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Volcengine Kubernetes Engine

Creating clusters

Creating IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack clusters

VKE provides support for IPv6 networks by using the IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack solution, which enables you to use IPv6 addresses in Kubernetes clusters. This topic describes how to create an IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack cluster.

tip

[Beta - apply for trial]: The IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack cluster feature is currently in beta stage. To use this feature, submit an application.

Background

With the development of the Internet, IPv4 addresses have gradually become exhausted. As the next-generation Internet protocol, IPv6 offers a larger address space and enhanced security. To meet your requirements for IPv6, dual-stack transition is the optimal solution.

Prerequisites

The IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack feature is currently in beta for all related services, such as VPC (required), CLB (required), ALB, and VCI. Make sure that IPv4/IPv6 allowlist permissions have been granted for all dependent resources to the current account in your scenario. If usage permissions on dependent resources are not granted, submit an application or contact your designated service contacts.

Usage limits

Only the clusters running on Kubernetes v1.24.10-vke.6 or later support the IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack feature.

Only the clusters using the VPC-CNI container network model support the IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack feature.

In an IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack cluster, only the nodes with IPv6 addresses can be added. Similarly, only these nodes can be included in the node pools you created.

VPC and CLB mentioned in the prerequisites are strong dependencies for creating a dual-stack cluster. Make sure that usage permissions on these resources are granted. Grant usage permissions on other resources based on your business requirements.

Procedure

Step 1: Create an IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack VPC and subnet

After you have completed the preceding preparations, perform the following steps to create an IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack VPC and subnet for creating a dual-stack cluster.

tip

For more information about IPv6 VPCs, see Creating IPv6 VPCs.

In the left navigation bar of the VPC console, click VPC.

On the VPC page, click Create VPC in the upper-left corner. On the page that appears, specify related parameters.

In the CIDR block section, select the IPv6 CIDR parameter to enable the IPv6 feature for this VPC.

In the Subnet section, configure the IPv6 CIDR blocks for different subnets.

Click Confirm.

Step 2: Create an IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack cluster

After the IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack VPC and subnet are created, perform the following steps to create an IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack cluster.

In the left navigation bar, click Cluster.

On the Cluster page, click Create cluster in the upper-left corner.

In the Create cluster dialog box, go to the Custom managed clusters section and click Create now.

On the Create cluster page, follow the wizard to configure the cluster.

Select IPv6 dual stack for the IP version parameter.

Select a VPC with IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack enabled for the VPC parameter.

Select subnets with IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack enabled for the Pod subnets parameter.

tip

This scenario provides IPv6-related configuration details. For other parameters, see Creating managed clusters.

Complete other cluster parameter configurations and create the cluster.

Step 3: (Optional) Enable IPv6 public bandwidth

After an IPv4/IPv6 dual-stack cluster is created, both the nodes and pods within the cluster will be assigned IPv6 addresses from the VPC. However, these addresses can only be used for private network access. If nodes or pods need to access the Internet via IPv6, you need to enable the IPv6 Internet bandwidth feature for the corresponding network interface in the IPv6 gateway instance.

warning

Please ensure that your private networks and subnets are bound to an IPv6 gateway. For details, see Enabling IPv6 for VPCs. If you cannot access the IPv6 gateway console, please contact your account manager.

This part describes how to enable the IPv6 Internet bandwidth feature for cluster nodes, enabling them to access the public network via IPv6 addresses. To configure the IPv6 Internet bandwidth feature for pods, see Configure IPv6 Internet bandwidth for pods.

Click the IPv6 gateway name corresponding to the private network to enter the gateway details page.

Select the IPv6 Internet bandwidth tab and use the IPv6 address of the node to search.

Click Enable Internet bandwidth in the Actions column for the target IPv6 address. This enables the Internet bandwidth feature for the IPv6 address, allowing it to access the public network. For configuration details, see Enabling IPv6 Internet bandwidth.

Validating results

Viewing cluster information

‌Cluster creation typically takes 15-20 minutes. Please wait patiently or check the cluster list for real-time status updates.

Validating IPv6 Internet access

Use ECS Terminal to log in to the node. For details, see ECS Terminal.

Execute the following command to validate connectivity.

ping6 ipv6.baidu.com

The information below is what will be printed on the screen.

Last updated: 2026.07.24 10:53:27