Jack Carter 955ba43566 docs: add "Route to a Kubernetes service with HA" how-to (#810)
* docs: add Highly Available Routing Peers use-case page (Kubernetes operator)

Add a standalone use-case page under a new Use Cases group in the Kubernetes
nav, covering how to run the operator's routing peers in HA: NetworkRouter
workloadOverride.replicas (default 3), the auto-created PodDisruptionBudget
(maxUnavailable: 1), equal-metric automatic failover, and spreading replicas
across failure domains via workloadOverride.podTemplate. Models least-privilege
(named destination group + access policy) rather than the All group.

* docs: add topology diagrams to HA routing peers page

Two SVG topology diagrams: replicas on a single node (single point of
failure) and replicas spread one-per-node via topologySpreadConstraints.
Embedded in Step 1 and the failure-domains section.

* docs: correct HA scheduling framing; drop single-node diagram

kube-scheduler spreads a Deployment's replicas across nodes by default
(best-effort, via built-in PodTopologySpread defaults). The earlier text/
diagram wrongly implied replicas co-locate by default. Reframe: multi-node
spread is the default; topologySpreadConstraints turns it into a guarantee
(or spans zones). Remove the single-node diagram (non-HA case, out of scope).

* docs: add Friendly DNS names appendix to HA routing peers page

Document exposing a service under a cleaner name via a CNAME in a custom
zone pointing at the operator's <service>.<namespace>.<zone> record (verified
end-to-end). Placed as an appendix for now; can move to a shared location later.

* docs: use ScheduleAnyway in spread example; note DoNotSchedule rollout deadlock

Multi-node verification: default scheduling already spreads replicas one-per-node;
the operator merges workloadOverride.podTemplate.topologySpreadConstraints into the
Deployment. DoNotSchedule with replicas == schedulable nodes deadlocks rolling updates
(surge pod can't place). Switch the example to ScheduleAnyway (verified clean rollout)
and document DoNotSchedule + the node-count/maxSurge caveat for a hard guarantee.

* docs: clarify custom-zone records are per-name (no whole-domain shadowing)

Verified on the lab: a NetBird custom zone serves only the records you add; other
names under the domain fall through to upstream DNS. Reusing a real internal domain
for friendly names is safe except for exact-name collisions.

* docs: expand into full 'Route to a Kubernetes service' how-to

Restructure the HA use-case page into an end-to-end guide covering the whole
journey: create the custom DNS zone, groups, and access policy (dashboard) ->
deploy HA routing peers (NetworkRouter, replicas:3) -> expose a Service
(NetworkResource) -> verify + failover. Generic, human-readable example names
(k8s.company.internal, kubernetes-clients/-services, network 'kubernetes',
nginx). Keeps the failure-domains diagram + ScheduleAnyway/DoNotSchedule note
and the friendly-DNS appendix. Adds <img> slots for 5 dashboard/terminal
screenshots (to be supplied). Renames the page + nav entry to
route-to-a-kubernetes-service; old slug removed.

* docs: add dashboard/terminal screenshots to the K8s how-to

Four screenshots (DNS zone, access policy, the kubernetes network with HA +
3 routing peers, kubectl pods-across-nodes). Drop the groups screenshot and
renumber the <img> refs to match.

* docs: swap in cleaner pods-across-nodes screenshot for Step 5

* docs: make node-spread central to the HA guide

Node-spread is the point of an HA guide, not a tail-end section. Move the
topology diagram up to 'What you'll achieve', fold the node-spread story into
Step 3 (deploy HA routing peers) - leading with the verified fact that the
scheduler spreads replicas across nodes by default (HA out of the box), with
topologySpreadConstraints as optional hardening - and drop the orphaned
'Spread across failure domains' section.

* docs: clarify the custom zone is created empty (operator fills the record)

Step 1 showed the auto-created A record without saying you don't enter it.
Note that you create only the zone (no hostname/IP/TTL by hand) and the
operator adds <service>.<namespace>.<zone> -> ClusterIP (5-min TTL) in Step 4.

* docs: replace Excalidraw topology with a custom dark-mode SVG

Hand-authored dark-background topology diagram (NetBird overlay -> routing
peers one-per-node -> Service) that matches the dark docs theme, replacing the
light Excalidraw-derived SVG. Removes the orphaned ha-routing-peers-spread-nodes.svg.

* docs: add CNAME dialog screenshot to the friendly-DNS appendix

Show the Add DNS Record dialog (CNAME 'app' -> nginx.default.k8s.company.internal)
and align the example hostname to 'app' to match.

* docs: drop maxSurge:0 workaround (not configurable via the operator)

The operator's workloadOverride only exposes annotations, labels, podTemplate,
and replicas — there is no hook for the Deployment's strategy.rollingUpdate.maxSurge.
Keep the achievable workaround (more schedulable nodes than replicas).

* docs: drop manual topology spread guidance (operator handles it by default)
2026-07-03 12:26:26 +02:00
2026-01-14 18:11:42 +01:00
2024-03-08 16:27:55 +01:00
2023-05-25 11:32:38 +02:00
2026-02-02 17:33:09 +01:00
2025-11-21 11:24:17 +01:00
2026-01-12 23:01:42 +01:00

The NetBird documentation

This repository contains assets required to build the documentation website for NetBird. It is built using Next.js with MDX support, a modern React framework for building static and dynamic websites.

We're glad that you want to contribute!

Requirements

  • node 16
  • npm 8+

Installation

$ npm install

Local Development

$ npm run dev

This command starts a local development server and opens up a browser window. Most changes are reflected live without having to restart the server.

Contributing to the docs

You can click the Fork button in the upper-right area of the screen to create a copy of this repository in your GitHub account. This copy is called a fork. Make any changes you want in your fork, and when you are ready to send those changes to us, go to your fork and create a new pull request to let us know about it.

Once your pull request is created, a NetBird reviewer will take responsibility for providing clear, actionable feedback. As the owner of the pull request, it is your responsibility to modify your pull request to address the feedback that has been provided to you by the NetBird reviewer.

Also, note that you may end up having more than one NetBird reviewer provide you feedback or you may end up getting feedback from a NetBird reviewer that is different than the one initially assigned to provide you feedback.

Furthermore, in some cases, one of your reviewers might ask for a technical review from a NetBird author when needed. Reviewers will do their best to provide feedback in a timely fashion but response time can vary based on circumstances.

Code of conduct

Participation in the NetBird community is governed by the NetBirds' Code of Conduct.

Components and Use

This documentation uses several custom MDX components. Here's a guide to the most commonly used components:

Alert Components

Use these components to highlight important information:

Note

Displays informational content with an orange theme:

import {Note} from "@/components/mdx"

<Note>
    NetBird is an **[open-source](https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird)** project and can be self-hosted.
    See a comparison between the self-hosted and cloud-hosted versions [here](/selfhosted/self-hosted-vs-cloud-netbird).
</Note>

Warning

Displays warning content with a red theme:

import {Warning} from "@/components/mdx"

<Warning>
    The API is still in Beta state so some errors might not be handled properly yet.
</Warning>

Success

Displays success messages with a green theme:

import {Success} from "@/components/mdx"

<Success>
    Your configuration has been successfully applied.
</Success>

Tiles Component

Displays a grid of clickable cards with hover effects. Perfect for listing related resources or guides:

import {Tiles} from "@/components/Tiles"

<Tiles 
  title="About NetBird" 
  id="about-netbird" 
  items={[
    {
      href: '/about-netbird/how-netbird-works',
      name: 'How NetBird Works',
      description: 'Learn about NetBird concepts, architecture, protocols, and how it creates secure networks.',
    },
    {
      href: '/about-netbird/netbird-vs-traditional-vpn',
      name: 'NetBird vs. Traditional VPN',
      description: 'Discover how NetBird compares to traditional VPNs and understand the advantages of Zero Trust networking.',
    },
  ]} 
/>

Props:

  • title (string, required): The heading title for the tiles section
  • id (string, optional): Optional id for the heading anchor
  • items (array, required): Array of objects with href, name, and description
  • buttonText (string, optional): Button text (defaults to "Read more" - currently unused as cards are fully clickable)

YouTube Component

Embeds YouTube videos with customizable parameters:

import {YouTube} from "@/components/YouTube"

<YouTube videoId="CFa7SY4Up9k" />

// With custom parameters
<YouTube 
  videoId="CFa7SY4Up9k" 
  title="Video Title"
  start={175}
  color="white"
  modestbranding={1}
  rel={1}
/>

// Or use a URL instead of videoId
<YouTube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFa7SY4Up9k" />

Props:

  • videoId (string): YouTube video ID
  • url (string): YouTube URL (alternative to videoId)
  • title (string, optional): Video title
  • start (number, optional): Start time in seconds
  • color (string, optional): Progress bar color - 'white' or 'red' (default: 'white')
  • modestbranding (number, optional): Reduces YouTube branding - 0 or 1 (default: 1)
  • controls (number, optional): Show/hide controls - 0, 1, or 2 (default: 1)
  • rel (number, optional): Show related videos - 0 or 1 (default: 1)

Button Component

Creates styled buttons with multiple variants:

import {Button} from "@/components/Button"

// Primary button (default)
<Button href="https://app.netbird.io/install" arrow="right">
  Get started
</Button>

// Secondary button
<Button href="/path" variant="secondary">
  Learn more
</Button>

// Outline button
<Button href="/path" variant="outline">
  Explore
</Button>

// Text button
<Button href="/path" variant="text" arrow="right">
  Read more
</Button>

// With left arrow
<Button href="/path" arrow="left">
  Back
</Button>

Props:

  • variant (string, optional): Button style - 'primary', 'secondary', 'filled', 'outline', or 'text' (default: 'primary')
  • href (string, optional): Link URL (creates a link if provided, otherwise renders as button)
  • arrow (string, optional): Arrow icon - 'left' or 'right'
  • children (required): Button text content

Other Common Components

Row and Col

Create two-column layouts:

import {Row, Col} from "@/components/mdx"

<Row>
  <Col>
    Left column content
  </Col>
  <Col sticky>
    Right column content (sticky on scroll)
  </Col>
</Row>

Properties and Property

Define API properties or configuration options:

import {Properties, Property} from "@/components/mdx"

<Properties>
  <Property name="apiKey" type="string" required>
    Your API key for authentication.
  </Property>
  <Property name="timeout" type="number" min={0} max={300}>
    Request timeout in seconds (default: 30).
  </Property>
</Properties>

Badge

Displays small status badges:

import {Badge} from "@/components/mdx"

<Badge>New</Badge>
<Badge variant="secondary">Beta</Badge>

Code Blocks

Code syntax highlighting (automatically available):

\`\`\`bash
npm install
npm run dev
\`\`\`

// Or use code groups for multiple languages
<CodeGroup>
  ```bash title="Installation"
  npm install
yarn install
```

Thank you

NetBird thrives on community participation, and we appreciate your contributions to our website and our documentation!

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