Configure a Mesh global Control Plane with the Kubernetes demo app

Using Mesh Manager, you can create global Control Planes to manage your Kong Mesh meshes. This guide explains how to configure a global Control Plane and then install the Kubernetes demo app to test out the Kong Mesh interface in Konnect.

• A Kubernetes cluster with load balancer service capabilities
• kubectl installed and configured
• The latest version of Kong Mesh

Before you can add services or apply configurations, you must create a global Control Plane.

1. In Mesh Manager, click New Global Control Plane.
2. Name the Control Plane example-cp and click Save.

The global Control Plane is now created but has no functionality until you connect a zone.

After creating the global Control Plane, add a zone to connect services and receive configuration updates.

1. In the example-cp Control Plane, click Create Zone.

2. Enter zone-1 as the name, then click Create Zone & generate token.

   The zone name must use lowercase alphanumeric characters or hyphens, and start and end with an alphanumeric character.

3. Follow the Helm and token setup instructions in the UI. Once the zone is running, it will appear in Mesh Manager.

You now have a minimal Kong Mesh mesh. The next step is to add services.

To test your mesh, deploy the Kubernetes demo app:

kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kumahq/kuma-counter-demo/master/demo.yaml
kubectl wait -n kuma-demo --for=condition=ready pod --selector=app=demo-app --timeout=90s

This creates:

• demo-app: a counter web app on port 5000
• redis: the backing data store

To see these services:

1. Open Mesh Manager, select example-cp, and click Meshes.
2. Click Default, then go to the Services tab.

Because the mesh is deployed on Kubernetes, kumactl is read-only. You manage resources using kubectl. Still, it’s best practice to configure kumactl for visibility and diagnostics.

1. In Mesh Manager, select example-cp.
2. From the Actions menu, choose Configure kumactl and follow the steps.

3. Verify the demo services are running:

   kumactl get dataplanes
   

You should see two data planes: demo-app and redis.

See the kumactl command reference for more information.

You’ve successfully:

• Created a global Control Plane in Konnect
• Added a zone
• Deployed demo services
• Connected kumactl to your Control Plane

Try enabling traffic permissions on your demo services to explore Kong Mesh’s policy features.