AWS EKS Cheatsheet

Top commands.

Overview

The EKS CLI cheatsheet captures the patterns operators actually use during EKS investigation. aws eks is the AWS-side surface; kubectl is the Kubernetes-side surface; the bridge between them is where most EKS operations live.

• Top commands. describe-cluster, update-kubeconfig, describe-nodegroup, list-addons; the four investigation paths.
• kubectl integration. aws eks update-kubeconfig configures kubectl; the bridge between AWS and Kubernetes.
• IRSA setup. Create OIDC identity provider; ServiceAccount-to-IAM mapping; the modern auth pattern for pod-level AWS access.
• Add-ons plus eksctl. Managed add-ons (CoreDNS, kube-proxy, VPC CNI) reduce operational burden; eksctl is the higher-level wrapper.

The approach

The practical approach: update-kubeconfig first, IRSA from day one, managed add-ons by default, CloudWatch for monitoring. The team’s discipline produces predictable EKS.

• aws eks update-kubeconfig --name cluster --region us-east-1. Configure kubectl; the canonical first call after cluster creation.
• aws eks describe-cluster. Cluster status; first call when investigating cluster-level issues.
• aws eks describe-nodegroup. Node group status; surfaces capacity and health per node group.
• aws eks list-addons. Managed add-on inventory; supports add-on lifecycle and version tracking.
• Document the cluster. Per-cluster configuration committed to the repo; supports investigation and rebuild.

Why this compounds

EKS fluency compounds across clusters. Each cluster operated grows the team’s Kubernetes-on-AWS expertise; cost-per-incident falls as the playbook matures.

• Faster operations. Fluent EKS produces fast results; the bridge between AWS and Kubernetes becomes muscle memory.
• Better security. IRSA produces zero-credential workloads; pods get IAM access without static credentials.
• Reduced operational burden. Managed add-ons reduce maintenance; engineering time goes to features, not patches.
• Institutional knowledge. Each command teaches EKS patterns; the team’s Kubernetes engineering muscle grows.

EKS fluency is an operational discipline that pays off across years. Nova AI Ops integrates with EKS telemetry, surfaces patterns, and supports the team’s Kubernetes discipline.