> ## 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.

# Deploying an application to LKE intro

> This guide explains how to deploy a stateless Nginx web server to a Linode Kubernetes Engine cluster.

In this guide, you’ll deploy a stateless Nginx web server to your Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE) cluster. We’ll use the official `nginx:latest` Docker image, scale it to two replicas, and expose it externally via a LoadBalancer service.

## Prerequisites

* An active LKE cluster with at least one node
* `kubectl` configured to target your LKE cluster
* Basic familiarity with Kubernetes concepts

***

## 1. Define Your Deployment and Service

Create a manifest file named `nginx.yaml`:

```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: nginx-deployment
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: nginx-deployment
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: nginx-deployment
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: nginx
        image: nginx:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: nginxservice
spec:
  selector:
    app: nginx-deployment
  ports:
  - protocol: TCP
    port: 80
    targetPort: 80
  type: LoadBalancer
```

<Callout icon="lightbulb" color="#1CB2FE">
  The `LoadBalancer` service type on LKE provisions a cloud load balancer and assigns it an external IP automatically.
</Callout>

***

## 2. Verify Your Context and Apply the Manifest

1. Confirm you’re connected to the correct cluster:

   ```bash theme={null}
   kubectl config current-context
   ```

2. List your nodes to ensure they’re **Ready**:

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

   ```bash theme={null}
   NAME                           STATUS   ROLES    AGE    VERSION
   lke61875-96182-628e15174c4b   Ready    <none>   15m    v1.23.6
   ```

3. Deploy the Nginx resources:

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

   ```bash theme={null}
   deployment.apps/nginx-deployment created
   service/nginxservice created
   ```

***

## 3. Monitor Your Deployment

Use these commands to check the status of your pods, deployments, and service:

| Command                   | Description                    |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| `kubectl get pods`        | List all pods and their status |
| `kubectl get deployments` | Show deployment rollout status |
| `kubectl get svc`         | Display service endpoints      |

Example output:

```bash theme={null}
kubectl get pods
NAME                                    READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
nginx-deployment-588c8d7b4b2jvf6        1/1     Running   0          30s
nginx-deployment-588c8d7b4b4975w        1/1     Running   0          30s

kubectl get deployments
NAME               READY   UP-TO-DATE   AVAILABLE   AGE
nginx-deployment   2/2     2            2           45s
```

***

## 4. Retrieve the External IP

```bash theme={null}
kubectl get svc nginxservice
```

You should see output similar to:

```bash theme={null}
NAME           TYPE           CLUSTER-IP      EXTERNAL-IP       PORT(S)        AGE
nginxservice   LoadBalancer   10.128.88.229   104.200.23.238    80:31279/TCP   17s
```

<Callout icon="triangle-alert" color="#FF6B6B">
  It can take a minute or two for the `EXTERNAL-IP` to provision. If `<pending>` appears, wait a bit and run the command again.
</Callout>

***

## 5. Access Nginx in Your Browser

Open your web browser and navigate to:

```text theme={null}
http://104.200.23.238
```

You should see the default Nginx welcome page, confirming your application is live behind a cloud load balancer.

***

## 6. Inspect via the Kubernetes Dashboard

You can also verify the deployment and service in the Kubernetes Dashboard.

<Frame>
  ![The image shows a Kubernetes dashboard displaying workloads, including deployments and pods, with details about an Nginx deployment. The interface lists various Kubernetes resources like Cron Jobs, Daemon Sets, and Replica Sets.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752881211/notes-assets/images/Linode-Kubernetes-Engine-Deploying-an-application-to-LKE-intro/kubernetes-dashboard-workloads-nginx.jpg)
</Frame>

Here you’ll find the **nginx-deployment** with two Pods and a ReplicaSet.

<Frame>
  ![The image shows a Kubernetes dashboard displaying details of a service named "nginxservice," including its type as a LoadBalancer, cluster IP, and endpoints. The interface also lists various Kubernetes resources like Workloads, Services, and Config Maps.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752881212/notes-assets/images/Linode-Kubernetes-Engine-Deploying-an-application-to-LKE-intro/kubernetes-dashboard-nginxservice-details.jpg)
</Frame>

Inspect the **nginxservice** object to confirm it’s of type LoadBalancer with the correct cluster IP and external endpoints.

<Frame>
  ![The image shows a Kubernetes dashboard displaying services, including "nginxservice" and "kubernetes," with details like type and IP addresses. The sidebar lists various Kubernetes resources such as Workloads and Config Maps.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752881212/notes-assets/images/Linode-Kubernetes-Engine-Deploying-an-application-to-LKE-intro/kubernetes-dashboard-services-details.jpg)
</Frame>

***

## Links and References

* [Linode Kubernetes Engine Documentation](https://www.linode.com/docs/kubernetes/)
* [Kubernetes Concepts: Services](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/services-networking/service/)
* [Nginx Docker Image on Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/_/nginx)

<CardGroup>
  <Card title="Watch Video" icon="video" cta="Learn more" href="https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/linode-kubernetes-engine/module/9702fbe2-4321-41c5-87e8-8ea364da097d/lesson/f48c11c9-bffc-4735-bffc-f051c2f89b56" />
</CardGroup>