Self-Hosted Services and ProductivityDocs and File WorkflowsIntermediate1-2 hoursLab build

Create a Lightweight k3s Lab for Self-Hosted Services

By following this guide, you will set up a lightweight k3s cluster capable of running self-hosted services with ingress and persistent volumes.

Last reviewed4/30/2026

recipe and inventory systems

k3sDockerTraefikKubernetes

Expected Outcome

A fully functional k3s cluster with ingress capabilities and persistent storage for hosting self-managed applications.

Assumptions

A machine with at least 2GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores
Ubuntu 20.04 or later installed
Basic knowledge of terminal commands

Bill of Materials

Docker installed on the host machine
kubectl command-line tool
k3s installation script

Build Steps

Install k3s
Run the k3s installation script to set up the lightweight Kubernetes cluster.
Safe to run: read-only
```
curl -sfL https://get.k3s.io | sh -
```
Verify k3s installation
Check that k3s is running and accessible.
Safe to run: read-only
```
sudo k3s kubectl get nodes
```
Install ingress controller
Deploy Traefik as the ingress controller for managing external access to your services.
Changes system state: review before running
```
kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/traefik/traefik/v2.5/docs/content/reference/dynamic-configuration/kubernetes-ingress.yaml
```

Set up persistent volumes

Create a persistent volume and persistent volume claim for your applications.

Changes system state: review before running

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolume
metadata:
  name: my-pv
spec:
  capacity:
    storage: 1Gi
  accessModes:
    - ReadWriteOnce
  hostPath:
    path: /mnt/data
EOF
kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
  name: my-pvc
spec:
  accessModes:
    - ReadWriteOnce
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 1Gi
EOF

Deploy a sample application

Deploy a sample self-hosted application that uses the persistent volume and ingress.

Changes system state: review before running

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: my-app
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: my-app
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: my-app
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: my-app
        image: nginx:1.21.6
        volumeMounts:
        - mountPath: /usr/share/nginx/html
          name: my-storage
      volumes:
      - name: my-storage
        persistentVolumeClaim:
          claimName: my-pvc
EOF
kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: my-app-ingress
spec:
  rules:
  - host: my-app.local
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: my-app
            port:
              number: 80
EOF

Validation

Check that the application is running using 'kubectl get pods'.
Access the application via the ingress URL (http://my-app.local) after updating your /etc/hosts file.

Troubleshooting

If the pods are not running, check the logs with 'kubectl logs <pod-name>'.
Ensure that the ingress controller is properly configured and running.

Cleanup or Rollback

To remove the application, run 'kubectl delete -f <your-app-deployment-file.yaml>'.
To uninstall k3s, run 'sudo /usr/local/bin/k3s-uninstall.sh'.

Next Improvements

Explore deploying additional self-hosted services like a recipe management system.
Consider setting up a CI/CD pipeline for automated deployments.