> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Demo External DNS

> This guide explains how to install and configure ExternalDNS on Kubernetes to manage GoDaddy DNS records automatically.

In this guide, you will learn how to install and configure [ExternalDNS](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/external-dns) on a Kubernetes cluster to automatically manage DNS records in GoDaddy based on Ingress resources. This approach ensures that your services are always reachable via the correct domain names without manual DNS updates.

## Cluster Overview

Before we begin, verify the current state of your cluster and the Traefik ingress controller.

```bash theme={null}
kubectl get all
```

```plaintext theme={null}
NAME                                READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
pod/whoami-8c9864b56-phnp7          1/1     Running   0          17m

NAME                TYPE        CLUSTER-IP       EXTERNAL-IP   PORT(S)   AGE
service/kubernetes  ClusterIP   10.96.0.1        <none>        443/TCP   14h
service/whoami      ClusterIP   10.104.155.171   <none>        80/TCP    17m

NAME                                READY   UP-TO-DATE   AVAILABLE   AGE
deployment.apps/whoami              1/1     1            1           17m

NAME                                        DESIRED   CURRENT   READY   AGE
replicaset.apps/whoami-8c9864b56           1         1         1       17m
```

Check Traefik in the `traefik` namespace:

```bash theme={null}
kubectl get pods -n traefik
```

```plaintext theme={null}
NAME                             READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
traefik-7df9fd988f-j49ln         1/1     Running   0          18m
```

***

## 1. Install ExternalDNS via Helm

1. Add and update the ExternalDNS Helm repository:

   ```bash theme={null}
   helm repo add external-dns https://kubernetes-sigs.github.io/external-dns/
   helm repo update
   ```

2. Create a `values.yaml` file with your GoDaddy credentials:

   ```yaml theme={null}
   # values.yaml
   provider:
     name: godaddy
   sources:
     - ingress
   domainFilters:
     - kubernetkk.xyz
   txtPrefix: external-dns
   txtOwnerId: owner-id
   extraArgs:
     - --godaddy-api-key=YOUR_GO_DADDY_API_KEY
     - --godaddy-api-secret=YOUR_GO_DADDY_API_SECRET
     - --godaddy-api-ote
   ```

### Values Reference

| Key             | Description                                                | Example                 |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- |
| `provider.name` | DNS provider to use                                        | `godaddy`               |
| `sources`       | Kubernetes resources to watch (`service`, `ingress`, etc.) | `- ingress`             |
| `domainFilters` | Domains allowed for record management                      | `- kubernetkk.xyz`      |
| `txtPrefix`     | Prefix for TXT ownership records                           | `external-dns`          |
| `txtOwnerId`    | Identifier for TXT record ownership                        | `owner-id`              |
| `extraArgs`     | Additional CLI flags, including API credentials & OTE flag | `--godaddy-api-key=...` |

<Callout icon="triangle-alert" color="#FF6B6B">
  Never commit your GoDaddy API key/secret to version control. Use a secure secret management system or Kubernetes `Secret`.
</Callout>

3. Install ExternalDNS in the `default` namespace:

   ```bash theme={null}
   helm install external-dns external-dns/external-dns \
     --values ./values.yaml --namespace default
   ```

4. Confirm the ExternalDNS pod is running:

   ```bash theme={null}
   kubectl get pods -n default -l app.kubernetes.io/name=external-dns
   ```

5. View logs to verify it authenticates and syncs:

   ```bash theme={null}
   kubectl logs -f deployment/external-dns -n default
   ```

   Expected log excerpt:

   ```plaintext theme={null}
   time="2024-07-18T23:18:02Z" level=info msg="Using inCluster-config based on serviceaccount-token"
   time="2024-07-18T23:18:04Z" level=info msg="GoDaddy: 2 zones found"
   time="2024-07-18T23:18:04Z" level=info msg="All records are already up to date"
   ```

***

## 2. Create and Apply the Ingress

Define an Ingress that exposes the `whoami` service and instructs ExternalDNS to manage the DNS record `whoami.kubernetkk.xyz` pointing to your node IP (`192.168.121.243` in this example).

```yaml theme={null}
# ingress.yaml
apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: whoami-ingress
  annotations:
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: whoami.kubernetkk.xyz
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/target: "192.168.121.243"
spec:
  rules:
    - http:
        paths:
          - path: /
            pathType: Prefix
            backend:
              service:
                name: whoami
                port:
                  number: 80
```

Apply the Ingress:

```bash theme={null}
kubectl apply -f ingress.yaml
```

Watch ExternalDNS logs as it detects the new Ingress:

```bash theme={null}
kubectl logs -f deployment/external-dns -n default
```

Look for a log entry like:

```plaintext theme={null}
time="2024-07-18T23:21:05Z" level=info msg="GoDaddy: 3 changes will be done"
```

This confirms that ExternalDNS is creating the DNS record.

<Callout icon="lightbulb" color="#1CB2FE">
  If you use a cloud provider’s `LoadBalancer` service type, omit the `external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/target` annotation. ExternalDNS will automatically use the LoadBalancer’s IP.
</Callout>

***

## References

* [ExternalDNS GitHub](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/external-dns)
* [GoDaddy API Documentation](https://developer.godaddy.com/)
* [Kubernetes Ingress](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/services-networking/ingress/)
* [Helm Charts](https://helm.sh/docs/topics/charts/)

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