --cluster [name]

Create a cluster from a config file

$ eksctl create cluster -f [cluster.yaml]

Upgrade the control plane to a new Kubernetes version

$ eksctl upgrade cluster --name [name] --version [1.31] --approve

eksctl is the official CLI for Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service). It simplifies creating, managing, and deleting EKS clusters and their associated resources.The tool handles the complex AWS infrastructure setup including VPCs, subnets, security groups, and IAM roles. Clusters can be defined declaratively with YAML configurations.eksctl supports advanced features like managed node groups, Fargate profiles, and cluster upgrades.

PARAMETERS

COMMAND

Operation: create, get, delete, scale, upgrade, etc.

create cluster --name NAME

Create new EKS cluster.

--nodes N

Number of worker nodes.

--node-type TYPE

EC2 instance type for nodes.

--region REGION

AWS region.

-f, --config-file FILE

Declarative YAML cluster configuration; most flags have an equivalent field.

--dry-run

Print the config file eksctl would apply instead of creating anything.

delete cluster --name NAME

Delete cluster.

get clusters

List clusters.

--help

Display help information.

INSTALL

sudo pacman -S eksctl

sudo zypper install eksctl

brew install eksctl

nix profile install nixpkgs#eksctl

CAVEATS

AWS credentials required. Cluster creation takes time. Incurs AWS charges. Some operations require specific IAM permissions.

HISTORY

eksctl was created by Weaveworks in partnership with AWS, released in 2018 to simplify EKS cluster management. It became the official CLI tool for EKS. After Weaveworks wound down in 2024, the project moved to the community-run eksctl-io organization, where it continues to be maintained.

RESOURCES

Source code · Homepage