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Before installing KubeLB, ensure your environment meets the following requirements for both the management cluster and tenant clusters.

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Management Cluster Requirements

The management cluster hosts the KubeLB Manager and requires:

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Load Balancer Implementation

The management cluster must have a working LoadBalancer service implementation. This can be:
  • Cloud provider load balancers (AWS ELB/NLB, GCP Load Balancer, Azure Load Balancer)
  • Self-managed solutions like MetalLB for bare-metal or on-premise environments
The LoadBalancer implementation is critical as KubeLB uses it to expose services to external traffic.

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Network Access

The management cluster must have:
  • Network connectivity to tenant cluster nodes on the NodePort range (default: 30000-32767)
  • This allows the Envoy proxy to route traffic to tenant cluster services

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Kubernetes Version

KubeLB Manager supports Kubernetes 1.23 and later.

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Resource Requirements

Minimum resources for KubeLB Manager:
  • CPU: 100m (requests), 500m (limits)
  • Memory: 128Mi (requests), 512Mi (limits)
  • Storage: Minimal (only for container images)

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Namespace

Create a dedicated namespace for KubeLB Manager: 
kubectl create namespace kubelb

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Tenant Cluster Requirements

Each tenant cluster that needs load balancing services requires:

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Management Cluster Access

The tenant cluster must be able to communicate with the management cluster’s Kubernetes API server. You’ll need:
  • A kubeconfig file with access to the management cluster
  • Appropriate RBAC permissions to create and manage LoadBalancer and Route CRDs

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Tenant Registration

Each tenant cluster must be registered with the management cluster using a unique tenant name that follows RFC 1123 lowercase naming conventions.
The tenant name must be unique across all tenant clusters connected to the same management cluster.

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Kubernetes Version

KubeLB CCM supports Kubernetes 1.23 and later.

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Resource Requirements

Minimum resources for KubeLB CCM:
  • CPU: 100m (requests), 500m (limits)
  • Memory: 128Mi (requests), 512Mi (limits)
  • Storage: Minimal (only for container images)

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Namespace

Create a dedicated namespace for KubeLB CCM: 
kubectl create namespace kubelb

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Optional Requirements

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Gateway API Support

If you plan to use Gateway API resources (Gateway, HTTPRoute, GRPCRoute):
  • Gateway API CRDs must be installed in tenant clusters
  • Enable Gateway API support in both Manager and CCM configurations

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Monitoring

For monitoring KubeLB components:
  • Prometheus Operator for ServiceMonitor support
  • Grafana with dashboard sidecar enabled for automatic dashboard provisioning

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Network Architecture

Understand the traffic flow in your KubeLB setup:

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Layer 4 (LoadBalancer Services)

Client → LoadBalancer Service → Envoy Proxy → Tenant Node:NodePort → Backend Pod

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Layer 7 (Ingress/HTTPRoute)

Client → LoadBalancer Service → Envoy Proxy → Tenant Node:NodePort → Backend Pod
Plan your network topology to ensure the management cluster can reach tenant nodes on the NodePort range.

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Next Steps

Once your environment meets these prerequisites:
  1. Install KubeLB Manager in the management cluster
  2. Install KubeLB CCM in each tenant cluster
  3. Verify the installation to ensure everything is working correctly

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