Build a Kubernetes Cluster at Home with Raspberry Pis

Most people interact with Kubernetes through the cloud. They probably are as close to the cluster as they are to their laptop. Using a cluster in the cloud with a web browser or terminal is fine but there is something more intimate or rewarding to deploying a kubernetes cluster on bare metal. And even more rewarding is physically unplugging a node and watch Kubernetes rebalancing the workloads. What You'll Need The total cost is roughly €300 depending on what you already own, the number of nodes you will choose to have and whether you will get a case to wrap everything nicely. 4x Raspberry Pi 4 (or Pi 5) (4GB RAM or more). With 4GB per board, there's enough headroom to run workloads on top. 8GB model is nice to have but not necessary. 4x microSD cards (32GB). The OS, container images, and Kubernetes binaries all live on these. 32GB gives you comfortable room. A multi-port USB-C charger (at least 15W per port). Each Pi 4 draws up to 15W under load. A 4-port USB-C PD GaN charger powers t