Let us test Kubernetes 1.29 with minikube

minikube , your trusty local Kubernetes playground, makes testing and learning a breeze. But did you know you can use it to experiment with the hottest Kubernetes versions, even before they hit the mainstream? This post guides you through setting up minikube with the latest Kubernetes goodness, so you can be a testing trailblazer.

Hold your horses: While minikube itself might have a newer version number, it often ships with a slightly older, stable Kubernetes version underneath. This ensures compatibility and wider tool support. Don’t worry, though! minikube lets you run different Kubernetes versions independently, giving you the best of both worlds – stability and cutting-edge features.

Let’s get rolling! Head over to https://minikube.sigs.k8s.io/docs/start/ to grab the latest minikube version.

Under the hood, drivers power minikube, managing your cluster like a pro. They handle essential tasks like creating, starting, and stopping virtual machines or containers. Explore the documentation at https://minikube.sigs.k8s.io/docs/drivers/ to discover available drivers and compatible operating systems.

Want to set your preferred driver permanently? Easy! Just fire up this command:

$ minikube config set driver podman

Remember, changes take effect after a minikube delete and minikube start . You can also check your current setting with:

$ minikube config view driver

For even more flexibility, choose your driver on the fly when creating your minikube cluster:

$ minikube start --driver=docker

Dive into the Latest Kubernetes 1.29 with Minikube!

Now, let’s test the latest Kubernetes version (say, 1.29.0) . Buckle up, it’s going to be exciting!

minikube start --driver=docker --kubernetes-version=1.29.0

Hold on there, partner! Minikube might warn you that 1.29.0 isn’t officially supported yet. But fear not, it’s still downloadable from GitHub. minikube will gracefully handle the rest, using Docker as the engine in our example.

Soon, you’ll be greeted with a success message, and voila! You’re up and running with the latest Kubernetes version on your local machine. Pretty cool, right?

😄  minikube v1.32.0 on Fedora 39 
❗  Specified Kubernetes version 1.29.0 is newer than the newest supported version: v1.28.3. Use `minikube config defaults kubernetes-version` for details. 
❗  Specified Kubernetes version 1.29.0 not found in Kubernetes version list 
🤔  Searching the internet for Kubernetes version... 
✅  Kubernetes version 1.29.0 found in GitHub version list 
✨  Using the docker driver based on user configuration 
📌  Using Docker driver with root privileges 
👍  Starting control plane node minikube in cluster minikube 
🚜  Pulling base image ... 
🔥  Creating docker container (CPUs=2, Memory=8000MB) ...
🐳  Preparing Kubernetes v1.29.0 on Docker 24.0.7 ... 
    ▪ Generating certificates and keys ... 
    ▪ Booting up control plane ... 
    ▪ Configuring RBAC rules ... 
🔗  Configuring bridge CNI (Container Networking Interface) ... 
    ▪ Using image gcr.io/k8s-minikube/storage-provisioner:v5 
🔎  Verifying Kubernetes components... 
🌟  Enabled addons: storage-provisioner, default-storageclass 
🏄  Done! kubectl is now configured to use "minikube" cluster and "default" namespace by default

Not just Docker! You can also use Podman as your container engine with:

minikube start --driver=podman

So, whether you’re a Docker devotee or a Podman pal, minikube allows you to choose.

Now let us check the node version as follows.

$ kubectl get nodes 
NAME       STATUS   ROLES           AGE     VERSION 
minikube   Ready    control-plane   3m52s   v1.29.0

Ready to take your Kubernetes skills to the next level? Start exploring the latest features and functionalities – and you might even discover the next big thing in the Kubernetes world!