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EKS Auto Mode is a fully managed compute option where AWS handles node provisioning, scaling, operating system updates, and lifecycle management automatically. You define the desired state through node pools and EKS manages the EC2 fleet to satisfy it. With EKS Auto Mode enabled, you do not create or manage node groups. EKS automatically selects instance types, provisions nodes on demand, and terminates them when no longer needed.

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Built-in node pools

EKS Auto Mode ships with two built-in node pool configurations that cover the most common workload patterns:
Node PoolPurpose
general-purposeStandard application workloads — balanced compute, memory, and networking
systemCore EKS system components (CoreDNS, kube-proxy, VPC CNI, etc.)
Specify one or both node pools in compute_config.node_pools: 
compute_config = {
  enabled    = true
  node_pools = ["general-purpose"]
}

compute_config = {
  enabled    = true
  node_pools = ["general-purpose", "system"]
}

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Basic example

module "eks" {
  source  = "terraform-aws-modules/eks/aws"
  version = "~> 21.0"

  name               = "example"
  kubernetes_version = "1.33"

  endpoint_public_access = true

  enable_cluster_creator_admin_permissions = true

  compute_config = {
    enabled    = true
    node_pools = ["general-purpose"]
  }

  vpc_id     = "vpc-1234556abcdef"
  subnet_ids = ["subnet-abcde012", "subnet-bcde012a", "subnet-fghi345a"]

  tags = {
    Environment = "dev"
    Terraform   = "true"
  }
}

​
Custom node pools only

If you want to define your own Karpenter-style node pools without using the built-in EKS Auto Mode pools, set create_auto_mode_iam_resources = true and omit node_pools: 
module "eks" {
  source  = "terraform-aws-modules/eks/aws"
  version = "~> 21.0"

  name               = "example"
  kubernetes_version = "1.33"

  endpoint_public_access = true

  enable_cluster_creator_admin_permissions = true

  # Create only the IAM resources needed for EKS Auto Mode custom node pools
  create_auto_mode_iam_resources = true
  compute_config = {
    enabled = true
  }

  vpc_id     = "vpc-1234556abcdef"
  subnet_ids = ["subnet-abcde012", "subnet-bcde012a", "subnet-fghi345a"]

  tags = {
    Environment = "dev"
    Terraform   = "true"
  }
}
create_auto_mode_iam_resources is useful when you are managing your own node pools and need the EKS Auto Mode node IAM role and associated policy attachments without relying on built-in node pools.

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IAM resources

When EKS Auto Mode is enabled, the module creates the following IAM resources by default:
  • An IAM role (aws_iam_role.eks_auto) with the AmazonEKSAutoNodePolicy and AmazonEC2ContainerRegistryPullOnly policies attached
  • Policy attachments for any additional policies supplied via node_iam_role_additional_policies
  • Optional permissions for custom tags on resources created by EKS Auto Mode (enabled by enable_auto_mode_custom_tags, default true)
The node IAM role is controlled by the following variables:
VariableDefaultDescription
create_node_iam_roletrueCreate the EKS Auto Mode node IAM role
node_iam_role_namenullCustom name for the node IAM role
node_iam_role_additional_policies{}Extra policy ARNs to attach to the node role
create_auto_mode_iam_resourcesfalseCreate IAM resources for custom node pools without built-in pools
enable_auto_mode_custom_tagstrueEnable permissions for custom tagging of EKS Auto Mode resources

​
Disabling EKS Auto Mode

Due to a constraint in the EKS Auto Mode API, you cannot disable EKS Auto Mode by simply removing the compute_config block. Doing so will result in an API error.To disable EKS Auto Mode, you must first apply with enabled = false:
compute_config = {
  enabled = false
}
Only after a successful apply with enabled = false can you then remove the compute_config block from your configuration.

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compute_config variable reference

The compute_config variable accepts the following attributes: 
compute_config = {
  # Whether EKS Auto Mode is enabled
  enabled = true

  # Built-in node pools to activate: "general-purpose", "system", or both
  # Omit or set to null to use only custom node pools
  node_pools = ["general-purpose"]

  # Optional: ARN of a pre-existing node IAM role
  # If not specified, the module creates one when create_node_iam_role = true
  node_role_arn = null
}

​
EKS Auto Mode with Hybrid Nodes

EKS Auto Mode can coexist with EKS Hybrid Nodes. A common configuration enables the system node pool for core EKS components while hybrid nodes handle on-premises workloads: 
module "eks" {
  source  = "terraform-aws-modules/eks/aws"
  version = "~> 21.0"

  name               = "example"
  kubernetes_version = "1.33"

  compute_config = {
    enabled    = true
    node_pools = ["system"]
  }

  access_entries = {
    hybrid-node-role = {
      principal_arn = module.eks_hybrid_node_role.arn
      type          = "HYBRID_LINUX"
    }
  }

  remote_network_config = {
    remote_node_networks = {
      cidrs = ["172.16.0.0/18"]
    }
  }

  vpc_id     = "vpc-1234556abcdef"
  subnet_ids = ["subnet-abcde012", "subnet-bcde012a", "subnet-fghi345a"]

  tags = {
    Environment = "dev"
    Terraform   = "true"
  }
}

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