Homelab Kubernetes
Anton is the Kubernetes cluster in my basement. It runs three Talos control-plane nodes and exposes selected services to the internet through Cloudflare Tunnel and Envoy Gateway.
- Nodes
- 3
- Kubernetes
- v1.36.0
- Role
- HA control plane
Three-node Talos control plane running on MS-01 mini PCs.
Live edge check
Pings echo.wcygan.net straight from this browser.
Run the check to trace a live request through the cluster.
Not checkedecho.wcygan.net has not been checked yet.
Request Topology
A request to echo.wcygan.net travels from the browser through the Cloudflare edge and Tunnel to Envoy Gateway, which routes by Host header to the echo service before the response returns along the same path.
The Hardware
Anton consists of three identical MINISFORUM MS-01 mini PCs:
| Name | Model | CPU | Storage | RAM | OS | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| k8s-1 | MS-01 | i9-13900H | 500GB NVMe | 96GB | Talos | Control Plane |
| k8s-2 | MS-01 | i9-13900H | 500GB NVMe | 96GB | Talos | Control Plane |
| k8s-3 | MS-01 | i9-13900H | 500GB NVMe | 96GB | Talos | Control Plane |
The Software Stack
Operating System: Talos Linux
Anton runs on Talos Linux, an immutable Kubernetes-focused operating system. Talos:
- Has no SSH access or package manager
- Is configured entirely through declarative YAML
- Provides atomic updates and rollbacks
- Offers enhanced security through immutability
Kubernetes Distribution
The cluster runs vanilla Kubernetes deployed through Talos to achieve:
- High Availability: Three control-plane nodes ensure the cluster survives hardware failures
- Workload Flexibility: All nodes can run workloads, maximizing resource utilization
- Latest Features: Direct access to upstream Kubernetes releases
Conclusion
Anton is based on cluster-template, a GitOps Kubernetes homelab template that provides the starting structure for Talos, Flux, and common cluster services.