Installation

Camel K allows us to run Camel integrations directly on a Kubernetes cluster. To use it, you need to be connected to a cloud environment or to a local cluster created for development purposes (ie, Minikube or Kind).

Camel K operator installation

The first step is to install and run the Camel K operator. You can do it via any of the following methodologies:

Installation via Kustomize

Kustomize provides a declarative approach to the configuration customization of a Camel-K installation. Kustomize works either with a standalone executable or as a built-in to kubectl. The /install directory provides a series of base and overlays configuration that you can use. You can create your own overlays or customize the one available in the repository to accommodate your need.

$ kubectl apply -k github.com/apache/camel-k/install/overlays/kubernetes/descoped?ref=v2.4.0 --server-side

You can specify as ref parameter the version you’re willing to install (ie, v2.4.0). The command above will install a descoped (global) operator in the camel-k namespace.

Installation via Helm Hub

Camel K is available in Helm Hub:

$ helm repo add camel-k https://apache.github.io/camel-k/charts/
$ helm install camel-k camel-k/camel-k

More instructions on the Camel K Helm page.

Installation via Operator Hub

Camel K is also available in Operator Hub. You will need the OLM framework to be properly installed in your cluster. More instructions on the Camel K Operator Hub page.

$ kubectl create -f https://operatorhub.io/install/camel-k.yaml

You can edit the Subscription custom resource, setting the channel you want to use. From Camel K version 2 onward, we’re going to provide an installation channel for each major version we’re releasing (ie, stable-v2). This will simplify the upgrade process if you choose to perform an automatic upgrade.

Some Kubernetes clusters such as Openshift may let you to perform the same operation from a GUI as well. Refer to the cluster instruction to learn how to perform such action from user interface.

Verify that the operator is up and running

In order to verify that the operator is up and running, you should be able to see a Camel K operator Pod running in the namespace used, for example:

kubectl get pods -n camel-k
NAME                                READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
camel-k-operator-5b686db99f-c2k2s   1/1     Running   0          3m46s

IntegrationPlatform and container registry

The operator is now up and running. However, there is a second step you need to perform in order to be able to properly use it.

The majority of configuration required to tune the operator are stored in an IntegrationPlatform custom resource. This is mainly required to provide configuration for the container registry, build time configuration or common profile you want to apply to all your Integrations.

Camel K requires a container registry which is used to store the images built for your applications. Certain clusters may use their internal container registry (ie, Openshift, Minikube or KEP-1755 compatible clusters).

You need to create an IntegrationPlatform with the following configuration in the namespace where the operator is running:

apiVersion: camel.apache.org/v1
kind: IntegrationPlatform
metadata:
labels:
    app: camel-k
name: camel-k
namespace: camel-k
spec:
build:
    registry:
    address: registry.io
    insecure: true

The minimum configuration required is the container registry. Just change the example value with the configuration available for your installation and write as a file as itp.yaml.

a local minikube registry can be enabled via minikube addons enable registry and the IP to use running kubectl -n kube-system get service registry -o jsonpath='{.spec.clusterIP}'. 
kubectl apply -f itp.yaml -n camel-k

Wait now for the IntegrationPlatform to turn into ready state:

$ kubectl wait --for jsonpath='{.status.phase}'=Ready IntegrationPlatform camel-k -n camel-k --timeout 30s
integrationplatform.camel.apache.org/camel-k condition met

Your operator is now ready to run some Camel Integration.

a production ready container registry configuration may require other parameters and secret management.

Run some integration

Once you’ve completed any of the above installation procedure, you’ll be ready to run some integrations.

Special clusters requirements

Camel K installation is usually straightforward, but for certain cluster types you need to apply specific configuration settings before installing it. You need customized instructions for the following cluster types:

Fine Tuning

Camel K installation can be configured with certain special settings available for experienced users. You can manage resources such as limiting memory and CPU, provide a policy for Pod scheduling and Toleration. Please have a look at Camel K fine tuning to learn more about advanced configuration.

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