You are currently viewing K8S Helm Longhorn Rancher WP Setup

K8S Helm Longhorn Rancher WP Setup

K8S Helm Longhorn WP Setup

✅ Step 1: Install RKE2 (Kubernetes)

RKE2 is a lightweight, CNCF-certified Kubernetes distribution.

1.1 Install RKE2

curl -sfL https://get.rke2.io | sh –

1.2 Enable and Start RKE2 Server

systemctl enable rke2-server.service

systemctl start rke2-server.service

1.3 Add kubectl to your path and set kubeconfig

echo ‘export PATH=$PATH:/var/lib/rancher/rke2/bin’ >> ~/.bashrc

source ~/.bashrc

mkdir -p ~/.kube

cp /etc/rancher/rke2/rke2.yaml ~/.kube/config

chown $(id -u):$(id -g) ~/.kube/config

✅ Step 2: Install Helm

2.1 Download Helm

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/main/scripts/get-helm-3 | bash

helm version

✅ Step 3: Install Longhorn (Storage Management)

3.1 Add the Longhorn Helm repo

helm repo add longhorn https://charts.longhorn.io

helm repo update

3.2 Create a namespace and install

kubectl create namespace longhorn-system

helm install longhorn longhorn/longhorn \

  –namespace longhorn-system \

  –set defaultSettings.defaultReplicaCount=1

3.3 Optional (UI Access via NodePort): Expose Longhorn using NodePort (by default it does):

kubectl get svc -n longhorn-system | grep longhorn-frontend

kubectl patch svc longhorn-frontend \

  -n longhorn-system \

  -p ‘{“spec”: {“type”: “NodePort”}}’

kubectl get svc longhorn-frontend -n longhorn-system

4. Install Rancher with Ingress

Step 4.1: Add Helm repo

helm repo add rancher-latest https://releases.rancher.com/server-charts/latest

helm repo update

Step 4.2: Create Namespace

kubectl create namespace cattle-system

Step 4.3: Install Cert Manager (optional if using Let’s Encrypt)

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/download/v1.14.3/cert-manager.yaml

Output: 

namespace/cert-manager created

customresourcedefinition.apiextensions.k8s.io/certificaterequests.cert-manager.io created

customresourcedefinition.apiextensions.k8s.io/certificates.cert-manager.io created

customresourcedefinition.apiextensions.k8s.io/challenges.acme.cert-manager.io created

customresourcedefinition.apiextensions.k8s.io/clusterissuers.cert-manager.io created

customresourcedefinition.apiextensions.k8s.io/issuers.cert-manager.io created

customresourcedefinition.apiextensions.k8s.io/orders.acme.cert-manager.io created

serviceaccount/cert-manager-cainjector created

serviceaccount/cert-manager created

serviceaccount/cert-manager-webhook created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-cainjector created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-issuers created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-clusterissuers created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-certificates created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-orders created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-challenges created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-ingress-shim created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-cluster-view created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-view created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-edit created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-approve:cert-manager-io created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-certificatesigningrequests created

clusterrole.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-webhook:subjectaccessreviews created

clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-cainjector created

clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-issuers created

clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-clusterissuers created

clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-certificates created

clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-orders created

clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-challenges created

clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-ingress-shim created

clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-approve:cert-manager-io created

clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-controller-certificatesigningrequests created

clusterrolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-webhook:subjectaccessreviews created

role.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-cainjector:leaderelection created

role.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager:leaderelection created

role.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-webhook:dynamic-serving created

rolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-cainjector:leaderelection created

rolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager:leaderelection created

rolebinding.rbac.authorization.k8s.io/cert-manager-webhook:dynamic-serving created

service/cert-manager created

service/cert-manager-webhook created

deployment.apps/cert-manager-cainjector created

deployment.apps/cert-manager created

deployment.apps/cert-manager-webhook created

mutatingwebhookconfiguration.admissionregistration.k8s.io/cert-manager-webhook created

validatingwebhookconfiguration.admissionregistration.k8s.io/cert-manager-webhook created

Wait until pods are running:

kubectl get pods -n cert-manager

Output: 

NAME                                       READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE

cert-manager-777f759894-bwczl              1/1     Running   0          50s

cert-manager-cainjector-6fdf5f5cd6-lkbvd   1/1     Running   0          50s

cert-manager-webhook-55c7b766bd-f2hx6      1/1     Running   0          50s

Step 4.4: Install Rancher

helm install rancher rancher-latest/rancher \

  –namespace cattle-system \

  –set hostname=rancher.lintsawa.com \

  –set replicas=1 \

  –set ingress.tls.source=letsEncrypt \

  –set letsEncrypt.email=admin@lintsawa.com \

  –set letsEncrypt.ingress.class=nginx

Output

NAME: rancher

LAST DEPLOYED: Sat Jun 14 19:16:18 2025

NAMESPACE: cattle-system

STATUS: deployed

REVISION: 1

TEST SUITE: None

NOTES:

Rancher Server has been installed.

NOTE: Rancher may take several minutes to fully initialize. Please standby while Certificates are being issued, Containers are started and the Ingress rule comes up.

Check out our docs at https://rancher.com/docs/

If you provided your own bootstrap password during installation, browse to https://rancher.lintsawa.com to get started.

If this is the first time you installed Rancher, get started by running this command and clicking the URL it generates:

“`

echo https://rancher.lintsawa.com/dashboard/?setup=$(kubectl get secret –namespace cattle-system bootstrap-secret -o go-template='{{.data.bootstrapPassword|base64decode}}’)

“`

To get just the bootstrap password on its own, run:

“`

kubectl get secret –namespace cattle-system bootstrap-secret -o go-template='{{.data.bootstrapPassword|base64decode}}{{ “\n” }}’

“`

Happy Containering!

⚠️ Ensure rancher.lintsawa.com points to your server IP in DNS.

5. Setup Ingress Controller

RKE2 already includes nginx-ingress.

Check:

kubectl get pods -n kube-system | grep ingress

You can create an Ingress rule for WordPress and Rancher. You don’t need to install anything extra unless you want a different ingress controller.

6. Deploy MySQL (for WordPress)

Step 6.1: Create Namespace

kubectl create namespace wp

Step 6.2: Add Bitnami Repo

helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami

helm repo update

Step 6.3: Install MySQL

helm install wp-mysql bitnami/mysql \

  –namespace wp \

  –set auth.rootPassword=rootpass123 \

  –set auth.database=wordpress \

  –set primary.persistence.storageClass=longhorn \

  –set primary.persistence.size=10Gi

Watch : 

kubectl get pods -w –namespace wp

Output: 

NAME: wp-mysql

LAST DEPLOYED: Sat Jun 14 19:26:41 2025

NAMESPACE: wp

STATUS: deployed

REVISION: 1

TEST SUITE: None

NOTES:

CHART NAME: mysql

CHART VERSION: 13.0.2

APP VERSION: 9.3.0

Did you know there are enterprise versions of the Bitnami catalog? For enhanced secure software supply chain features, unlimited pulls from Docker, LTS support, or application customization, see Bitnami Premium or Tanzu Application Catalog. See https://www.arrow.com/globalecs/na/vendors/bitnami for more information.

** Please be patient while the chart is being deployed **

Tip:

  Watch the deployment status using the command: kubectl get pods -w –namespace wp

Services:

  echo Primary: wp-mysql.wp.svc.cluster.local:3306

Execute the following to get the administrator credentials:

  echo Username: root

  MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=$(kubectl get secret –namespace wp wp-mysql -o jsonpath=”{.data.mysql-root-password}” | base64 -d)

To connect to your database:

  1. Run a pod that you can use as a client:

      kubectl run wp-mysql-client –rm –tty -i –restart=’Never’ –image  docker.io/bitnami/mysql:9.3.0-debian-12-r2 –namespace wp –env MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD –command — bash

  2. To connect to primary service (read/write):

      mysql -h wp-mysql.wp.svc.cluster.local -uroot -p”$MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD”

WARNING: There are “resources” sections in the chart not set. Using “resourcesPreset” is not recommended for production. For production installations, please set the following values according to your workload needs:

  – primary.resources

  – secondary.resources

+info https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/configuration/manage-resources-containers/

7. Deploy WordPress (Helm)

helm install wp bitnami/wordpress \

  –namespace wp \

  –set wordpressUsername=admin \

  –set wordpressPassword=adminpass123 \

  –set wordpressBlogName=”Kube WP” \

  –set mariadb.enabled=false \

  –set externalDatabase.host=wp-mysql.wp.svc.cluster.local \

  –set externalDatabase.user=root \

  –set externalDatabase.password=rootpass123 \

  –set externalDatabase.database=wordpress \

  –set persistence.storageClass=longhorn \

  –set ingress.enabled=true \

  –set ingress.hostname=kube-wp.lintsawa.com

Output:

NAME: wp

LAST DEPLOYED: Sat Jun 14 19:32:47 2025

NAMESPACE: wp

STATUS: deployed

REVISION: 1

TEST SUITE: None

NOTES:

CHART NAME: wordpress

CHART VERSION: 24.2.10

APP VERSION: 6.8.1

Did you know there are enterprise versions of the Bitnami catalog? For enhanced secure software supply chain features, unlimited pulls from Docker, LTS support, or application customization, see Bitnami Premium or Tanzu Application Catalog. See https://www.arrow.com/globalecs/na/vendors/bitnami for more information.

** Please be patient while the chart is being deployed **

Your WordPress site can be accessed through the following DNS name from within your cluster:

    wp-wordpress.wp.svc.cluster.local (port 80)

To access your WordPress site from outside the cluster follow the steps below:

1. Get the WordPress URL and associate WordPress hostname to your cluster external IP:

   export CLUSTER_IP=$(minikube ip) # On Minikube. Use: `kubectl cluster-info` on others K8s clusters

   echo “WordPress URL: http://kube-wp.lintsawa.com/”

   echo “$CLUSTER_IP  kube-wp.lintsawa.com” | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts

2. Open a browser and access WordPress using the obtained URL.

3. Login with the following credentials below to see your blog:

  echo Username: admin

  echo Password: $(kubectl get secret –namespace wp wp-wordpress -o jsonpath=”{.data.wordpress-password}” | base64 -d)

WARNING: There are “resources” sections in the chart not set. Using “resourcesPreset” is not recommended for production. For production installations, please set the following values according to your workload needs:

  – resources

+info https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/configuration/manage-resources-containers/

⚠️ Make sure kube-wp.lintsawa.com points to your server IP.

8. Final DNS Setup

Go to your DNS provider and add these records:

TypeNameValue (IP)
Akube-wp.lintsawa.com<your-server-ip>
Arancher.lintsawa.com<your-server-ip>

9. Access Interfaces

ToolURL
WordPresshttps://kube-wp.lintsawa.com
Rancher UIhttps://rancher.lintsawa.com
Longhornhttp://<your-ip>:<NodePort>

======================================================================

Step-by-Step Guide to Enable SSL for kube-wp.lintsawa.com

✅ Prerequisites

  • Your domain kube-wp.lintsawa.com must already resolve to your server’s public IP.
  • cert-manager must be installed and running.
  • You’re using RKE2’s built-in ingress-nginx controller, which is sufficient.

1. Install cert-manager (if not yet installed)

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/cert-manager/cert-manager/releases/download/v1.14.3/cert-manager.yaml

Wait until pods are ready:

kubectl get pods -n cert-manager

Output:

NAME                                       READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE

cert-manager-777f759894-8g65w              1/1     Running   0          20m

cert-manager-cainjector-6fdf5f5cd6-5gbfr   1/1     Running   0          20m

cert-manager-webhook-55c7b766bd-k5hsl      1/1     Running   0          20m

2. Create a ClusterIssuer for Let’s Encrypt

kubectl apply -f – <<EOF

apiVersion: cert-manager.io/v1

kind: ClusterIssuer

metadata:

  name: letsencrypt-prod

spec:

  acme:

    email: admin@lintsawa.com 

    server: https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory

    privateKeySecretRef:

      name: letsencrypt-prod

    solvers:

    – http01:

        ingress:

          class: nginx

EOF

Output:

clusterissuer.cert-manager.io/letsencrypt-prod created

3. Upgrade WordPress with SSL enabled

We’ll upgrade the existing wp release to enable TLS and point to Let’s Encrypt issuer.

helm upgrade wp bitnami/wordpress \

  –namespace wp \

  –set wordpressUsername=admin \

  –set wordpressPassword=adminpass123 \

  –set wordpressBlogName=”Kube WP” \

  –set mariadb.enabled=false \

  –set externalDatabase.host=wp-mysql.wp.svc.cluster.local \

  –set externalDatabase.user=root \

  –set externalDatabase.password=rootpass123 \

  –set externalDatabase.database=wordpress \

  –set persistence.storageClass=longhorn \

  –set ingress.enabled=true \

  –set ingress.hostname=kube-wp.lintsawa.com \

  –set ingress.tls=true \

  –set ingress.annotations.”kubernetes\.io/ingress\.class”=nginx \

  –set ingress.annotations.”cert-manager\.io/cluster-issuer”=letsencrypt-prod

4. Check Certificate Issuance

kubectl describe certificate -n wp

Wait for it to be ready:

kubectl get certificate -n wp

Also check ingress:

kubectl get ingress -n wp

✅ Access

Visit:
https://kube-wp.lintsawa.com
 ✔️ You should see a valid SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt.

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Kibs August 5, 2025 Reply

    Great Kubernetes setup article thanks.

    1. Sam August 5, 2025 Reply

      This has been covered well. Super easy to follow up.

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