GKE Cluster Configuration

When to Use This Skill

This section covers the foundational security configurations for GKE clusters:

1. Private GKE Cluster - Private control plane, VPC networking, and encrypted etcd
2. Workload Identity - Pod-to-GCP authentication without service account keys
3. Binary Authorization - Shielded Nodes and image verification

Public Cluster Risk

Public control planes expose your cluster API to the internet. Even with strong authentication, this increases attack surface and is not recommended for production.

Prerequisites

• GCP project with billing enabled
• gcloud CLI installed and authenticated
• Terraform 1.0+
• kubectl configured for cluster access
• Appropriate IAM permissions (Project Editor or Security Admin roles)

Production Warning

These configurations enforce strict security controls. Test in QAC/DEV before production deployment.

Implementation

Fundamental cluster security configuration covering private networking, identity federation, and image verification.

Overview

This section covers the foundational security configurations for GKE clusters:

1. Private GKE Cluster - Private control plane, VPC networking, and encrypted etcd
2. Workload Identity - Pod-to-GCP authentication without service account keys
3. Binary Authorization - Shielded Nodes and image verification

Public Cluster Risk

Public control planes expose your cluster API to the internet. Even with strong authentication, this increases attack surface and is not recommended for production.

Security Principles

Defense in Depth

• Private Control Plane: API server accessible only from authorized networks
• Workload Identity: Pods authenticate to GCP without static credentials
• Shielded Nodes: Secure boot, measured boot, and integrity monitoring
• Binary Authorization: Only verified container images run on the cluster

Configuration Management

All configurations use Terraform for Infrastructure as Code, enabling:

• Repeatable deployments across environments
• Version-controlled security policies
• Automated compliance validation
• Drift detection and remediation

Prerequisites

• GCP project with billing enabled
• gcloud CLI installed and authenticated
• Terraform 1.0+
• kubectl configured for cluster access
• Appropriate IAM permissions (Project Editor or Security Admin roles)

Production Warning

These configurations enforce strict security controls. Test in QAC/DEV before production deployment.

Quick Start

See examples.md for detailed code examples.

Related Configuration

• Network Security - VPC-native networking, Network Policies, Private Service Connect
• IAM Configuration - Least-privilege IAM, audit logging, service accounts
• Runtime Security - Pod Security Standards, admission controllers, monitoring

Overview

This section covers the foundational security configurations for GKE clusters:

1. Private GKE Cluster - Private control plane, VPC networking, and encrypted etcd
2. Workload Identity - Pod-to-GCP authentication without service account keys
3. Binary Authorization - Shielded Nodes and image verification

Public Cluster Risk

Public control planes expose your cluster API to the internet. Even with strong authentication, this increases attack surface and is not recommended for production.

Security Principles

Defense in Depth

• Private Control Plane: API server accessible only from authorized networks
• Workload Identity: Pods authenticate to GCP without static credentials
• Shielded Nodes: Secure boot, measured boot, and integrity monitoring
• Binary Authorization: Only verified container images run on the cluster

Configuration Management

All configurations use Terraform for Infrastructure as Code, enabling:

• Repeatable deployments across environments
• Version-controlled security policies
• Automated compliance validation
• Drift detection and remediation

Prerequisites

• GCP project with billing enabled
• gcloud CLI installed and authenticated
• Terraform 1.0+
• kubectl configured for cluster access
• Appropriate IAM permissions (Project Editor or Security Admin roles)

Production Warning

These configurations enforce strict security controls. Test in QAC/DEV before production deployment.

Quick Start

See examples.md for detailed code examples.

Related Configuration

• Network Security - VPC-native networking, Network Policies, Private Service Connect
• IAM Configuration - Least-privilege IAM, audit logging, service accounts
• Runtime Security - Pod Security Standards, admission controllers, monitoring

Key Principles

Defense in Depth

• Private Control Plane: API server accessible only from authorized networks
• Workload Identity: Pods authenticate to GCP without static credentials
• Shielded Nodes: Secure boot, measured boot, and integrity monitoring
• Binary Authorization: Only verified container images run on the cluster

Configuration Management

All configurations use Terraform for Infrastructure as Code, enabling:

• Repeatable deployments across environments
• Version-controlled security policies
• Automated compliance validation
• Drift detection and remediation

Related Patterns

• Network Security
• IAM Configuration
• Runtime Security

References

• Source Documentation
• AEL Secure