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Qim infoCEXP Lab Guide
Create my lab

The Kubernetes lab

To try Kubernetes, there’s nothing to create and nothing to request: a shared cluster is already there. You sign in with your Qim info account, apply your manifests, and an HTTPS URL comes with it.

What’s already in place

Section titled “What’s already in place”
What exists What it means for you
An API server at https://k8s.qiminfo-lab.ch (port 6443) The entry point for kubectl. Authentication goes through your Qim info account; there’s no password or client certificate to be handed.
An nginx Ingress and the wildcard domain *.k8s.qiminfo-lab.ch (port 443) An exposed application is reachable at my-app.k8s.qiminfo-lab.ch, without asking anyone for DNS or an IP address.
cert-manager and the letsencrypt-prod issuer The TLS certificate is requested and renewed automatically from your Ingress.
A shared cluster You’re not alone on it. You work in your namespace, not in the cluster configuration.

The two ports are different, and that’s the most expensive mix-up: kubectl goes out on 6443, the applications you expose are served on 443. A network that only allows web traffic will therefore let your test URLs through and block kubectl.

This is the right lab if

Section titled “This is the right lab if”
The question The answer that puts you here
What is the test about? Kubernetes itself: manifests, Helm, probes, scaling, Ingress, or an application designed to run on it.
What are you deploying? Container images that are already built, driven by manifests you write.
Do you need control over the cluster? No. A namespace is enough for what you want to do.
Is a public HTTPS URL enough? Yes. The wildcard domain provides it as soon as the Ingress is applied.

What this lab is not

Section titled “What this lab is not”
  • Not an Azure lab. No Resource Group to create, no declaration e-mail, no tags, no bill to watch. The lab creation path doesn’t apply here.
  • Not AKS. If the subject of your test is the Azure managed service (node pools, Entra ID integration, add-ons, billing), you need an Azure lab and a cost trade-off before creating anything. Read Costs, then write to lab@qiminfo.ch.
  • Not hosting. This cluster is for testing. An application that has to stay online for real belongs in the standard infrastructure processes.

The rules don’t change

Section titled “The rules don’t change”

A free, instant cluster is still a lab.

Applicable rules

No production use

My responsibility

No production, critical or long-lived use is allowed in a lab.

MandatoryPR-GOVCLOUDLAB-A-01 / PR-GOVLABONPREM-A-01

No sensitive data

My responsibility

Never put real client data, personal data or any sensitive data in a lab.

MandatoryPR-GOVCLOUDLAB-A-01 / PR-GOVLABONPREM-A-01

No durable backup guarantee

My responsibility

No durable backup is guaranteed: document, export or version any important work outside the lab.

MandatoryPR-GOVCLOUDLAB-A-01 / PR-GOVLABONPREM-A-01

Where to start

Section titled “Where to start”