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What Are Cluster States?

Cluster states in Ankra indicate whether the Ankra Agent running in your Kubernetes cluster is currently connected to the Ankra platform. This provides a simple, reliable signal of your cluster’s availability for management and monitoring. Ankra supports two cluster states:
  • Online: The Ankra Agent in your cluster is connected to the Ankra platform. This means your cluster is reachable, healthy, and ready for management operations.
  • Offline: The Ankra Agent is not connected to the Ankra platform. This usually means your cluster is unreachable-possibly due to network issues, cluster shutdown, or maintenance.

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Cluster States

Online

Cluster is reachable and healthy.
  • Ankra Agent is connected to the platform.
  • Kubernetes API is accessible via the agent.
  • Ready for deployments, monitoring, and management operations.
  • All platform features are available.

Offline

Cluster is not reachable.
  • Ankra Agent is disconnected from the platform.
  • May be due to network issues, cluster shutdown, or maintenance.
  • Cannot deploy stacks or view live resources.
  • Historical data and configuration remain available.

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Why Do Cluster States Matter?

Visibility

Instantly see which clusters are connected and available for management across your entire infrastructure.

Platform Access

When online, deploy stacks, browse Kubernetes resources, view logs, and manage add-ons. Offline clusters preserve configuration but cannot be actively managed.

Troubleshooting

Quickly identify connectivity issues. An offline state often indicates network problems, agent issues, or cluster maintenance.

Monitoring

Use cluster states with alerts to get notified when clusters go offline unexpectedly.

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Viewing Cluster State

You can view the current state of any cluster:
  1. Clusters List: The main Clusters page shows Online/Offline status for all clusters
  2. Cluster Dashboard: The cluster overview page displays connection status
  3. API: Query cluster state programmatically via the Ankra API
  4. Alerts: Configure alerts to notify you when clusters go offline

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Troubleshooting Offline Clusters

If a cluster shows as Offline, check the following:
1

Verify Cluster Accessibility

Ensure the Kubernetes cluster is running and accessible. Try connecting with kubectl from your local machine.
2

Check Agent Status

Verify the Ankra Agent pod is running in your cluster:
kubectl get pods -n ankra-system
3

Check Agent Logs

Review agent logs for connection errors:
kubectl logs -n ankra-system -l app=ankra-agent
4

Verify Network Connectivity

Ensure the agent can reach the Ankra platform. Check firewall rules and network policies that might block outbound connections.
5

Upgrade Agent

If running an older agent version, upgrade to the latest:
  • Go to cluster settings in Ankra
  • Click Upgrade Agent if an update is available

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Agent Connection

The Ankra Agent maintains a persistent connection to the platform:
  • Heartbeat: The agent sends regular heartbeats to confirm connectivity
  • Reconnection: If connection is lost, the agent automatically attempts to reconnect
  • Graceful Handling: Temporary network issues don’t immediately mark the cluster offline
The agent uses outbound connections only, so no inbound firewall rules are required. It connects to platform.ankra.app on standard HTTPS ports.
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