📘
Consider using the automatic installation on LKE method to quickly deploy the Akamai App Platform on LKE. If your needs require custom DNS or additional configuration options, follow the instructions below to install the App Platform manually.

In addition to installing the Akamai App Platform automatically on LKE through a few simple clicks, you can also manually install the App Platform on LKE. Performing a manual installation allows you to use a custom domain and tweak additional settings.

Provision an LKE cluster

First, create a new LKE cluster using Cloud Manager, the Linode API, or the Linode CLI. This deploys a new Kubernetes cluster on Akamai Cloud, which will be used as the underpinning infrastructure for your App Platform deployment. The new cluster should have the following specifications:

Kubernetes version: v1.31 or v1.32
HA control plane: enabled
Minimum node pool configuration: 3 worker nodes with a Dedicated 8 GB plan or higher

For instructions on provisioning new LKE clusters in the Cloud Manger, review Create a cluster. To quickly provision a cluster using the Linode CLI, run the following command in your terminal (assuming the Linode CLI is installed):

linode-cli lke cluster-create \
  --label $CLUSTER_NAME \
  --region $REGION \
  --k8s_version 1.32 \
  --control_plane.high_availability true \
  --node_pools.type g6-dedicated-8 \
  --node_pools.count 3

Configure kubectl

The kubectl utility is used to interact with your LKE cluster from the command line. To configure kubectl to work with your cluster, review Manage a cluster with kubectl. Abbreviated instructions are included below:

Download the kubeconfig file through the Cloud Manager or Linode CLI. The Linode CLI command is below. Replace $CLUSTER_NAME with the label of your new cluster.
```
linode-cli get-kubeconfig --label $CLUSTER_NAME
```
Update the KUBECONFIG environment variable. Again, replace $CLUSTER_NAME with the label of your new cluster.
```
export KUBECONFIG=<path-to-downloads>/$CLUSTER_NAME-kubeconfig.yaml
```
If you have multiple kubeconfig files, you'll also want to adjust the current kubectl context to use this new cluster. Replace <cluster_id> with the ID of your new cluster.
```
kubectl config use-context lke\<cluster_id>-ctx
```

Configure DNS

If you want to learn about how to use Linode DNS Manager read the following tutorial: Get started with DNS Manager.

When you create a domain in Linode, make sure to set the TTL of the SOA Record to 30 seconds:

Click on your domain.
Click on the tree dots on the right of the SOA Record and click edit.
Change the default TTL to 30 seconds.
Click Save.

Creating a personal access token

Create a new Personal Access Token with Read/Write access for Domains:

Go to your profile on the top right.
Click on API Tokens.
Click on Create A Personal Access Token.
Add a Label.
Select the desired Expiry.
Select No Access for all.
Select Read/Write for Domains.
Click Create Token.
Copy your Personal Access Token.
Set environment variable for the token:

LINODE_TOKEN="<your-personal-access-token>"

Create the values.yaml file

tee values.yaml<<EOF
cluster:
  name: $CLUSTER_NAME
  provider: linode
  domainSuffix: <your-domain>
otomi:
  hasExternalDNS: true
dns:
  domainFilters:
    - <your-domain>
  provider:
    linode:
      apiToken: $LINODE_TOKEN
apps:
  cert-manager:
    issuer: letsencrypt
    stage: production
    email: admin@<your-domain>
EOF

Adjust the domainSuffix, domainFilters and email!

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You can also use a different DNS provider. See DNS setup for examples on how to use Akamai EdgeDNS, AWS Route53, Cloudflare DNS and many others.

Install the Akamai App Platform using Helm

Install using Helm:

helm repo add apl https://linode.github.io/apl-core
helm repo update
helm install -f values.yaml apl apl/apl

Monitor the logs of the installer job:

kubectl logs jobs/apl -n default -f

When the installer is finished, copy the url and admin-password from the console output.

Follow the post installation steps here.

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To learn how to use the Akamai App Platform, go through the Get Started labs.

Known issues

During install Pods get stuck in a Pending state

During the installation, multiple StatefullSets are created that require a PersistentVolumeClaim (PVC). Each PVC is attached to a Volume in Linode. Volumes count towards the account limits. If you see Pods in a Pending state, it might be that your're hitting the account limit.

What to do:

Delete unused resources in your account (like unused Volumes).
Create a support ticket and request to increase your account limit.