Member post originally published on the Devtron blog by Bhushan Nemade

TL;DR In the dynamic world of cloud-native, Kubernetes stands as an undisputed leader in the space of container orchestration. This article explores how to secure your Kubernetes environment using Single Sign-On (SSO) and Resource-Based Access Control (RBAC).

In the ever-evolving world of cloud-native computing, Kubernetes has emerged as a standard solution for container orchestration. However, managing access control across multiple Kubernetes clusters can quickly become a complex task, especially in large organizations with numerous teams and members. This is where the power of Single Sign-On (SSO) and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) comes into play, providing a secure and efficient solution for access management.

Authentication/Authorization

The very first way to secure something in the digital world is to set authentication and authorization. The authentication can be handled by SSO, and the authorization can be done through RBAC for the Kubernetes environment.

The Challenge of Manual Access Control

Imagine yourself as a seasoned DevOps engineer in a fast-paced cloud-native organization, responsible for managing access control across 50 Kubernetes clusters. Multiple teams are collaborating and performing deployments on these clusters at lightning speed. Manually managing access for all team members across all clusters can quickly become a nightmare.

Traditionally, you would need to distribute Kubeconfig files among team members, granting them access to specific clusters. However, this approach has potential security risks because misconfigurations or misplaced files can leave clusters vulnerable to data breaches and unauthorized access. Additionally, manual RBAC configuration for each cluster is time-consuming, error-prone, and lacks fine-grained control. So when managing access control over large numbers of Kubernetes clusters using traditional methods, you can end up with the following:

RBAC Complexities

These are some major challenges that you may face when you choose to manage multiple clusters manually. And definitely, you don’t want to spend time navigating through these complexities rather than focusing on what truly matters: efficient deployments and innovation.

Single Sign-On (SSO) for Authentication

SSO provides ease to the process of authentication by leveraging the concept of federated identity. Users can authenticate themselves using the existing credentials from identity providers. Using an authentication based on SSO for accessing all Kubernetes clusters. SSO will eliminate the need for distributing and managing multiple kubeconfig files to access the Kubernetes cluster, along with reducing the risk of unauthorized access to your clusters.

sso solution

We Devtron, a platform for managing your Kubernetes environments, offers an SSO solution. It’s tailored specifically for Kubernetes workflows. Devtron with SSO provides you with the ease of accessing all authorized clusters with a single click. You can log in to Devtron with your single set of credentials (e.g., Google, GitHub, GitLab, etc.) and access all your Kubernetes clusters on the Devtron dashboard. So no more juggling with complex Kubeconfig files and static tokens. Devtron sprints for one extra mile; understanding the preferences and needs of every organization can be unique. For that, Devtron offers seven SSO integrations. Empowering organizations and users to choose the SSO that perfectly aligns with their existing infrastructure and security practices. Devtron offers SSO with most of the providers which can be used for authentication. Here are some of them.

Configure SSO with GoogleGitHubGitLabMicrosoftLDAPOIDC, and OpenShift. You can also integrate other identity and access management tools like Okta and Keycloak for managing user permissions.

SSO Login Services
SSO Login Services with Devtron

Fine-Grained Access Control with RBAC – Authorization

While SSO solves the authentication challenge for you. RBAC addresses the authorization aspect by allowing you to define granular permissions and restricting access to cluster resources for users. In Kubernetes, you can define roles, cluster roles, role bindings, and cluster role bindings to control access at both the namespace and cluster levels. While setting the manual configuration, you can face issues like:

User Permissions
User Permissions with Devtron

Devtron simplifies this process by providing a graphical user interface (GUI) for managing RBAC. RBAC in Devtron is specifically designed for the workflow of Kubernetes. It allows the administrator to manage access to Kubernetes clusters, environments, and all resources in the cluster. Ensures least-privileged access and creates a secure environment by defining roles and restricting access for other users. Devtron allows you to manage fine-grained access control down to the Kubernetes cluster resource level. You can grant users precise permissions for specific resources in the cluster. The User Access Management feature in Devtron allows you to add other users, like support engineers’, and manage their access on your Devtron dashboard. You can mark the status of users as ‘Active’, ‘Inactive’, or ‘Keep active until’ (TTL). This feature gives you control over how other qualified users access your Devtron dashboard.

Time Based Access
Time Based Access with Devtron

The Power of SSO and RBAC Combined

By combining SSO and RBAC, organizations can achieve a robust and secure access control strategy for their Kubernetes environments. This combination offers several benefits:

Enhanced Security

Improved Manageability

Scalability and Flexibility

Conclusion

In the dynamic world of cloud-native computing, securing access to Kubernetes clusters is paramount. By leveraging the power of SSO and RBAC, organizations can streamline access management, enhance security, and ensure efficient collaboration across teams. Devtron offers a comprehensive solution, simplifying the implementation of SSO and RBAC while providing a centralized dashboard for access control management. Embrace the simplicity and security of SSO and RBAC in your Kubernetes environment, and empower your teams to innovate with confidence.

Devtron’s RBAC can also be extended and can be used for more secure and controlled kubectl access. Users don’t have to log in to the dashboard and can use kubectl commands which would be proxied through Devtron with limited access and api-tokens given for the respective user. To learn more, check out this blog about control and secure kubectl access.

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