When managing Kubernetes workloads on AWS EKS, using a LoadBalancer for each service can quickly become expensive and inefficient. A cleaner, scalable, and more cost-effective solution is to use an Ingress Controller like NGINX to expose multiple services via a single LoadBalancer. This blog will walk you through how I set up Ingress in my EKS cluster using Helm, configured host-based routing, and mapped domains through Cloudflare. --- ## Prerequisites - AWS EKS Cluster set up - `kubectl`, `helm`, and `aws-cli` configured - Services already running in EKS - Cloudflare account to manage DNS Get started with EKS in the [AWS EKS User Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/eks/latest/userguide/what-is-eks.html). --- ## Step 1: Install NGINX Ingress Controller on EKS using Helm <img src={require('./img/4380747.jpg').default} alt="Diagram showing Helm deployment of NGINX Ingress Controller on EKS." width="600" height="500"/> <br/> ```bash helm repo add ingress-nginx https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx helm repo update helm install nginx-ingress ingress-nginx/ingress-nginx \ --namespace ingress-nginx --create-namespace \ --set controller.service.type=LoadBalancer ``` This will install the NGINX Ingress Controller and expose it through a LoadBalancer service. You can get the external ELB DNS using: ```bash kubectl get svc -n ingress-nginx ``` Note the `EXTERNAL-IP` of the `nginx-ingress-controller`—this is your public ELB DNS. Learn more about NGINX Ingress at the [official Kubernetes documentation](https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx/). --- ## Step 2: Create Your Ingress YAML for Host-Based Routing <img src={require('./img/66176.jpg').default} alt="Team collaborating on Kubernetes Ingress YAML configuration for host routing." width="600" height="500"/> <br/> Below is an example Ingress manifest to expose a service using a custom domain: ```yaml apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1 kind: Ingress metadata: name: pubggpiro9ypjn-ing namespace: pubggpiro9ypjn annotations: nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: / spec: ingressClassName: nginx rules: - host: metube-app-622604.clb2.nifetency.com http: paths: - path: / pathType: Prefix backend: service: name: service-f35714cd-4cb5-4f7e-b9db-4daa699640b3 port: number: 8081 ``` Apply the file using: ```bash kubectl apply -f your-ingress.yaml ``` --- ## Step 3: Configure DNS for NGINX Ingress with Cloudflare <img src={require('./img/3497813.jpg').default} alt="DevOps engineer configuring Cloudflare DNS records for NGINX Ingress routing." width="600" height="500"/> <br/> Go to your Cloudflare dashboard and create a CNAME record: - **Name**: `metube-app-622604` (or any subdomain you want) - **Target**: your NGINX LoadBalancer DNS (e.g., `a1b2c3d4e5f6g7.elb.amazonaws.com`) - **Proxy status**: Proxied ✅ Wait for DNS propagation (~1–5 minutes), and then your service will be available via the custom domain you configured. Understand DNS management in Cloudflare with the [Cloudflare DNS docs](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/). --- ## Verify NGINX Ingress Routing and Domain Configuration Try accessing the domain in your browser: ``` http://metube-app-622604.clb2.nifetency.com ``` You should see the application running from port `8081` of the backend service. --- ## Reference Document For more detailed steps and examples, check out this shared doc: 🔗 [Ingress and DNS Setup Guide](https://hypershift-docs.netlify.app/how-to/kubevirt/ingress-and-dns/) --- ## Benefits of Using NGINX Ingress with Single LoadBalancer - **Cost-effective**: One LoadBalancer for all services. - **Scalable**: Add new routes/domains by just updating the Ingress. - **Secure**: Easily integrate SSL with Cert-Manager or Cloudflare. - **Customizable**: Full control over routing, headers, and rewrites. --- ## Conclusion: Efficient Multi-Service Exposure in EKS with NGINX Exposing multiple services in EKS using a single LoadBalancer with NGINX Ingress can streamline your infrastructure and reduce costs. Just remember: - Use **Helm** to install and manage the NGINX Ingress Controller - Configure **host-based routing** to serve multiple domains through one point - Use **Cloudflare DNS** to map custom domains to your LoadBalancer - Regularly test and validate access for each new service With just a few commands and configurations, you can build a scalable and efficient ingress setup—ready for production. Learn how to add and manage EKS clusters with Nife’s [AWS EKS integration guide](https://nife.io/solutions/Add%20AWS%20EKS%20Clusters). Learn how to add standalone Kubernetes clusters with Nife’s [standalone cluster setup guide](https://nife.io/solutions/Add%20for%20Standalone%20Clusters). ---
