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External DNS

Overview​

External DNS is available as an add-on within Ankra's platform, providing automatic DNS record management across multi-cloud environments. With this add-on, DNS records are updated seamlessly without manual intervention, ensuring consistency and simplifying multi-cloud operations.

Configuration Options​

The External DNS add-on offers several configurable inputs that allow you to customize the deployment to suit your cluster's needs. Below are the available inputs:

Inputs​

  • Helm Release Name
    This input sets the name of the Helm release for External DNS.

    • Default: external-dns

    Example:

    helm_release_name: "external-dns"

  • Helm Chart Version
    This input sets the version of the External DNS Helm chart to deploy.

    • Default: 1.15.0
    • Options:
      • 1.15.0 (default)
      • 1.14.3

    Example:

    helm_chart_version: "1.15.0"

  • Namespace
    This input defines the namespace where External DNS will be deployed.

    • Default: external-dns

    Example:

    namespace: "external-dns"

  • Service Monitor Enabled
    This input allows you to enable or disable the service monitor for Prometheus.

    • Default: false
    • Options:
      • true
      • false (default)

    Example:

    service_monitor_enabled: "false"

  • Provider
    This input defines the DNS provider to be used for External DNS.

    • Default: cloudflare
    • Options:
      • cloudflare

    Example:

    provider: "cloudflare"

  • Cloudflare API Email
    This input defines the email address associated with the Cloudflare account.

    • Default: ""

    Example:

    cloudflare_api_email: "[email protected]"

  • Cloudflare API Key Variable Name
    This input specifies the name of the secret key containing the Cloudflare API key.

    • Default: CLOUDFLARE_API_KEY

    Example:

    cloudflare_api_key_variable_name: "CLOUDFLARE_API_KEY"

  • Log Level
    This input sets the logging level for External DNS.

    • Default: info
    • Options:
      • info (default)
      • debug
      • error
      • fatal

    Example:

    log_level: "info"

  • Policy
    This input controls how DNS records are synchronized between sources and providers.

    • Default: upsert-only
    • Options:
      • sync
      • upsert-only (default)

    Example:

    policy: "upsert-only"

  • TXT Owner ID
    This input sets the owner ID for the TXT records created by External DNS.

    • Default: $CLUSTER_ID_SHORT

    Example:

    txt_owner_id: "$CLUSTER_ID_SHORT"

Usage​

Deploying External DNS​

To deploy External DNS in your Kubernetes cluster using Ankra, follow these steps:

  1. Access the Add-ons Section
    In Ankra's platform, navigate to the Add-ons section and select External DNS from the list of available add-ons.

  2. Configure Inputs
    You will be prompted to configure the following inputs:

    • Helm Release Name: Set the name for the Helm release.
    • Helm Chart Version: Choose the version of External DNS to install.
    • Namespace: Set the namespace for the deployment.
    • Service Monitor Enabled: Optionally enable Prometheus service monitoring.
    • Provider: Set the DNS provider (e.g., Cloudflare).
    • Cloudflare API Email: Enter your Cloudflare account email.
    • Cloudflare API Key Variable Name: Specify the variable name for the Cloudflare API key.
    • Log Level: Set the logging level for External DNS.
    • Policy: Choose how DNS records should be synchronized.
    • TXT Owner ID: Set the owner ID for TXT records.

    Example configuration:

    helm_release_name: "external-dns"
    helm_chart_version: "1.15.0"
    namespace: "external-dns"
    service_monitor_enabled: "false"
    provider: "cloudflare"
    cloudflare_api_email: "[email protected]"
    cloudflare_api_key_variable_name: "CLOUDFLARE_API_KEY"
    log_level: "info"
    policy: "upsert-only"
    txt_owner_id: "$CLUSTER_ID_SHORT"

  3. How to use External DNS

    apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
    kind: Ingress
    metadata:
    name: grafana-ingress
    annotations:
        external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: "grafana.example.com"
        external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/ttl: "60"
        external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/target: "a1b2c3d4e5f6.elb.amazonaws.com"  # AWS ELB target
        external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/cloudflare-proxied: "false"  # No Cloudflare proxy, direct traffic