Infrastructure Management

Learn how to deploy and manage Kubernetes infrastructure with Meshery

Meshery provides comprehensive infrastructure lifecycle management for Kubernetes clusters, cloud services, and 300+ cloud native integrations. This guide covers deploying, configuring, and managing your infrastructure using Meshery.

Overview

Meshery manages the configuration, deployment, and operation of your cloud services and Kubernetes clusters. Whether you’re working with a single cluster or managing multi-cluster, multi-cloud deployments, Meshery provides the tools you need.

Starting Meshery

Before managing infrastructure, ensure Meshery is running:

1. Install mesheryctl

   Download and install the Meshery CLI tool:

   curl -L https://meshery.io/install | bash -
   
2. Start Meshery

   Launch Meshery and its components:

   mesheryctl system start
   

   Add --skip-browser flag if you don’t want the UI to open automatically.

3. Verify Status

   Check that all components are running:

   mesheryctl system status
   

   This shows the status of Meshery Server, adapters, and operator components.

Connecting to Kubernetes Clusters

Meshery discovers and connects to Kubernetes clusters through connections. Connections represent the endpoints and credentials for your infrastructure.

1. Automatic Discovery

   Meshery automatically discovers clusters from your kubeconfig:

   mesheryctl system context create <context-name>
   

   This creates a connection from your current kubectl context.

2. View Available Connections

   List all discovered and registered connections:

   mesheryctl connections list
   

   Connection statuses include:

   • DISCOVERED - Found but not yet registered
   • REGISTERED - Registered and ready to connect
   • CONNECTED - Active connection established
   • DISCONNECTED - Previously connected, now offline
3. Register a Connection

   Register a discovered connection to make it available:

   mesheryctl connections view <connection-id>
   

   You can also create connections manually through the UI by navigating to Settings → Connections → Create Connection.

Connections with status MAINTENANCE or IGNORED are not actively managed by Meshery. Update the status to CONNECTED to enable management.

Deploying Infrastructure Components

Deploy Kubernetes resources and cloud native components using Meshery’s design-based approach:

1. Create or Import Design

   You can create designs through:

   • Visual Canvas - Drag and drop components in the UI
   • Import - Import existing Kubernetes manifests, Helm charts, or Docker Compose files
   • Catalog - Use pre-built designs from the catalog

   From the CLI:

   mesheryctl design import -f ./my-app.yaml
   
2. Configure Components

   In the design canvas:

   1. Select components from the 300+ available integrations
   2. Configure properties through the properties panel
   3. Define relationships between components (e.g., namespace hierarchy, network policies)
3. Deploy Design

   Apply the design to your cluster:

   mesheryctl design apply -f my-design.yaml
   

   Or deploy from the UI:

   1. Open the design in Meshery UI
   2. Click Actions → Deploy
   3. Select target environment(s)
   4. Confirm deployment
4. Monitor Deployment

   Track deployment progress in real-time:

   • View component status in the Visualizer
   • Check events in the Notification Center
   • Review logs for troubleshooting

Managing Meshery Operator

The Meshery Operator manages lifecycle of Meshery components within your Kubernetes cluster:

# Deploy operator to cluster
mesheryctl system context create <context-name>

# Check operator status
kubectl get pods -n meshery

The operator deploys:

• MeshSync - Discovers and synchronizes cluster state
• Meshery Broker - NATS-based event streaming

Do not manually modify Meshery Operator resources. Use mesheryctl or the UI to manage the operator lifecycle.

Working with Environments

Environments group your infrastructure connections and provide logical separation:

1. Create Environment

   Environments represent logical groupings (dev, staging, production):

   1. Navigate to Environments in Meshery UI
   2. Click Create Environment
   3. Provide name and description
   4. Assign connections to the environment
2. Associate with Workspaces

   Link environments to workspaces for team collaboration:

   1. Open workspace settings
   2. Navigate to Environments tab
   3. Add or remove environment associations
3. Deploy to Environments

   When deploying designs, select target environment:

   mesheryctl design apply -f design.yaml --environment production
   

Monitoring Infrastructure State

Meshery continuously monitors your infrastructure through MeshSync:

Real-time Synchronization

MeshSync discovers resources in your cluster and publishes changes:

# View discovered resources
kubectl get meshsync -n meshery

Event Streaming

Meshery uses NATS for event-driven updates:

• Component state changes
• Health status updates
• Configuration drift detection

View events in the UI Notification Center or subscribe to topics programmatically.

Infrastructure as Code

Meshery supports GitOps workflows for infrastructure management:

1. Export Designs

   Save current infrastructure state as code:

   mesheryctl design export my-design > infrastructure.yaml
   
2. Version Control

   Store designs in Git for version control:

   git add infrastructure.yaml
   git commit -m "Update infrastructure configuration"
   git push
   
3. Automated Deployment

   Deploy from CI/CD pipelines:

   # GitHub Actions example
   - name: Deploy to Kubernetes
     run: |
       mesheryctl design apply -f infrastructure.yaml
   

Multi-Cloud Management

Meshery supports infrastructure across multiple cloud providers:

• AWS - EKS, EC2, ECS
• Azure - AKS, Container Instances
• GCP - GKE, Cloud Run
• On-premises - Self-managed Kubernetes

Each cloud provider integration provides specific components (load balancers, storage classes, managed services).

Advanced Configuration

Custom Resource Definitions

Meshery automatically discovers CRDs in your cluster and makes them available as components.

Helm Chart Deployment

Import and deploy Helm charts:

mesheryctl design import --design-type "Helm Chart" -f ./chart.tgz

Docker Compose Support

Convert Docker Compose to Kubernetes:

mesheryctl design import --design-type "Docker Compose" -f docker-compose.yml

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

If connections fail to establish:

1. Verify kubeconfig is valid: kubectl cluster-info
2. Check network connectivity to cluster API server
3. Ensure proper RBAC permissions
4. Review connection status: mesheryctl connections list

Operator Not Starting

# Check operator logs
kubectl logs -n meshery -l app=meshery-operator

# Restart operator
mesheryctl system restart

Component Deployment Failures

1. Check events in Notification Center
2. Review component validation errors
3. Verify target namespace exists
4. Check resource quotas and limits

Next Steps

• Learn about Design Patterns for reusable configurations
• Set up Multi-Cluster Management
• Configure OPA Policies for governance
• Explore Integrations for your tech stack