> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.harness.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.harness.io/continuous-delivery/3.0/use-deployments/kubernetes/kubernetes-infrastructure.md).

# Kubernetes infrastructure

An infrastructure definition links a Harness environment to the physical Kubernetes cluster where you deploy your service. You create both at **Deployments > Environments** and reuse them across pipelines and stages.

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### Create an environment <a href="#create-an-environment" id="create-an-environment"></a>

1. Go to **Deployments**, expand the drop-down, and select **Environments**.
2. Select **+ New Environment**.
3. Enter a name and select an environment type: **Pre-Production** or **Production**. The type affects governance policies and deployment dashboards.
4. Select **Save**.

Harness opens the environment detail page with three tabs: **Configuration**, **Infrastructure Definitions**, and **References**.

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### Create an infrastructure definition <a href="#create-an-infrastructure-definition" id="create-an-infrastructure-definition"></a>

Infrastructure definitions live inside an environment. Each definition links the environment to a specific cluster and namespace.

1. Open the environment and select the **Infrastructure Definitions** tab.
2. Select **+ Create Infrastructure**.
3. In the first dialog, select **Kubernetes**.
4. Select the infrastructure type that matches your cluster provider; the sections below describe each type.
5. Enter a name; Harness auto-suggests one, and you can change both the name and ID.
6. Under **Storage**, choose **Inline** or a Git repository.
7. Fill in the **Cluster Details** under **Provisioner Configuration**.
8. Configure **Simultaneous deployments** and **Scope to Specific Services** as needed.
9. Select **Save**.

#### Kubernetes <a href="#kubernetes" id="kubernetes"></a>

Use this type to connect directly to any Kubernetes cluster, including OpenShift clusters.

| Field            | Required | Description                                                                                                      |
| ---------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Connector**    | Yes      | A Harness Kubernetes cluster connector.                                                                          |
| **Namespace**    | Yes      | The namespace to deploy into, for example `default`. Supports expressions and runtime input.                     |
| **Release Name** | No       | Defaults to `release-<+INFRA_KEY_SHORT_ID>`. Harness uses this to track releases on the cluster via a ConfigMap. |

{% hint style="info" %}
**DELEGATE-BASED CREDENTIALS**

If your delegate runs inside the target cluster, configure the connector to use **Inherit from Delegate**. The delegate already has the service account permissions it needs.
{% endhint %}

#### Google Kubernetes Engine <a href="#google-kubernetes-engine" id="google-kubernetes-engine"></a>

Use this type to connect to GKE clusters via a GCP connector.

| Field            | Required | Description                                                                                                        |
| ---------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Connector**    | Yes      | A Harness GCP connector.                                                                                           |
| **Project**      | No       | The GCP project that contains the cluster. When set, the **Cluster** dropdown lists only clusters in that project. |
| **Cluster**      | Yes      | The name of the target GKE cluster. Supports runtime input.                                                        |
| **Namespace**    | Yes      | The namespace to deploy into. Supports expressions and runtime input.                                              |
| **Release Name** | No       | Defaults to `release-<+INFRA_KEY_SHORT_ID>`.                                                                       |

{% hint style="info" %}
**GCP WORKLOAD IDENTITY**

If the delegate runs on a GKE cluster with Workload Identity enabled and the GCP connector is set to inherit credentials from the delegate, Harness uses Workload Identity automatically.
{% endhint %}

#### Microsoft Azure <a href="#microsoft-azure" id="microsoft-azure"></a>

Use this type to connect to AKS clusters via an Azure connector.

| Field               | Required | Description                                                 |
| ------------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Connector**       | Yes      | A Harness Azure connector.                                  |
| **Subscription ID** | Yes      | The Azure subscription that contains the AKS cluster.       |
| **Resource Group**  | Yes      | The resource group that contains the AKS cluster.           |
| **Cluster**         | Yes      | The name of the target AKS cluster. Supports runtime input. |
| **Namespace**       | Yes      | The namespace to deploy into.                               |
| **Release Name**    | No       | Defaults to `release-<+INFRA_KEY_SHORT_ID>`.                |

#### Elastic Kubernetes Service <a href="#elastic-kubernetes-service" id="elastic-kubernetes-service"></a>

Use this type to connect to EKS clusters via an AWS connector. Harness uses `aws-iam-authenticator` to generate the kubeconfig.

| Field            | Required | Description                                                                                                           |
| ---------------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Connector**    | Yes      | A Harness AWS connector.                                                                                              |
| **Cluster**      | Yes      | The EKS cluster in the format `<region>/<cluster-name>`, for example `ap-south-1/my-cluster`. Supports runtime input. |
| **Namespace**    | Yes      | The namespace to deploy into.                                                                                         |
| **Release Name** | No       | Defaults to `release-<+INFRA_KEY_SHORT_ID>`.                                                                          |

#### Rancher <a href="#rancher" id="rancher"></a>

Use this type to connect to Rancher-managed clusters. You need the Rancher endpoint URL and a bearer token. The Rancher account associated with the token must have the **Cluster Owner** role or a global permission that enables cluster administration.

| Field            | Required | Description                                                             |
| ---------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Connector**    | Yes      | A Harness Rancher connector.                                            |
| **Cluster**      | Yes      | The name of the target Rancher-managed cluster. Supports runtime input. |
| **Namespace**    | Yes      | The namespace to deploy into. Supports runtime input.                   |
| **Release Name** | No       | Defaults to `release-<+INFRA_KEY_SHORT_ID>`.                            |

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### Namespace and release name <a href="#namespace-and-release-name" id="namespace-and-release-name"></a>

You can reference the infrastructure definition's namespace in your Kubernetes manifests:

* CEL: `${{infra.namespace}}`
* JEXL: `<+infra.namespace>`

This lets you write manifests that work across environments without hardcoding a namespace. If you omit the `namespace` field from a resource in your manifest, Harness uses the namespace from the infrastructure definition automatically.

The **Release Name** defaults to `release-<+INFRA_KEY_SHORT_ID>`. Harness creates a ConfigMap with this name to track all resources belonging to a release. The name must be unique across the cluster and must start with an alphabetic character (Kubernetes RFC-1035 requirement, hence the `release-` prefix).

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### Simultaneous deployments <a href="#simultaneous-deployments" id="simultaneous-deployments"></a>

By default, Harness queues deployments to the same infrastructure definition to prevent conflicts; the UI shows **Simultaneous deployments: False**. Set this to **True** on the infrastructure definition to allow concurrent deployments to the same target.

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### Scope to specific services <a href="#scope-to-specific-services" id="scope-to-specific-services"></a>

By default, an infrastructure definition is available to any service in the environment. Enable **Scope to Specific Services** to limit the infrastructure definition so it only appears when deploying a specific set of services. This prevents teams from accidentally targeting the wrong infrastructure.

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### Next steps <a href="#next-steps" id="next-steps"></a>

* Go to [Kubernetes services](/continuous-delivery/3.0/use-deployments/kubernetes/kubernetes-services.md) to configure manifests and artifact sources.
* Go to [Kubernetes deployment strategies](/continuous-delivery/3.0/use-deployments/kubernetes/kubernetes-deployment-strategies/rolling.md) to configure rolling, canary, or blue-green deployments.