Manage Milvus Services Using the Declarative Cluster API in KubeBlocks

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for exposing Milvus services managed by KubeBlocks, both externally and internally. You'll learn to configure external access using cloud provider LoadBalancer services, manage internal services, and properly disable external exposure when no longer needed.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following:

Environment Setup:
- A Kubernetes cluster is up and running.
- The kubectl CLI tool is configured to communicate with your cluster.
- KubeBlocks CLI and KubeBlocks Operator are installed. Follow the installation instructions here.
Namespace Preparation: To keep resources isolated, create a dedicated namespace for this tutorial:

kubectl create ns demo
namespace/demo created

Deploy a Milvus Cluster

Please refer to Deploying a Milvus Cluster with KubeBlocks to deploy a milvus cluster.

View Network Services

List the Services created for the Milvus cluster:

kubectl get service -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=milvus-cluster -n demo

Example Services:

NAME                   TYPE        CLUSTER-IP      EXTERNAL-IP   PORT(S)              AGE
milvus-cluster-proxy   ClusterIP   10.96.157.187   <none>        19530/TCP,9091/TCP   133m

Expose Milvus Service

External service addresses enable public internet access to Milvus, while internal service addresses restrict access to the user's VPC.

Service Types Comparison

Type	Use Case	Cloud Cost	Security
ClusterIP	Internal service communication	Free	Highest
NodePort	Development/testing	Low	Moderate
LoadBalancer	Production external access	High	Managed via security groups

Option 1: Using OpsRequest

To expose the Milvus service externally using a LoadBalancer, create an OpsRequest resource:

apiVersion: operations.kubeblocks.io/v1alpha1
kind: OpsRequest
metadata:
  name: milvus-cluster-expose-enable-ops
  namespace: demo
spec:
  type: Expose
  clusterName: milvus-cluster
  expose:
  - componentName: milvus
    services:
    - name: internet
      # Determines how the Service is exposed. Defaults to 'ClusterIP'.
      # Valid options are 'ClusterIP', 'NodePort', and 'LoadBalancer'.
      serviceType: LoadBalancer
      ports:
      - name: milvus
        port: 19530
        protocol: TCP
        targetPort: milvus
      # Contains cloud provider related parameters if ServiceType is LoadBalancer.
      # Following is an example for AWS EKS
      annotations:
        service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-type: nlb
        service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-internal: "false"  # or "true" for an internal VPC IP
    switch: Enable

Wait for the OpsRequest to complete:

kubectl get ops milvus-cluster-expose-enable-ops -n demo

Example Output:

NAME                                 TYPE     CLUSTER          STATUS    PROGRESS   AGE
milvus-cluster-expose-enable-ops     Expose   milvus-cluster   Succeed   1/1        31s

Option 2: Using Cluster API

Alternatively, update the spec.services section in the Cluster resource to include a LoadBalancer service:

apiVersion: apps.kubeblocks.io/v1
kind: Cluster
metadata:
  name: milvus-cluster
  namespace: demo
spec:
  terminationPolicy: Delete
  clusterDef: milvus
  # expose a external service
  services:
    - annotations:
        service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-type: nlb  # Use Network Load Balancer
        service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-internal: "false"  # or "true" for an internal VPC IP
      componentSelector: milvus
      name: milvus-internet
      serviceName: milvus-internet
      spec:
        ipFamilyPolicy: PreferDualStack
        ports:
        - name: milvus
          port: 19530
          protocol: TCP
          targetPort: milvus
        type: LoadBalancer  # [ClusterIP, NodePort, LoadBalancer]
  componentSpecs:
  ...

The YAML configuration above adds a new external service under the services section. This LoadBalancer service includes annotations for AWS Network Load Balancer (NLB).

NOTE

Cloud Provider Annotations

When using a LoadBalancer service, you must include the appropriate annotations specific to your cloud provider. Below is a list of commonly used annotations for different cloud providers:

service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-type: nlb  # Use Network Load Balancer
service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-internal: "true"  # Use "false" for internet-facing LoadBalancer

Azure

service.beta.kubernetes.io/azure-load-balancer-internal: "true" # Use "false" for internet-facing LoadBalancer

networking.gke.io/load-balancer-type: "Internal"  # Restricts the LoadBalancer to internal VPC access only. Defaults to internet-facing if not specified.
cloud.google.com/l4-rbs: "enabled" # Optimization for internet-facing LoadBalancer

Alibaba Cloud

service.beta.kubernetes.io/alibaba-cloud-loadbalancer-address-type: "internet"  # Use "intranet" for internal-facing LoadBalancer

NOTE

The service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-internal annotation controls whether the LoadBalancer is internal or internet-facing. Note that this annotation cannot be modified dynamically after service creation.

  service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-internal: "false"  # Use "true" for internal VPC IPs

If you change this annotation from "false" to "true" after the Service is created, the annotation may update in the Service object, but the LoadBalancer will still retain its public IP.

To properly modify this behavior:

First, delete the existing LoadBalancer service.
Recreate the service with the updated annotation (service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-internal: "true").
Wait for the new LoadBalancer to be provisioned with the correct internal or external IP.

Wait for the Cluster status to transition to Running using the following command:

kubectl get cluster milvus-cluster -n demo -w

NAME             CLUSTER-DEFINITION   TERMINATION-POLICY   STATUS    AGE
milvus-cluster   milvus               Delete               Running   18m

Verify the Exposed Service

Check the service details to confirm the LoadBalancer service is created:

kubectl get service -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=milvus-cluster -n demo

Example Output:

NAME                                 TYPE           CLUSTER-IP     EXTERNAL-IP   PORT(S)              AGE
milvus-cluster-milvus-internet       LoadBalancer   172.20.60.24   <EXTERNAL-IP> 19530:31243/TCP      1m

Disable External Exposure

Option 1: Using OpsRequest

To disable external access, create an OpsRequest:

apiVersion: operations.kubeblocks.io/v1alpha1
kind: OpsRequest
metadata:
  name: milvus-cluster-expose-disable-ops
  namespace: demo
spec:
  clusterName: milvus-cluster
  expose:
  - componentName: milvus
    services:
    - name: internet
      serviceType: LoadBalancer
    switch: Disable
  preConditionDeadlineSeconds: 0
  type: Expose

Wait for the OpsRequest to complete:

kubectl get ops milvus-cluster-expose-disable-ops -n demo

Example Output:

NAME                                TYPE     CLUSTER          STATUS    PROGRESS   AGE
milvus-cluster-expose-disable-ops   Expose   milvus-cluster   Succeed   1/1        24s

Option 2: Using Cluster API

Alternatively, remove the spec.services field from the Cluster resource:

kubectl patch cluster milvus-cluster -n demo --type=json -p='[
  {
    "op": "remove",
    "path": "/spec/services"
  }
]'

Monitor the cluster status until it is Running:

kubectl get cluster milvus-cluster -n demo -w

NAME             CLUSTER-DEFINITION  TERMINATION-POLICY   STATUS     AGE
milvus-cluster   milvus              Delete               Running    44m

Verify Service Removal

Ensure that the 'milvus-cluster-milvus-internet' Service is removed:

kubectl get service -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=milvus-cluster -n demo

Expected Result: The 'milvus-cluster-milvus-internet' Service should be removed.

Cleanup

To remove all created resources, delete the Milvus cluster along with its namespace:

kubectl delete cluster milvus-cluster -n demo
kubectl delete ns demo

Summary

This guide demonstrated how to:

Expose a Milvus service externally or internally using KubeBlocks.
Configure LoadBalancer services with cloud provider-specific annotations.
Manage external access by enabling or disabling services via OpsRequest or direct updates to the Cluster API.

KubeBlocks provides flexibility and simplicity for managing MySQL services in Kubernetes environments. simplicity for managing Milvus services in Kubernetes environments.

Manage Milvus Services Using the Declarative Cluster API in KubeBlocks

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure the following:

Environment Setup:
- A Kubernetes cluster is up and running.
- The kubectl CLI tool is configured to communicate with your cluster.
- KubeBlocks CLI and KubeBlocks Operator are installed. Follow the installation instructions here.
Namespace Preparation: To keep resources isolated, create a dedicated namespace for this tutorial:

kubectl create ns demo
namespace/demo created

Deploy a Milvus Cluster

Please refer to Deploying a Milvus Cluster with KubeBlocks to deploy a milvus cluster.

View Network Services

List the Services created for the Milvus cluster:

kubectl get service -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=milvus-cluster -n demo

Example Services:

NAME                   TYPE        CLUSTER-IP      EXTERNAL-IP   PORT(S)              AGE
milvus-cluster-proxy   ClusterIP   10.96.157.187   <none>        19530/TCP,9091/TCP   133m

Expose Milvus Service

External service addresses enable public internet access to Milvus, while internal service addresses restrict access to the user's VPC.

Service Types Comparison

Type	Use Case	Cloud Cost	Security
ClusterIP	Internal service communication	Free	Highest
NodePort	Development/testing	Low	Moderate
LoadBalancer	Production external access	High	Managed via security groups

Option 1: Using OpsRequest

To expose the Milvus service externally using a LoadBalancer, create an OpsRequest resource:

apiVersion: operations.kubeblocks.io/v1alpha1
kind: OpsRequest
metadata:
  name: milvus-cluster-expose-enable-ops
  namespace: demo
spec:
  type: Expose
  clusterName: milvus-cluster
  expose:
  - componentName: milvus
    services:
    - name: internet
      # Determines how the Service is exposed. Defaults to 'ClusterIP'.
      # Valid options are 'ClusterIP', 'NodePort', and 'LoadBalancer'.
      serviceType: LoadBalancer
      ports:
      - name: milvus
        port: 19530
        protocol: TCP
        targetPort: milvus
      # Contains cloud provider related parameters if ServiceType is LoadBalancer.
      # Following is an example for AWS EKS
      annotations:
        service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-type: nlb
        service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-internal: "false"  # or "true" for an internal VPC IP
    switch: Enable

Wait for the OpsRequest to complete:

kubectl get ops milvus-cluster-expose-enable-ops -n demo

Example Output:

NAME                                 TYPE     CLUSTER          STATUS    PROGRESS   AGE
milvus-cluster-expose-enable-ops     Expose   milvus-cluster   Succeed   1/1        31s

Option 2: Using Cluster API

Alternatively, update the spec.services section in the Cluster resource to include a LoadBalancer service:

apiVersion: apps.kubeblocks.io/v1
kind: Cluster
metadata:
  name: milvus-cluster
  namespace: demo
spec:
  terminationPolicy: Delete
  clusterDef: milvus
  # expose a external service
  services:
    - annotations:
        service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-type: nlb  # Use Network Load Balancer
        service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-internal: "false"  # or "true" for an internal VPC IP
      componentSelector: milvus
      name: milvus-internet
      serviceName: milvus-internet
      spec:
        ipFamilyPolicy: PreferDualStack
        ports:
        - name: milvus
          port: 19530
          protocol: TCP
          targetPort: milvus
        type: LoadBalancer  # [ClusterIP, NodePort, LoadBalancer]
  componentSpecs:
  ...

The YAML configuration above adds a new external service under the services section. This LoadBalancer service includes annotations for AWS Network Load Balancer (NLB).

NOTE

Cloud Provider Annotations

When using a LoadBalancer service, you must include the appropriate annotations specific to your cloud provider. Below is a list of commonly used annotations for different cloud providers:

service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-type: nlb  # Use Network Load Balancer
service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-internal: "true"  # Use "false" for internet-facing LoadBalancer

Azure

service.beta.kubernetes.io/azure-load-balancer-internal: "true" # Use "false" for internet-facing LoadBalancer

networking.gke.io/load-balancer-type: "Internal"  # Restricts the LoadBalancer to internal VPC access only. Defaults to internet-facing if not specified.
cloud.google.com/l4-rbs: "enabled" # Optimization for internet-facing LoadBalancer

Alibaba Cloud

service.beta.kubernetes.io/alibaba-cloud-loadbalancer-address-type: "internet"  # Use "intranet" for internal-facing LoadBalancer

NOTE

  service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-internal: "false"  # Use "true" for internal VPC IPs

If you change this annotation from "false" to "true" after the Service is created, the annotation may update in the Service object, but the LoadBalancer will still retain its public IP.

To properly modify this behavior:

First, delete the existing LoadBalancer service.
Recreate the service with the updated annotation (service.beta.kubernetes.io/aws-load-balancer-internal: "true").
Wait for the new LoadBalancer to be provisioned with the correct internal or external IP.

Wait for the Cluster status to transition to Running using the following command:

kubectl get cluster milvus-cluster -n demo -w

NAME             CLUSTER-DEFINITION   TERMINATION-POLICY   STATUS    AGE
milvus-cluster   milvus               Delete               Running   18m

Verify the Exposed Service

Check the service details to confirm the LoadBalancer service is created:

kubectl get service -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=milvus-cluster -n demo

Example Output:

NAME                                 TYPE           CLUSTER-IP     EXTERNAL-IP   PORT(S)              AGE
milvus-cluster-milvus-internet       LoadBalancer   172.20.60.24   <EXTERNAL-IP> 19530:31243/TCP      1m

Disable External Exposure

Option 1: Using OpsRequest

To disable external access, create an OpsRequest:

apiVersion: operations.kubeblocks.io/v1alpha1
kind: OpsRequest
metadata:
  name: milvus-cluster-expose-disable-ops
  namespace: demo
spec:
  clusterName: milvus-cluster
  expose:
  - componentName: milvus
    services:
    - name: internet
      serviceType: LoadBalancer
    switch: Disable
  preConditionDeadlineSeconds: 0
  type: Expose

Wait for the OpsRequest to complete:

kubectl get ops milvus-cluster-expose-disable-ops -n demo

Example Output:

NAME                                TYPE     CLUSTER          STATUS    PROGRESS   AGE
milvus-cluster-expose-disable-ops   Expose   milvus-cluster   Succeed   1/1        24s

Option 2: Using Cluster API

Alternatively, remove the spec.services field from the Cluster resource:

kubectl patch cluster milvus-cluster -n demo --type=json -p='[
  {
    "op": "remove",
    "path": "/spec/services"
  }
]'

Monitor the cluster status until it is Running:

kubectl get cluster milvus-cluster -n demo -w

NAME             CLUSTER-DEFINITION  TERMINATION-POLICY   STATUS     AGE
milvus-cluster   milvus              Delete               Running    44m

Verify Service Removal

Ensure that the 'milvus-cluster-milvus-internet' Service is removed:

kubectl get service -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=milvus-cluster -n demo

Expected Result: The 'milvus-cluster-milvus-internet' Service should be removed.

Cleanup

To remove all created resources, delete the Milvus cluster along with its namespace:

kubectl delete cluster milvus-cluster -n demo
kubectl delete ns demo

Summary

This guide demonstrated how to:

Expose a Milvus service externally or internally using KubeBlocks.
Configure LoadBalancer services with cloud provider-specific annotations.
Manage external access by enabling or disabling services via OpsRequest or direct updates to the Cluster API.

KubeBlocks provides flexibility and simplicity for managing MySQL services in Kubernetes environments. simplicity for managing Milvus services in Kubernetes environments.