NVIDIA / NVIDIA/nvidia-terraform-modules

Feature Request: Add Karpenter Module for Kubernetes Node Autoscaling

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Dominant language
HCL
Stars
62
Forks
25
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

Summary

Add a dedicated Karpenter module to the EKS.

Problem

The current node autoscaling approach has several limitations:

  • Slow scaling response times: Current autoscaling relies on managed node groups(MNG) that have slower response time compared to Karpenter
  • Limited instance flexibility: MNGs are tied to their launch templates, and one-size-fits-all is rarely a suitable approach
  • Operational overhead: Managing multiple MNGs for different workload profiles adds complexity and maintenance burden
  • Cost inefficiency: Karpenter is much more cost-efficient with spot instances and semi-intelligent node selection from the Node Pools

Proposed Solution

Integrate the AWS Karpenter module to the EKS.

module "karpenter" {
  source = "terraform-aws-modules/eks/aws//modules/karpenter"

  cluster_name = module.eks.cluster_name

  # Attach additional IAM policies to the Karpenter node IAM role
  node_iam_role_additional_policies = {
    AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore = "arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore"
  }

  tags = {
    Environment = "dev"
    Terraform   = "true"
  }
}

Reusing the existing Nodes IAM Role:

module "karpenter" {
  source = "terraform-aws-modules/eks/aws//modules/karpenter"

  cluster_name = module.eks.cluster_name

  create_node_iam_role = false
  node_iam_role_arn    = module.eks.eks_managed_node_groups["initial"].iam_role_arn

  # Since the node group role will already have an access entry
  create_access_entry = false

  tags = {
    Environment = "dev"
    Terraform   = "true"
  }
}

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reviewing the repository's existing EKS and managed node group Terraform modules to identify the integration points for a Karpenter module. Compare both proposed configurations, including IAM role reuse and access-entry settings. Done means the module supports the described creation and reuse paths with validated Terraform configuration.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
aws, kubernetes, terraform
Domain
cloud, devops, infrastructure
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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