home / skills / markus41 / claude / local-eks-development

This skill helps you set up a local EKS-parity development environment with Kind, LocalStack, and Keycloak for fast testing.

npx playbooks add skill markus41/claude --skill local-eks-development

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SKILL.md
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---
name: local-eks-development
description: Local Kubernetes development with EKS parity using Kind, LocalStack for AWS services, and local Keycloak for authentication testing
allowed-tools:
  - Bash
  - Read
  - Write
  - Edit
  - Glob
  - Grep
  - Task
triggers:
  - local dev
  - local kubernetes
  - kind cluster
  - local eks
  - localstack
  - dev environment
  - local keycloak
---

# Local EKS Development Skill

Set up local Kubernetes environment with EKS parity for fast development.

## Use For
- Local K8s with Kind matching EKS, LocalStack for AWS services
- Local Keycloak instance, hot-reload development with Skaffold

## Kind Cluster Configuration (EKS Parity)

```yaml
# kind-config.yaml - Matches EKS 1.28 behavior
kind: Cluster
apiVersion: kind.x-k8s.io/v1alpha4
name: eks-local
nodes:
  - role: control-plane
    kubeadmConfigPatches:
      - |
        kind: InitConfiguration
        nodeRegistration:
          kubeletExtraArgs:
            node-labels: "ingress-ready=true"
    extraPortMappings:
      - containerPort: 80
        hostPort: 80
        protocol: TCP
      - containerPort: 443
        hostPort: 443
        protocol: TCP
      - containerPort: 8080  # Keycloak
        hostPort: 8080
        protocol: TCP
  - role: worker
  - role: worker
networking:
  apiServerAddress: "127.0.0.1"
  apiServerPort: 6443
featureGates:
  # Match EKS feature gates
  EphemeralContainers: true
  ServerSideApply: true
containerdConfigPatches:
  - |-
    [plugins."io.containerd.grpc.v1.cri".registry.mirrors."localhost:5000"]
      endpoint = ["http://kind-registry:5000"]
```

## Docker Compose for Local Stack

```yaml
# docker-compose.yaml
version: '3.8'

services:
  # LocalStack for AWS services
  localstack:
    image: localstack/localstack:3.0
    container_name: localstack
    ports:
      - "4566:4566"           # LocalStack gateway
      - "4510-4559:4510-4559" # External services
    environment:
      - SERVICES=secretsmanager,ecr,iam,sts,ssm
      - DEBUG=1
      - DATA_DIR=/var/lib/localstack/data
      - DOCKER_HOST=unix:///var/run/docker.sock
      - AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-west-2
    volumes:
      - localstack_data:/var/lib/localstack
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
    networks:
      - eks-local

  # Local Keycloak
  keycloak:
    image: quay.io/keycloak/keycloak:24.0.1
    container_name: keycloak-local
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - KEYCLOAK_ADMIN=admin
      - KEYCLOAK_ADMIN_PASSWORD=admin
      - KC_HTTP_RELATIVE_PATH=/
      - KC_HEALTH_ENABLED=true
    command: start-dev --import-realm
    volumes:
      - ./keycloak/realm-export.json:/opt/keycloak/data/import/realm.json:ro
    networks:
      - eks-local
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8080/health"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

  # PostgreSQL for Keycloak (production parity)
  postgres:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    container_name: postgres-local
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=keycloak
      - POSTGRES_USER=keycloak
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=keycloak
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    networks:
      - eks-local

  # Local Docker Registry
  registry:
    image: registry:2
    container_name: kind-registry
    ports:
      - "5000:5000"
    networks:
      - eks-local

volumes:
  localstack_data:
  postgres_data:

networks:
  eks-local:
    driver: bridge
```

## Skaffold Configuration (Hot Reload)

```yaml
# skaffold.yaml
apiVersion: skaffold/v4beta7
kind: Config
metadata:
  name: eks-local-dev

build:
  local:
    push: false
  artifacts:
    - image: localhost:5000/my-service
      context: .
      docker:
        dockerfile: Dockerfile
      sync:
        manual:
          - src: "src/**/*.ts"
            dest: /app/src
          - src: "src/**/*.js"
            dest: /app/src

deploy:
  helm:
    releases:
      - name: my-service
        chartPath: charts/my-service
        valuesFiles:
          - charts/my-service/values-local.yaml
        setValues:
          image.repository: localhost:5000/my-service
          image.tag: "{{.IMAGE_TAG}}"
          keycloak.url: "http://keycloak-local:8080"
          keycloak.realm: "local"

profiles:
  - name: debug
    activation:
      - command: debug
    patches:
      - op: add
        path: /deploy/helm/releases/0/setValues/debug
        value: "true"

portForward:
  - resourceType: service
    resourceName: my-service
    port: 3000
    localPort: 3000
  - resourceType: service
    resourceName: keycloak
    port: 8080
    localPort: 8080
```

## Local Values Override

```yaml
# charts/my-service/values-local.yaml
replicaCount: 1

image:
  repository: localhost:5000/my-service
  pullPolicy: Never
  tag: "latest"

service:
  type: NodePort
  port: 3000

ingress:
  enabled: true
  className: nginx
  hosts:
    - host: my-service.localhost
      paths:
        - path: /
          pathType: Prefix

# Local Keycloak config
keycloak:
  enabled: true
  url: "http://keycloak-local:8080"
  realm: "local"
  clientId: "my-service-client"
  clientSecret: "local-dev-secret"

# LocalStack AWS config
aws:
  endpoint: "http://localstack:4566"
  region: "us-west-2"
  accessKeyId: "test"
  secretAccessKey: "test"

# Disable production features locally
autoscaling:
  enabled: false

resources:
  limits:
    cpu: 500m
    memory: 512Mi
  requests:
    cpu: 100m
    memory: 128Mi

# Enable debug logging
env:
  - name: LOG_LEVEL
    value: "debug"
  - name: NODE_ENV
    value: "development"
```

## Setup Scripts

### Initialize Local Environment
```bash
#!/bin/bash
# scripts/dev-up.sh

set -e

echo "🚀 Starting local EKS development environment..."

# Start Docker Compose services
echo "📦 Starting LocalStack and Keycloak..."
docker-compose up -d

# Wait for services
echo "⏳ Waiting for services to be ready..."
until curl -s http://localhost:4566/_localstack/health | grep -q '"secretsmanager": "running"'; do
  sleep 2
done
until curl -s http://localhost:8080/health | grep -q 'UP'; do
  sleep 2
done

# Create Kind cluster if not exists
if ! kind get clusters | grep -q "eks-local"; then
  echo "🔧 Creating Kind cluster..."
  kind create cluster --config kind-config.yaml

  # Connect to local network
  docker network connect eks-local eks-local-control-plane 2>/dev/null || true
  docker network connect eks-local eks-local-worker 2>/dev/null || true
  docker network connect eks-local eks-local-worker2 2>/dev/null || true
fi

# Install NGINX Ingress
echo "🌐 Installing NGINX Ingress..."
kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/main/deploy/static/provider/kind/deploy.yaml
kubectl wait --namespace ingress-nginx \
  --for=condition=ready pod \
  --selector=app.kubernetes.io/component=controller \
  --timeout=90s

# Setup local secrets
echo "🔐 Setting up local secrets..."
kubectl create namespace my-service 2>/dev/null || true
kubectl create secret generic my-service-keycloak \
  --namespace my-service \
  --from-literal=client-secret=local-dev-secret \
  --dry-run=client -o yaml | kubectl apply -f -

# Setup LocalStack secrets
aws --endpoint-url=http://localhost:4566 \
  secretsmanager create-secret \
  --name my-service/keycloak-client-secret \
  --secret-string "local-dev-secret" 2>/dev/null || true

echo "✅ Local environment ready!"
echo ""
echo "Services:"
echo "  - Kubernetes API: https://127.0.0.1:6443"
echo "  - Keycloak: http://localhost:8080 (admin/admin)"
echo "  - LocalStack: http://localhost:4566"
echo "  - Registry: http://localhost:5000"
echo ""
echo "Run 'skaffold dev' to start hot-reload development"
```

### Teardown Environment
```bash
#!/bin/bash
# scripts/dev-down.sh

set -e

echo "🛑 Stopping local EKS development environment..."

# Stop Skaffold if running
pkill -f "skaffold dev" 2>/dev/null || true

# Delete Kind cluster
if kind get clusters | grep -q "eks-local"; then
  echo "🗑️ Deleting Kind cluster..."
  kind delete cluster --name eks-local
fi

# Stop Docker Compose
echo "📦 Stopping Docker services..."
docker-compose down -v

echo "✅ Local environment stopped"
```

## Telepresence for Hybrid Development

```bash
# Connect to remote EKS while running local code
telepresence connect

# Intercept traffic to your service
telepresence intercept my-service \
  --namespace my-namespace \
  --port 3000:3000 \
  --env-file my-service.env

# Your local code now receives production traffic
npm run dev

# Clean up
telepresence leave my-service
telepresence quit
```

## Local Keycloak Realm

```json
{
  "realm": "local",
  "enabled": true,
  "sslRequired": "none",
  "registrationAllowed": true,
  "users": [
    {
      "username": "testuser",
      "email": "[email protected]",
      "enabled": true,
      "firstName": "Test",
      "lastName": "User",
      "credentials": [
        {
          "type": "password",
          "value": "testpass",
          "temporary": false
        }
      ],
      "realmRoles": ["user"]
    },
    {
      "username": "admin",
      "email": "[email protected]",
      "enabled": true,
      "credentials": [
        {
          "type": "password",
          "value": "adminpass",
          "temporary": false
        }
      ],
      "realmRoles": ["admin", "user"]
    }
  ],
  "clients": [
    {
      "clientId": "my-service-client",
      "enabled": true,
      "clientAuthenticatorType": "client-secret",
      "secret": "local-dev-secret",
      "redirectUris": ["http://localhost:*/*", "http://my-service.localhost/*"],
      "webOrigins": ["*"],
      "standardFlowEnabled": true,
      "directAccessGrantsEnabled": true,
      "serviceAccountsEnabled": true,
      "publicClient": false
    }
  ],
  "roles": {
    "realm": [
      {"name": "admin"},
      {"name": "user"}
    ]
  }
}
```

## Environment Parity Checklist

| Feature | EKS Production | Kind Local |
|---------|---------------|------------|
| K8s Version | 1.28 | 1.28 (configurable) |
| Ingress | AWS ALB | NGINX |
| Secrets | Secrets Manager | LocalStack |
| Registry | ECR | Local Registry |
| IAM | IRSA | Mocked |
| Keycloak | Managed | Docker |
| Database | RDS | Docker Postgres |

## Troubleshooting

| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| Kind cluster won't start | Check Docker resources, restart Docker |
| LocalStack not responding | Check container logs, verify ports |
| Keycloak login fails | Verify realm import, check credentials |
| Image pull fails | Ensure registry is connected to Kind network |
| Ingress not working | Check NGINX controller is running |

## References
- [Kind Configuration](https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/docs/user/configuration/)
- [LocalStack AWS Services](https://docs.localstack.cloud/user-guide/aws/)
- [Skaffold Documentation](https://skaffold.dev/docs/)

Overview

This skill provides a reproducible local EKS-like development environment using Kind, LocalStack, and a local Keycloak instance. It focuses on parity with EKS behavior so you can iterate fast while exercising AWS services, authentication, and ingress locally. Included are Docker Compose, Kind config, Skaffold hot-reload, setup/teardown scripts, and a Keycloak realm for testing.

How this skill works

It creates a Kind cluster configured to match EKS feature gates, networking, and port mappings, plus a local Docker network that connects LocalStack, Keycloak, Postgres, and a local registry. Docker Compose brings up LocalStack and Keycloak with an imported realm, while scripts automate waiting for readiness, creating secrets in LocalStack and Kubernetes, and installing an NGINX ingress. Skaffold handles image sync and hot-reload into the cluster, and Telepresence can optionally intercept production traffic for hybrid debugging.

When to use it

  • You need fast feedback loops for Kubernetes services with AWS dependency mocks.
  • You want to test Keycloak-based authentication flows locally with realistic clients and secrets.
  • You need a local image registry and EKS-alike Kind cluster for parity testing.
  • You want hot-reload development with Skaffold and port forwarding for local debugging.
  • You need to simulate secrets and AWS services (Secrets Manager, ECR, STS) without touching cloud accounts.

Best practices

  • Run the included dev-up.sh to ensure services start in the correct order and health checks pass.
  • Use the provided kind-config.yaml to preserve EKS feature gates and port mappings for predictable behavior.
  • Push test images to the local registry (localhost:5000) and ensure kind nodes are network-connected to the registry.
  • Keep production features (autoscaling, external databases) disabled in values-local.yaml to reduce resource footprint.
  • Use Skaffold sync for rapid iterative edits and Telepresence only when you need production traffic routing to local code.

Example use cases

  • Develop and debug an API that authenticates users via Keycloak using the shipped realm and clients.
  • Run integration tests against LocalStack-backed Secrets Manager and mocked ECR without deploying to AWS.
  • Iterate on Helm charts and ingress rules locally with NGINX Ingress and host mapping to my-service.localhost.
  • Use Skaffold dev to live-reload TypeScript changes into containers running inside Kind.
  • Temporarily intercept production requests with Telepresence to reproduce and fix issues locally.

FAQ

How do I persist Keycloak data between restarts?

The compose file mounts a realm import and Postgres is configured with a named volume to persist data. Keep the postgres_data volume and avoid docker-compose down -v if you want to retain state.

Can I change Kubernetes version or feature gates?

Yes. Update kind-config.yaml to adjust Kubernetes version and featureGates to match your target EKS cluster; recreate the Kind cluster after changes.