Metrics Server¶
Big Bang integration¶
This package wraps the upstream Metrics Server chart to provide the Kubernetes resource Metrics API used by autoscaling and commands such as kubectl top. It is not a historical monitoring backend; use the Big Bang monitoring stack for long-term metrics collection and analysis.
The wrapper uses the Iron Bank Metrics Server image, runs as a non-root user, and defaults to two replicas with required pod anti-affinity across hostnames. The upstream requirements remain authoritative for supported Kubernetes versions, API aggregation, kubelet authentication and authorization, certificates, container-runtime metrics, and node-address selection.
Umbrella configuration¶
Big Bang owns package enablement and reconciliation. Configure the canonical package entry at packages.metricsServer; the legacy addons.metricsServer path remains compatible. Its default enabled: auto installs Metrics Server when the metrics.k8s.io/v1beta1 API is absent, or when an existing Big Bang metrics-server HelmRelease is present. Set enabled: true when installation must not rely on that detection.
The umbrella targets kube-system by default. It can target another namespace and create that namespace when configured. The umbrella also adds ServiceAccount-token mounts required to retrieve kubelet resource metrics and passes global monitoring settings to the chart. These behaviors are implemented by the umbrella, not this wrapper.
Metrics Server must be reachable from the API aggregation layer, and its pods must reach each node’s kubelet endpoint. Preserve kubelet certificate verification and ensure the selected node addresses and kubelet port are reachable before enabling the package. Do not use insecure kubelet TLS settings as a production workaround.
This package does not deploy mesh or network-policy templates. If a custom namespace participates in a mesh or has restrictive network policy, ensure the API server and kubelet paths above remain reachable; mesh enrollment and policy ownership stay with the relevant Big Bang components.
Configuration¶
Pass chart settings through the umbrella package values entry. The upstream parent contains the complete chart configuration; see the Metrics Server chart values for 3.14.0 for supported nested options. Big Bang includes only its selected wrapper overrides in chart/values.yaml.
Validation and operations¶
The package’s optional Helm test hook verifies that the Metrics API is available and can read node and pod metrics; it requires cluster-scoped read access to the Metrics API, core node and pod resources, and the APIService. A successful local render does not prove API aggregation, kubelet connectivity, certificates, or metric availability. Validate those conditions on a disposable cluster after clean install and upgrade.
For upstream deployment, scaling, troubleshooting, and architecture guidance, use the Metrics Server documentation.