KodeKloud Notes

Before diving into the demo, let’s explore the key tools, installation approaches, and observability options for Cilium on Kubernetes.

1. Cilium CLI: Your Primary Management Tool

The Cilium CLI is the go-to command-line utility for installing, managing, and troubleshooting Cilium:

View the overall status of Cilium components
Verify network connectivity across endpoints
Run built-in network tests
Enable Hubble for deep observability
Install Cilium and addons

The image shows a diagram titled "Installation Options and Components" with icons representing a management tool and various Cilium commands: status, connectivity test, hubble enable, and install.

# Check the health of your Cilium cluster
cilium status

# Run a connectivity test between pods
cilium connectivity test

# Enable Hubble for network observability
cilium hubble enable

# Install Cilium into your Kubernetes cluster
cilium install

Note

The Cilium CLI v0.14+ supports both direct CLI installs and Helm-style deployments, giving you full flexibility.

2. Installation Methods: CLI vs. Helm

Cilium can be installed in two interchangeable ways:

Installation Method	Command Example	Benefits
Cilium CLI	`cilium install`	All-in-one tool; built-in validation
Helm Chart	`helm install cilium cilium/cilium --version 1.x.y`	Familiar Helm workflow; chart config

The image shows logos for "Cilium" and "Helm" under the title "Installation Options and Components," with a note about the benefits for Helm users who also use the Cilium CLI.

In this demo, we’ll walk through both methods side by side.

3. Observability with Hubble

Hubble provides real-time visibility into network flows, service dependencies, and security policies. You can enable it:

During Cilium installation:
```
cilium install --enable-hubble
```
After Cilium is up and running:
```
cilium hubble enable
```

Warning

You must install Cilium before enabling Hubble, as Hubble relies on core Cilium components.

To interact with Hubble:

# Install Hubble CLI
curl -L --remote-name https://github.com/cilium/hubble-cli/releases/latest/download/hubble-linux-amd64.tar.gz
tar xzvf hubble-linux-amd64.tar.gz
sudo mv hubble /usr/local/bin/

# Check Hubble status
hubble status

# Stream live network events
hubble observe

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