Introduction

This documentation provides a beginner-friendly, step-by-step guide on how to deploy a standalone Kubernetes cluster using K3s on an AWS EC2 instance. You’ll learn how to set up the cluster, access it via OpenLens , and deploy an Nginx web server accessible from the internet. Even if you’re new to Kubernetes, this guide walks you through everything ; from launching the EC2 instance to viewing your running pods in OpenLens.

Objectives

By the end of this documentation, you’ll be able to:

• Create and launch an EC2 instance for Kubernetes deployment.
• Install and configure K3s on the server.
• Connect your K3s cluster to OpenLens.
• Deploy an Nginx application on your cluster.
• Expose your application publicly using a NodePort Service.
• Troubleshoot and resolve common issues in K3s deployment.

Steps to Deploy a Standalone K3s Cluster

Install Kubernetes CLI (kubectl) via Chocolatey

Run this in PowerShell (as Administrator):

Install OpenLens via Chocolatey

Still in PowerShell (as Administrator):

Step 1: Launch an EC2 Instance

1. Log in to your AWS Management Console.
2. Navigate to EC2 Dashboard → Instances → Launch Instance.