Install Meshery on Kubernetes Using Helm

Prerequisites

Helm should be installed on your local machine.
You should have access to the cluster/platform where you want to deploy Meshery.
Ensure that the kubeconfig file has the correct current context/cluster configuration.

Install Meshery on Your Kubernetes Cluster Using Helm

`helm repo add meshery https://meshery.io/charts/
helm install meshery meshery/meshery --namespace meshery --create-namespace`

Optionally, Meshery Server supports customizing the callback URL for your remote provider, like so:

`helm install meshery meshery/meshery --namespace meshery --set env.MESHERY_SERVER_CALLBACK_URL=https://custom-host --create-namespace`

Customizing Meshery’s Installation with values.yaml

Meshery’s Helm chart supports a number of configuration options. Please refer to the Meshery Helm chart and Meshery Operator Helm Chart for more information.

Configuring Kubernetes Configuration Location

By default, Meshery looks for Kubernetes configuration in the /home/appuser/.kube directory within the container. You can customize this location by setting the KUBECONFIG_FOLDER environment variable:

`helm install meshery meshery/meshery --namespace meshery --set env.KUBECONFIG_FOLDER=/custom/path/to/.kube --create-namespace`

This is useful when providing a Meshery deployment with a predefined Kubernetes context or when using custom volume mounts for kubeconfig files.

Upgrading Meshery with Helm

To upgrade an existing Meshery deployment:

`helm repo update
helm upgrade meshery meshery/meshery --namespace meshery`

For optimal upgrade performance with health check support, use the upgrade-specific values:

`helm upgrade meshery meshery/meshery --namespace meshery -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/meshery/meshery/master/install/kubernetes/helm/meshery/values-upgrade.yaml --wait --timeout 10m`

The upgrade configuration includes:

Startup probes to protect pods during initialization
Optimized probe timing for capability reloading
Higher failure thresholds to tolerate temporary unavailability during upgrades

See the Health Check Configuration Guide for detailed information.

Health Checks and Monitoring

Meshery implements Kubernetes-compliant health check endpoints that follow best practices from the Kubernetes API server:

Liveness probe (/healthz/live) - Checks if Meshery is running and responsive
Readiness probe (/healthz/ready) - Checks if Meshery is ready to accept traffic

Monitoring Deployment Status

Monitor the status of your Meshery deployment:

`kubectl get pods --namespace meshery -w`

Checking Health Status

Verify health status with detailed information using verbose mode:

`kubectl exec --namespace meshery deployment/meshery -- curl -s 'http://localhost:8080/healthz/ready?verbose=1'`

Example output:

[+]capabilities ok
[i]extension extension package found
healthz check passed

Legend:

[+] - Health check passed
[-] - Health check failed (causes pod to be marked unhealthy)
[i] - Informational status (does not affect health)

Health Check Configuration

The Helm chart includes pre-configured health checks with sensible defaults:

Liveness probe : Initial delay of 80 seconds to allow for server startup and provider initialization
Readiness probe : Initial delay of 10 seconds with frequent checks for faster readiness detection
Startup probe : Optional (disabled by default) for handling slow-starting containers

To customize probe settings, modify your values.yaml:

`probe:
  livenessProbe:
    enabled: true
    initialDelaySeconds: 80
    periodSeconds: 12
    failureThreshold: 4
    timeoutSeconds: 5

  readinessProbe:
    enabled: true
    initialDelaySeconds: 10
    periodSeconds: 4
    failureThreshold: 4
    timeoutSeconds: 3`

For comprehensive guidance on configuring health checks for different scenarios (installation, upgrades, troubleshooting), see the Health Check Configuration Guide.

Post-Installation Steps

Optionally, you can verify the health of your Meshery deployment using mesheryctl system check.

You’re ready to use Meshery! Open your browser and navigate to the Meshery UI.

Accessing Meshery UI

After successfully deploying Meshery, you can access Meshery's web-based user interface. Your default browser will automatically open and navigate to Meshery UI (default location is http://localhost:9081).

You can use the following command to open Meshery UI in your default browser:

`mesheryctl system dashboard`

If you have installed Meshery on Kubernetes or a remote host, you can access Meshery UI by exposing it as a Kubernetes service or by port forwarding to Meshery UI.

`mesheryctl system dashboard --port-forward`

Depending on how you have networking configured in Kubernetes, you can use kubectl to port forward to the Meshery UI.

`kubectl port-forward svc/meshery 9081:9081 --namespace meshery`

Verify Kubernetes Connection

After installing Meshery, regardless of the installation type, it is important to verify that your kubeconfig file has been uploaded correctly via the UI.

In the Meshery UI, navigate to Lifecycle from the menu on the left.
Click on Connections.
Ensure that your cluster appears in the list of connections and is marked as Connected.
Click on the cluster name to perform a ping test and confirm that Meshery can communicate with your cluster.

#Customizing Your Meshery Provider Callback URL

Meshery Server supports customizing your Meshery Provider authentication flow callback URL. This is helpful when deploying Meshery behind multiple layers of networking infrastructure.

For production deployments, it is recommended to access the Meshery UI by setting up a reverse proxy or using a LoadBalancer. By specifying a custom redirect endpoint, you can ensure that authentication flows complete successfully, even when multiple routing layers are involved.

Note : For production deployments, it is important to select the Remote Provider in order to control which identity providers are authorized. Learn more about this in the Extensibility: Providers guide.

Define a custom callback URL by setting up the MESHERY_SERVER_CALLBACK_URL environment variable before installing Meshery.

To customize the authentication flow callback URL, use the following command:

`MESHERY_SERVER_CALLBACK_URL=https://custom-host mesheryctl system start`

Meshery should now be running in your Kubernetes cluster and the Meshery UI should be accessible at the EXTERNAL IP of the meshery service.

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