Kubernetes Upgrade and EKS Upgrade: A Comprehensive Guide by Kapstan

kapstan kapstan
Apr 28, 2025 - 11:56
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Kubernetes has become the go-to platform for container orchestration, widely adopted for managing and scaling containerized applications. Keeping your Kubernetes cluster up-to-date is crucial for ensuring the stability, security, and performance of your applications. In this article, we’ll explore the importance of Kubernetes upgrades, specifically focusing on Amazon EKS Upgrades, and provide best practices for smooth upgrades to maintain a robust infrastructure.

Why Kubernetes and EKS Upgrades Matter

Kubernetes releases regular updates to introduce new features, improve security, and fix bugs. As the Kubernetes ecosystem evolves, it is essential for businesses to stay on top of these upgrades. Similarly, with Amazon EKS, keeping your clusters up to date ensures that your workloads benefit from the latest features and performance optimizations provided by AWS.

Benefits of Upgrading Kubernetes and EKS:

  • Security: Regular updates address vulnerabilities and enhance security.

  • New Features: Kubernetes upgrades introduce new capabilities and improvements, such as better autoscaling and enhanced networking.

  • Bug Fixes: Staying updated ensures your cluster runs smoothly without running into known issues.

  • Performance Improvements: Each new release typically brings optimizations that can improve the efficiency of your workload management.

Key Steps for Upgrading Kubernetes on EKS

Upgrading Kubernetes can be a daunting task, especially when managing production environments. With Amazon EKS, however, AWS provides a seamless way to perform upgrades with minimal disruption. Below are the steps and best practices to follow when upgrading your Kubernetes cluster on EKS:

1. Plan Your Upgrade

Before jumping into the upgrade process, careful planning is essential to minimize downtime and avoid potential compatibility issues. Consider the following:

  • Review Compatibility: Check if the Kubernetes version you want to upgrade to is compatible with the versions of your applications and services.

  • Backup Your Cluster: Ensure you have backups of important configurations, such as the kubeconfig file and other configurations that might be necessary during the upgrade.

  • Check Release Notes: Examine the release notes for the Kubernetes version to understand the changes and new features introduced.

2. Update Your EKS CLI Tools

The next step is to ensure that your AWS CLI and eksctl tools are up-to-date. AWS regularly updates these tools, adding support for new Kubernetes versions and offering additional functionalities.

  • Run aws --version to verify your AWS CLI version.

  • Ensure eksctl is updated by running eksctl version.

3. Upgrade the Control Plane

In Amazon EKS, the control plane is fully managed by AWS. To upgrade the control plane:

  • Use the EKS console or AWS CLI to select the Kubernetes version to upgrade to.

  • To perform the upgrade through the CLI, use

Kubernetes has become the go-to platform for container orchestration, widely adopted for managing and scaling containerized applications. Keeping your Kubernetes cluster up-to-date is crucial for ensuring the stability, security, and performance of your applications. In this article, we’ll explore the importance of Kubernetes upgrades, specifically focusing on Amazon EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service), and provide best practices for smooth upgrades to maintain a robust infrastructure.

Why Kubernetes and EKS Upgrades Matter

Kubernetes releases regular updates to introduce new features, improve security, and fix bugs. As the Kubernetes ecosystem evolves, it is essential for businesses to stay on top of these upgrades. Similarly, with Amazon EKS, keeping your clusters up to date ensures that your workloads benefit from the latest features and performance optimizations provided by AWS.

Benefits of Upgrading Kubernetes and EKS:

  • Security: Regular updates address vulnerabilities and enhance security.

  • New Features: Kubernetes upgrades introduce new capabilities and improvements, such as better autoscaling and enhanced networking.

  • Bug Fixes: Staying updated ensures your cluster runs smoothly without running into known issues.

  • Performance Improvements: Each new release typically brings optimizations that can improve the efficiency of your workload management.

Key Steps for Upgrading Kubernetes on EKS

Upgrading Kubernetes can be a daunting task, especially when managing production environments. With Amazon EKS, however, AWS provides a seamless way to perform upgrades with minimal disruption. Below are the steps and best practices to follow when upgrading your Kubernetes cluster on EKS:

1. Plan Your Upgrade

Before jumping into the upgrade process, careful planning is essential to minimize downtime and avoid potential compatibility issues. Consider the following:

  • Review Compatibility: Check if the Kubernetes version you want to upgrade to is compatible with the versions of your applications and services.

  • Backup Your Cluster: Ensure you have backups of important configurations, such as the kubeconfig file and other configurations that might be necessary during the upgrade.

  • Check Release Notes: Examine the release notes for the Kubernetes version to understand the changes and new features introduced.

2. Update Your EKS CLI Tools

The next step is to ensure that your AWS CLI and eksctl tools are up-to-date. AWS regularly updates these tools, adding support for new Kubernetes versions and offering additional functionalities.

  • Run aws --version to verify your AWS CLI version.

  • Ensure eksctl is updated by running eksctl version.

3. Upgrade the Control Plane

In Amazon EKS, the control plane is fully managed by AWS. To upgrade the control plane:

  • Use the EKS console or AWS CLI to select the Kubernetes version to upgrade to.

  • To perform the upgrade through the CLI, use:

4. Upgrade Worker Nodes

After upgrading the control plane, it’s time to upgrade the worker nodes. This step ensures that the nodes running your applications are compatible with the updated Kubernetes version.

  • Managed Node Groups: If you’re using managed node groups, the upgrade process is automatic, and AWS handles node replacements for you.

  • Self-Managed Nodes: If you’re using self-managed nodes, you’ll need to manually drain and upgrade your instances:

5. Test the Upgrade

After completing the upgrade, it’s essential to test the functionality of your workloads. Ensure all pods are running as expected, and check for any issues related to network policies, services, or other Kubernetes resources. Perform health checks and monitor logs for potential errors.

Best Practices for a Smooth EKS Upgrade

To ensure your Kubernetes upgrade on EKS is smooth and efficient, here are some best practices:

  • Perform Upgrades During Off-Peak Hours: Schedule the upgrade during a low-traffic period to minimize the impact on production workloads.

  • Use Blue-Green or Canary Deployments: If your workloads are sensitive, consider using blue-green or canary deployment strategies to deploy new versions incrementally.

  • Monitor the Upgrade Process: Use Amazon CloudWatch and Kubernetes tools like Prometheus to monitor your clusters before, during, and after the upgrade.

  • Test Before Upgrading Production: Always test the upgrade in a staging or dev environment to identify potential issues before applying it to production.

  • Automate the Process: Use automation tools like eksctl, AWS CloudFormation, or Terraform to manage and automate upgrades, reducing human error and simplifying the process.

Troubleshooting Common Upgrade Issues

Sometimes, despite following best practices, issues can arise during a Kubernetes upgrade. Common problems include:

  • Incompatible Custom Resources: If your applications rely on custom resources, ensure they are compatible with the new Kubernetes version.

  • API Deprecation: Kubernetes periodically deprecates older APIs. Check for deprecated APIs in your workloads and update them accordingly.

  • Failed Node Upgrades: If a node fails to upgrade, inspect the node’s configuration and check AWS logs for specific errors.

Conclusion

Kubernetes upgrades are an essential part of maintaining a secure, efficient, and reliable infrastructure. For those using Amazon EKS, the upgrade process is simplified but requires careful planning and execution. By following the steps outlined in this guide, businesses can ensure that their EKS clusters are always running the latest and most secure version of Kubernetes.

At Kapstan, we specialize in providing cloud-native solutions and helping businesses scale effectively with Kubernetes. If you're looking to simplify your EKS management or need assistance with your Kubernetes upgrade strategy, reach out to Kapstan for expert guidance and support.