Kubernetes: How to Run a Pod and Get the EGRESS IP Address KubernetesEKS

1. Deploy a Pod to Your Cluster

You can launch a simple Pod using the kubectl run command. For example, to run an NGINX Pod:

bashkubectl run my-nginx --image=nginx --restart=Never

Wait until the pod is in the Running state:

bashkubectl get pod my-nginx -o wide

2. Get Pod EGRESS IP Address

To determine the IP address seen by external services (egress/source IP), execute the following steps:

Step A: Get a Shell Inside the Pod

kubectl exec -it my-nginx -- /bin/sh

(If /bin/sh is not present, replace with /bin/bash or use another pod/container image that has a shell.)

Step B: Query an External Service for the Pod’s Egress IP

Within the pod shell, run:

curl https://ifconfig.me

or

textcurl https://api.ipify.org

• The response will be the egress/public IP as seen by the Internet.
• This will usually be:
  • The EC2 node’s public IP address if your nodes are in a public subnet, or
  • The NAT Gateway’s Elastic IP if your worker nodes are in private subnets.

If curl is not installed in the container, you can:

• Use an image that includes curl (e.g., ubuntu, alpine)
• Install it on-the-fly, e.g., apk add curl in Alpine Linux or apt-get update && apt-get install curl -y in Ubuntu.

3. Example Pod Command

If you want to create a one-off pod with curl available:

bashkubectl run tmp-curl-pod --rm -it --image=alpine --restart=Never -- sh
# Inside the shell, run:
apk add curl
curl https://ifconfig.me
exit

When you exit, the pod will be cleaned up automatically.

4. Quick Table: What Each IP Means

5. What Determines Egress IP in AWS EKS?

• For standard AWS EKS setups:
  • Public Node: Outbound IP is usually the node’s public IP.
  • Private Node: Outbound IP is the NAT Gateway’s Elastic IP.
• If using advanced networking (like Calico with Egress IP pools or Egress Gateway), the IP could be different, but in default setups, the above holds.

Summary:

• Deploy pod.
• Open a shell inside.
• Use curl to an external service to print the egress/public IP.

Rajesh Kumar

I’m Rajesh Kumar, a DevOps, SRE, DevSecOps, Cloud, and Platform Engineering expert passionate about sharing practical knowledge, real-world experiences, and industry best practices. I have worked at Cotocus and regularly write about technology, travel, investing, health, product reviews, and digital marketing through my various platforms.

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