Kubernetes-in-a-Box by Digitalis.io is a production-ready Kubernetes platform that deploys in under 15 minutes. No complex setup, no steep learning curve—just a complete, enterprise-grade container orchestration platform with monitoring, dashboards, GitOps, databases, and more.
Perfect for:
- 🏢 Development teams who need a quick Kubernetes environment for testing and development
- 🎓 Learning Kubernetes without the complexity of manual cluster setup
- 🚀 Proof-of-concepts and demos that need production-grade features
- 💼 Small to medium workloads that don't require a full managed Kubernetes service
- 🔬 CI/CD pipelines for testing containerized applications
| Feature | Kubernetes-in-a-Box | Managed K8s (EKS/GKE/AKS) |
|---|---|---|
| Setup Time | ⚡ ~15 minutes | 🐌 30-60+ minutes |
| Cost | 💰 ~$41/month (single t3.medium) | 💸 $75+ control plane + nodes |
| Complexity | 🎯 Web UI wizard | 📚 Complex CLI/Console setup |
| Pre-installed Tools | ✅ 10+ production tools included | ❌ Manual installation required |
| Best For | Dev, test, small workloads | Production at scale |
Deploy a complete Kubernetes platform with these production-grade tools pre-configured:
- K3s - Lightweight, certified Kubernetes distribution
- cert-manager - Automated SSL/TLS certificate management
- Rancher Local Path Provisioner - Dynamic persistent volume provisioning
- Traefik Ingress - Built-in load balancer and reverse proxy
- Prometheus - Metrics collection and monitoring
- Grafana - Beautiful dashboards and alerting
- Grafana Tempo - Distributed tracing (optional)
- CloudWatch Integration - AWS native monitoring
- ArgoCD - GitOps continuous delivery for Kubernetes
- Headlamp - Modern Kubernetes web dashboard
- code-server - VS Code in your browser for remote development
- MariaDB (MySQL) + phpMyAdmin - Relational database with web UI
- PostgreSQL (CloudNativePG) + pgAdmin - Advanced relational database with web UI
- Intuitive UI - No Kubernetes knowledge required
- One-click deployments - Enable/disable features with checkboxes
- Credential management - Auto-generated passwords and tokens
- Export configuration - Download kubeconfig and credentials
The fastest way to get started:
Prerequisites:
- AWS Account with appropriate permissions
- VPC with internet connectivity
- Subnet (public or private with NAT)
- EC2 Key Pair
Steps:
- Click the "Launch Stack" button above
- Fill in the required parameters:
- Stack name: Choose a name (e.g.,
my-kubernetes-cluster) - AmiId: Select the latest Kube AMI from your region
- InstanceType: Choose instance size (t3.medium recommended)
- KeyName: Select your EC2 key pair
- VpcId: Select your VPC
- SubnetId: Select your subnet
- AllowedSshCidr: Your IP address or CIDR range (for security)
- Stack name: Choose a name (e.g.,
- Click "Create Stack"
- Wait ~10-15 minutes for deployment
- Access the wizard URL from stack outputs
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ AWS Cloud │
│ ┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ VPC │ │
│ │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │
│ │ │ EC2 Instance (K3s) │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ Configuration Wizard UI │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ https://<ip>:9443 │ │ │ │
│ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ Kubernetes Cluster (K3s) │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ ┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ Ingress │ │ Applications │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ (Traefik) │ │ • ArgoCD │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ └─────────────┘ │ • Headlamp │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ • Prometheus │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ ┌─────────────┐ │ • Grafana │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ Storage │ │ • Databases │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ (Local Path)│ │ • code-server │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ └─────────────┘ └──────────────────────┘ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ | │ │
│ │ | │ │
│ │ ┌─────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ | │ │
│ │ │ Security │ │ IAM Role │ │ Elastic IP │ │ │ |
│ │ │ Group │ │ │ │ │ │ │ |
│ │ └─────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ │ │ |
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────-┘ │ |
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Once your stack is deployed:
Navigate to the Wizard URL from CloudFormation outputs:
https://<YOUR-INSTANCE-IP>:9443
Note: You may see a certificate warning (self-signed certificate). This is normal—click "Advanced" and proceed.
The wizard provides an intuitive interface to:
- ✅ Enable/disable applications with checkboxes
- 🔧 Configure databases, monitoring, GitOps
- 👀 Preview what will be deployed
- 🚀 Deploy everything with one click
Watch real-time deployment logs as Ansible:
- 📦 Installs Helm charts
- 🔐 Configures certificates
- 🗄️ Sets up databases
- 📊 Deploys monitoring tools
After deployment completes, the success page shows:
- 🔑 All credentials and access tokens
- 🌐 Application URLs for all deployed services
- 📥 Download buttons for kubeconfig and complete configuration
- 🔒 "Complete and Lock" button to secure the wizard
Important: Download and save:
config.yml- Complete configuration with all credentialskubeconfig- Kubernetes cluster access configuration
Then click "Complete and Lock Wizard" to secure the system.
# Download kubeconfig from the wizard
export KUBECONFIG=~/Downloads/kubeconfig
# Verify cluster access
kubectl get nodes
kubectl get pods -A
# Deploy a sample application
kubectl create deployment nginx --image=nginx
kubectl expose deployment nginx --port=80 --type=ClusterIP# Get the Headlamp URL from success page
open https://headlamp.<YOUR-IP>.nip.io
# Use the token from config.yml to log in# Access ArgoCD UI
open https://argocd.<YOUR-IP>.nip.io
# Login with credentials from config.yml
# Username: admin
# Password: <from config.yml>
# Connect your Git repository and deploy applications# Access Grafana
open https://grafana.<YOUR-IP>.nip.io
# Login with default credentials (admin/prom-operator)
# Explore pre-configured dashboards for:
# - Kubernetes cluster metrics
# - Node exporter metrics
# - Application metrics# MariaDB (if enabled):
open https://phpmyadmin.<YOUR-IP>.nip.io
# PostgreSQL (if enabled):
open https://pgadmin.<YOUR-IP>.nip.io
# Credentials are in config.ymlMonthly costs (us-east-1 region):
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| t3.medium (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM) | ~$30.37 |
| 50 GB gp3 volume | ~$4.00 |
| Elastic IP | Free (while attached) |
| CloudWatch monitoring | ~$7.00 (if enabled) |
| Data transfer | Variable |
| Total (approx) | ~$41-45/month |
Cost Optimization Tips:
- 💡 Use t4g.medium (ARM) for
20% savings: **$24.55/month** - 🌙 Stop instances during off-hours for dev/test environments
- 📊 Disable detailed monitoring if not needed: save ~$7/month
- 🔄 Use Spot Instances for non-production: save up to 70%
Compare to Managed Kubernetes:
- AWS EKS: $73/month (control plane) + $30/month (node) = $103+/month
- Savings: 60% less than managed Kubernetes
# Check wizard service status
ssh -i ~/.ssh/YOUR-KEY.pem ubuntu@<INSTANCE-IP>
sudo systemctl status wizard
# View logs
sudo journalctl -u wizard -f# Check K3s status
sudo systemctl status k3s
# View K3s logs
sudo journalctl -u k3s -f
# Check cluster health
export KUBECONFIG=/etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml
kubectl get nodes
kubectl get pods -AFor enterprise support, training, and consulting:
- 🌐 Visit Digitalis.io
- 📧 Email support@digitalis.io
- 💼 Contact Us for custom solutions
Digitalis.io specializes in cloud-native solutions, Kubernetes consulting, and DevOps transformation. We help organizations:
- 🚀 Adopt Kubernetes and containerization
- 📊 Implement observability and monitoring
- 🔄 Establish CI/CD pipelines
- 🔒 Secure cloud infrastructure
- 📈 Scale applications efficiently