Creating an Amazon EKS Managed Node Group

In this guide, we’ll learn how to create a Managed Node Group in Amazon EKS. A Managed Node Group provides EC2 instances (nodes) as part of your Kubernetes cluster’s compute capacity. By leveraging this AWS-managed solution, you gain simplified lifecycle management, seamless Kubernetes integration, and automated updates for worker nodes.

Let’s explore step by step how to set up a Managed Node Group for your Amazon EKS cluster.

Prerequisite

Before creating a Managed Node Group, ensure you have an EKS Cluster set up. Refer to the Creating an EKS Cluster tutorial if you haven’t created one yet.

Step 1: Navigate to the EKS Console

1. Open the AWS EKS Management Console.
2. Go to your cluster and click on Compute, then choose Node Groups.

Step 2: Add a Node Group

1. Click Add Node Group.
2. Provide a name for the Node Group (e.g., managed-node-group-1).

Step 3: Create a Node IAM Role

The node group requires an IAM role with permissions to enable instances to interact with the EKS cluster and other AWS services. Follow these steps:

1. Click on Create Recommended Role.
2. AWS automatically generates an IAM role named EKS-EC2 with the following managed policies: