Setting up ExternalDNS for Services on UltraDNS

This tutorial describes how to setup ExternalDNS for usage within a Kubernetes cluster using UltraDNS.

For this tutorial, please make sure that you are using a version > 0.7.2 of ExternalDNS.

Managing DNS with UltraDNS

If you would like to read-up on the UltraDNS service, you can find additional details here: Introduction to UltraDNS

Before proceeding, please create a new DNS Zone that you will create your records in for this tutorial process. For the examples in this tutorial, we will be using example.com as our Zone.

Setting Up UltraDNS Credentials

The following environment variables will be needed to run ExternalDNS with UltraDNS.

ULTRADNS_USERNAME,ULTRADNS_PASSWORD, &ULTRADNS_BASEURL ULTRADNS_ACCOUNTNAME(optional variable).

Deploying ExternalDNS

Connect your kubectl client to the cluster you want to test ExternalDNS with. Then, apply one of the following manifests file to deploy ExternalDNS.

Note: We are assuming the zone is already present within UltraDNS.
Note: While creating CNAMES as target endpoints, the --txt-prefix option is mandatory.

Manifest (for clusters without RBAC enabled)

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: external-dns
spec:
  strategy:
    type: Recreate
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: external-dns
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: external-dns
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: external-dns
        image: k8s.gcr.io/external-dns/external-dns:v0.7.6
        args:
        - --source=service 
        - --source=ingress # ingress is also possible
        - --domain-filter=example.com # (Recommended) We recommend to use this filter as it minimize the time to propagate changes, as there are less number of zones to look into..
        - --provider=ultradns
        - --txt-prefix=txt-
        env:
        - name: ULTRADNS_USERNAME
          value: ""
        - name: ULTRADNS_PASSWORD  # The password is required to be BASE64 encrypted.
          value: ""
        - name: ULTRADNS_BASEURL
          value: "https://api.ultradns.com/"
        - name: ULTRADNS_ACCOUNTNAME
          value: ""

Manifest (for clusters with RBAC enabled)

apiVersion: v1
kind: ServiceAccount
metadata:
  name: external-dns
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: ClusterRole
metadata:
  name: external-dns
rules:
- apiGroups: [""]
  resources: ["services","endpoints","pods"]
  verbs: ["get","watch","list"]
- apiGroups: ["extensions"]
  resources: ["ingresses"]
  verbs: ["get","watch","list"]
- apiGroups: [""]
  resources: ["nodes"]
  verbs: ["list","watch"]
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: ClusterRoleBinding
metadata:
  name: external-dns-viewer
roleRef:
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
  kind: ClusterRole
  name: external-dns
subjects:
- kind: ServiceAccount
  name: external-dns
  namespace: default
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: external-dns
spec:
  strategy:
    type: Recreate
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: external-dns
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: external-dns
    spec:
      serviceAccountName: external-dns
      containers:
      - name: external-dns
        image: k8s.gcr.io/external-dns/external-dns:v0.7.6
        args:
        - --source=service 
        - --source=ingress
        - --domain-filter=example.com #(Recommended) We recommend to use this filter as it minimize the time to propagate changes, as there are less number of zones to look into..
        - --provider=ultradns
        - --txt-prefix=txt-
        env:
        - name: ULTRADNS_USERNAME
          value: ""
        - name: ULTRADNS_PASSWORD # The password is required to be BASE64 encrypted.
          value: ""
        - name: ULTRADNS_BASEURL
          value: "https://api.ultradns.com/"
        - name: ULTRADNS_ACCOUNTNAME
          value: ""

Deploying an Nginx Service

Create a service file called 'nginx.yaml' with the following contents:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: nginx
spec:
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: nginx
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: nginx
    spec:
      containers:
      - image: nginx
        name: nginx
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: nginx
  annotations:
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: my-app.example.com.
spec:
  selector:
    app: nginx
  type: LoadBalancer
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 80
      targetPort: 80

Please note the annotation on the service. Use the same hostname as the UltraDNS zone created above.

ExternalDNS uses this annotation to determine what services should be registered with DNS. Removing the annotation will cause ExternalDNS to remove the corresponding DNS records.

Creating the Deployment and Service:

$ kubectl create -f nginx.yaml
$ kubectl create -f external-dns.yaml

Depending on where you run your service from, it can take a few minutes for your cloud provider to create an external IP for the service.

Once the service has an external IP assigned, ExternalDNS will notice the new service IP address and will synchronize the UltraDNS records.

Verifying UltraDNS Records

Please verify on the UltraDNS UI that the records are created under the zone "example.com".

For more information on UltraDNS UI, refer to (https://docs.ultradns.neustar/mspuserguide.html).

Select the zone that was created above (or select the appropriate zone if a different zone was used.)

The external IP address will be displayed as a CNAME record for your zone.

Cleaning Up the Deployment and Service

Now that we have verified that ExternalDNS will automatically manage your UltraDNS records, you can delete example zones that you created in this tutorial:

$ kubectl delete service -f nginx.yaml
$ kubectl delete service -f externaldns.yaml

Examples to Manage your Records

Creating Multiple A Records Target

First, you want to create a service file called 'apple-banana-echo.yaml'

---
kind: Pod
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-app
  labels:
    app: apple
spec:
  containers:
    - name: example-app
      image: hashicorp/http-echo
      args:
        - "-text=apple"
---
kind: Service
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-service
spec:
  selector:
    app: apple
  ports:
    - port: 5678 # Default port for image

Then, create service file called 'expose-apple-banana-app.yaml' to expose the services. For more information to deploy ingress controller, refer to (https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx/deploy/)

apiVersion: extensions/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress
  annotations:
    ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /
    ingress.kubernetes.io/scheme: internet-facing
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: apple.example.com.
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/target: 10.10.10.1,10.10.10.23
spec:
  rules:
  - http:
      paths:
        - path: /apple
          backend:
            serviceName: example-service
            servicePort: 5678

Then, create the deployment and service:

$ kubectl create -f apple-banana-echo.yaml
$ kubectl create -f expose-apple-banana-app.yaml
$ kubectl create -f external-dns.yaml

Depending on where you run your service from, it can take a few minutes for your cloud provider to create an external IP for the service.
Please verify on the UltraDNS UI that the records have been created under the zone "example.com".
Finally, you will need to clean up the deployment and service. Please verify on the UI afterwards that the records have been deleted from the zone "example.com":

$ kubectl delete -f apple-banana-echo.yaml
$ kubectl delete -f expose-apple-banana-app.yaml
$ kubectl delete -f external-dns.yaml

Creating CNAME Record

Please note, that prior to deploying the external-dns service, you will need to add the option –txt-prefix=txt- into external-dns.yaml. If this not provided, your records will not be created.

First, create a service file called 'apple-banana-echo.yaml'

Config File Example – kubernetes cluster is on-premise not on cloud

---
kind: Pod
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-app
  labels:
    app: apple
spec:
  containers:
    - name: example-app
      image: hashicorp/http-echo
      args:
        - "-text=apple"
---
kind: Service
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-service
spec:
  selector:
    app: apple
  ports:
    - port: 5678 # Default port for image
---
apiVersion: extensions/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress
  annotations:
    ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /
    ingress.kubernetes.io/scheme: internet-facing
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: apple.example.com.
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/target: apple.cname.com.
spec:
  rules:
  - http:
      paths:
        - path: /apple
          backend:
            serviceName: example-service
            servicePort: 5678

Config File Example – Kubernetes cluster service from different cloud vendors

---
kind: Pod
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-app
  labels:
    app: apple
spec:
  containers:
    - name: example-app
      image: hashicorp/http-echo
      args:
        - "-text=apple"
---
kind: Service
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-service
  annotations:
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: my-app.example.com.
spec:
  selector:
    app: apple
  type: LoadBalancer
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 5678
      targetPort: 5678

Then, create the deployment and service:

$ kubectl create -f apple-banana-echo.yaml
$ kubectl create -f external-dns.yaml

Depending on where you run your service from, it can take a few minutes for your cloud provider to create an external IP for the service.
Please verify on the UltraDNS UI, that the records have been created under the zone "example.com".
Finally, you will need to clean up the deployment and service. Please verify on the UI afterwards that the records have been deleted from the zone "example.com":

$ kubectl delete -f apple-banana-echo.yaml
$ kubectl delete -f external-dns.yaml

Creating Multiple Types Of Records

Please note, that prior to deploying the external-dns service, you will need to add the option –txt-prefix=txt- into external-dns.yaml. Since you will also be created a CNAME record, If this not provided, your records will not be created.

First, create a service file called 'apple-banana-echo.yaml'

Config File Example – kubernetes cluster is on-premise not on cloud

---
kind: Pod
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-app
  labels:
    app: apple
spec:
  containers:
    - name: example-app
      image: hashicorp/http-echo
      args:
        - "-text=apple"
---
kind: Service
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-service
spec:
  selector:
    app: apple
  ports:
    - port: 5678 # Default port for image
---
kind: Pod
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-app1
  labels:
    app: apple1
spec:
  containers:
    - name: example-app1
      image: hashicorp/http-echo
      args:
        - "-text=apple"
---
kind: Service
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-service1
spec:
  selector:
    app: apple1
  ports:
    - port: 5679 # Default port for image
---
kind: Pod
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-app2
  labels:
    app: apple2
spec:
  containers:
    - name: example-app2
      image: hashicorp/http-echo
      args:
        - "-text=apple"
---
kind: Service
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-service2
spec:
  selector:
    app: apple2
  ports:
    - port: 5680 # Default port for image
---
apiVersion: extensions/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress
  annotations:
    ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /
    ingress.kubernetes.io/scheme: internet-facing
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: apple.example.com.
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/target: apple.cname.com.
spec:
  rules:
  - http:
      paths:
        - path: /apple
          backend:
            serviceName: example-service
            servicePort: 5678
---
apiVersion: extensions/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress1
  annotations:
    ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /
    ingress.kubernetes.io/scheme: internet-facing
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: apple-banana.example.com.
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/target: 10.10.10.3
spec:
  rules:
  - http:
      paths:
        - path: /apple
          backend:
            serviceName: example-service1
            servicePort: 5679
---
apiVersion: extensions/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress2
  annotations:
    ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /
    ingress.kubernetes.io/scheme: internet-facing
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: banana.example.com.
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/target: 10.10.10.3,10.10.10.20
spec:
  rules:
  - http:
      paths:
        - path: /apple
          backend:
            serviceName: example-service2
            servicePort: 5680

Config File Example – Kubernetes cluster service from different cloud vendors

---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: nginx
spec:
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: nginx
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: nginx
    spec:
      containers:
      - image: nginx
        name: nginx
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: nginx
  annotations:
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: my-app.example.com.
spec:
  selector:
    app: nginx
  type: LoadBalancer
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 80
      targetPort: 80
---
kind: Pod
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-app
  labels:
    app: apple
spec:
  containers:
    - name: example-app
      image: hashicorp/http-echo
      args:
        - "-text=apple"
---
kind: Service
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-service
spec:
  selector:
    app: apple
  ports:
    - port: 5678 # Default port for image
---
kind: Pod
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-app1
  labels:
    app: apple1
spec:
  containers:
    - name: example-app1
      image: hashicorp/http-echo
      args:
        - "-text=apple"
---
apiVersion: extensions/v1beta1
kind: Service
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: example-service1
spec:
  selector:
    app: apple1
  ports:
    - port: 5679 # Default port for image
---
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress
  annotations:
    ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /
    ingress.kubernetes.io/scheme: internet-facing
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: apple.example.com.
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/target: 10.10.10.3,10.10.10.25
spec:
  rules:
  - http:
      paths:
        - path: /apple
          backend:
            serviceName: example-service
            servicePort: 5678
---
apiVersion: extensions/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress1
  annotations:
    ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /
    ingress.kubernetes.io/scheme: internet-facing
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/hostname: apple-banana.example.com.
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/target: 10.10.10.3
spec:
  rules:
  - http:
      paths:
        - path: /apple
          backend:
            serviceName: example-service1
            servicePort: 5679

Then, create the deployment and service:

$ kubectl create -f apple-banana-echo.yaml
$ kubectl create -f external-dns.yaml

Depending on where you run your service from, it can take a few minutes for your cloud provider to create an external IP for the service.
Please verify on the UltraDNS UI, that the records have been created under the zone "example.com".
Finally, you will need to clean up the deployment and service. Please verify on the UI afterwards that the records have been deleted from the zone "example.com":

$ kubectl delete -f apple-banana-echo.yaml
$ kubectl delete -f external-dns.yaml```

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ultradns.md

ultradns.md

Setting up ExternalDNS for Services on UltraDNS

Managing DNS with UltraDNS

Setting Up UltraDNS Credentials

Deploying ExternalDNS

Manifest (for clusters without RBAC enabled)

Manifest (for clusters with RBAC enabled)

Deploying an Nginx Service

Creating the Deployment and Service:

Verifying UltraDNS Records

Cleaning Up the Deployment and Service

Examples to Manage your Records

Creating Multiple A Records Target

Creating CNAME Record

Creating Multiple Types Of Records

Files

ultradns.md

Latest commit

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ultradns.md

File metadata and controls

Setting up ExternalDNS for Services on UltraDNS

Managing DNS with UltraDNS

Setting Up UltraDNS Credentials

Deploying ExternalDNS

Manifest (for clusters without RBAC enabled)

Manifest (for clusters with RBAC enabled)

Deploying an Nginx Service

Creating the Deployment and Service:

Verifying UltraDNS Records

Cleaning Up the Deployment and Service

Examples to Manage your Records

Creating Multiple A Records Target

Creating CNAME Record

Creating Multiple Types Of Records