OpenShift Best Practices

Top 50 OpenShift v4 Best Practices (Infra Implementation Best practices).

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Please note: There is no standard Best Practices available to conclude commonly for any environment. These instructions may or may not be applicable. You have to make best decision to select the points. We do not take any responsibility for the damages.

 1. Use Certified Hardware:
   – Why: Ensure that hardware components are certified by Red Hat for OpenShift.
   – How: Refer to the Red Hat Hardware Certification List for supported hardware.

 2. Follow Reference Architectures:
   – Why: Leverage Red Hat’s reference architectures for OpenShift deployments.
   – How: Consult the official OpenShift reference architectures.

 3. Separate Control Plane and Node Plane:
   – Why: Enhance security by isolating the control plane from worker nodes.
   – How: Deploy master nodes separately from worker nodes.

 4. Implement High Availability (HA):
   – Why: Ensure system availability in case of node failures.
   – How: Set up an HA configuration for control plane components.

 5. Enable Network Time Protocol (NTP):
   – Why: Synchronize clocks across nodes for accurate logging and event correlation.
   – How: Configure NTP on all nodes.

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 6. Implement Role-Based Access Control (RBAC):
   – Why: Enforce least privilege access.
   – How: Use RBAC to define and manage permissions.

 7. Regularly Update OpenShift Components:
   – Why: Stay current with security patches and new features.
   – How: Follow Red Hat’s update and upgrade procedures.

 8. Use Dedicated Storage for etcd:
   – Why: Enhance stability and performance of the etcd database.
   – How: Deploy dedicated storage for etcd.

 9. Implement Container Storage:
   – Why: Enable persistent storage for applications.
   – How: Use Red Hat OpenShift Container Storage or other supported storage solutions.

 10. Optimize Network Performance:
   – Why: Improve communication speed between nodes.
   – How: Adjust MTU settings and network configurations.

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 11. Implement Cluster Monitoring:
   – Why: Monitor cluster health and performance.
   – How: Deploy and configure monitoring tools like Prometheus and Grafana.

 12. Backup and Restore Strategies:
   – Why: Ensure data integrity and recovery options.
   – How: Establish regular backup and restore procedures.

 13. Implement Ingress Controllers:
   – Why: Manage external access to applications.
   – How: Use Ingress controllers like HAProxy or Traefik.

 14. Resource Quotas and Limits:
   – Why: Prevent resource contention and ensure fair resource usage.
   – How: Define resource quotas and limits for projects.

 15. Utilize Node Affinity:
   – Why: Improve application performance by scheduling pods on specific nodes.
   – How: Use node affinity rules.

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 16. Network Policies:
   – Why: Control communication between pods.
   – How: Define and enforce network policies.

 17. Secure etcd Communication:
   – Why: Protect etcd communication from unauthorized access.
   – How: Use encryption and authentication for etcd.

 18. Regularly Review Audit Logs:
   – Why: Identify and respond to security events.
   – How: Enable and review audit logs.

 19. Implement Role-Binding Reviews:
   – Why: Regularly review and update RBAC role bindings.
   – How: Audit and adjust role bindings as needed.

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 20. Use Pod Disruption Budgets:
   – Why: Control the number of simultaneous disruptions during voluntary disruptions.
   – How: Set up Pod Disruption Budgets.

 21. Optimize Image Registries:
   – Why: Improve image pull performance.
   – How: Optimize image registry configurations.

 22. Use Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs):
   – Why: Extend Kubernetes API to support custom resources.
   – How: Define and use CRDs for custom resources.

 23. Implement OpenShift Operators:
   – Why: Automate the management of complex applications.
   – How: Leverage OpenShift Operators for application lifecycle management.

 24. Implement NodeSelectors:
   – Why: Directly control which nodes a pod is eligible to be scheduled.
   – How: Use NodeSelectors in pod specifications.

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 25. Regularly Test Backups:
   – Why: Ensure the reliability of backup and restore processes.
   – How: Periodically test restoring from backups.

 26. Utilize Project Templates:
   – Why: Standardize application deployment configurations.
   – How: Create and use OpenShift project templates.

 27. Control Node Updates:
   – Why: Schedule node updates during low-impact periods.
   – How: Implement update strategies to control node updates.

 28. Utilize Helm Charts:
   – Why: Simplify deployment and management of applications.
   – How: Package applications as Helm charts for easy deployment.

 29. Implement Admission Controllers:
   – Why: Enforce policies and security controls during pod creation.
   – How: Configure and deploy admission controllers.

 30. Utilize Pod Anti-Affinity:
   – Why: Spread pods across different nodes to enhance availability.
   – How: Use anti-affinity rules in pod specifications.

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 31. Use PodSecurityPolicy (PSP):
   – Why: Define security policies for pods.
   – How: Implement and enforce PodSecurityPolicy.

 32. Implement OAuth Authentication:
   – Why: Enhance security by using OAuth for user authentication.
   – How: Configure OpenShift OAuth settings.

 33. Implement Automated Scaling:
   – Why: Automatically adjust the number of pods based on resource usage.
   – How: Use Horizontal Pod Autoscalers (HPAs).

 34. Regularly Review Configurations:
   – Why: Ensure configurations align with security and compliance standards.
   – How: Conduct periodic configuration reviews.

 35. Utilize Custom Metrics:
   – Why: Monitor application-specific metrics for autoscaling.
   – How: Implement custom metrics for Horizontal Pod Autoscalers.

 36. Secure Image Builds:
   – Why: Ensure security during the image build process.
   – How: Implement secure image build pipelines.

Download all the OpenShift Free PDF Learning materials.

 37. Encrypt Secrets:
   – Why: Protect sensitive information stored in Kubernetes Secrets.
   – How: Use encryption mechanisms for Secrets.

 38. Regularly Rotate Secrets:
   – Why: Limit exposure of sensitive information.
   – How: Implement a regular rotation policy for Secrets.

 39. Implement Node Maintenance:
   – Why: Perform routine maintenance on nodes without disrupting applications.
   – How: Plan and execute node maintenance procedures.

 40. Use Network Policies for Isolation:
   – Why: Isolate applications for security and compliance.
   – How: Define and enforce network policies for isolation.

 41. Implement PodSecurityContext:
   – Why: Define security settings at the pod level.
   – How: Use PodSecurityContext in pod specifications.

Download all the OpenShift Free PDF Learning materials.

 42. Utilize Resource Requests and Limits:
   – Why: Ensure fair resource allocation and prevent resource contention.
   – How: Specify resource requests and limits in pod specifications.

 43. Secure API Access:
   – Why: Control and secure access to the OpenShift API.
   – How: Implement authentication and authorization for API access.

 44. Regularly Test Disaster Recovery:
   – Why: Ensure the ability to recover from catastrophic failures.
   – How: Conduct periodic disaster recovery tests.

 45. Implement GitOps Workflows:
   – Why: Manage cluster configurations through version-controlled Git repositories.
   – How: Adopt GitOps practices for configuration management.

 46. Implement Node Drain:
   – Why: Safely evict pods from a node before maintenance.
   – How: Use `oc adm drain` to gracefully evict pods.

 47. Use Service Mesh for Microservices:
   – Why: Enhance communication, monitoring, and security for microservices.
   – How: Implement a service mesh like Istio.

 48. Optimize Logging:
   – Why: Efficiently collect and store logs for troubleshooting.
   – How: Configure log aggregation and storage solutions.

 49. Utilize Custom Resource Quotas:
   – Why: Set project-specific resource quotas.
   – How: Define custom resource quotas for projects.

 50. Regularly Review Cluster Security Policies:
   – Why: Stay current with security best practices.
   – How: Periodically review and update cluster security policies.

Download all the OpenShift Free PDF Learning materials.

Always refer to the latest official OpenShift documentation and Red Hat’s recommendations for the most up-to-date and specific guidance. Additionally, test changes in a non-production environment before applying them to a production cluster.


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