AWS has made important changes to the EKS Cluster creation process, especially around IAM roles. This guide walks you through the updated process, combining the core concepts from Maximilian’s course with the latest AWS Console UI updates.

🧠 What is an EKS Cluster?

• The EKS Cluster is the control plane of your Kubernetes infrastructure.
• While Kubernetes manages the pods and containers, you are responsible for:
  • Cluster setup
  • Networking
  • IAM permissions
• AWS simplifies this with managed services like EKS, EC2, and CloudFormation.

✅ Updated IAM Requirements in AWS Console

AWS has introduced two separate IAM roles you must define during cluster creation:

1. Cluster IAM Role (Previously called “Cluster Service Role”)

• Same as in the original tutorial.

2. Node IAM Role 🆕 (New requirement)

• This is not the Node Group role you create later.
• You must now specify in advance which IAM role EC2-based worker nodes can assume.

🔧 Step-by-Step Setup

🔹 1. Create the Cluster IAM Role (eksClusterRole)

This allows EKS to create AWS resources on your behalf.

🛠️ Create IAM Role: