Secure Deployments using TLS¶

On this page

General Prerequisites
Configure TLS for a Replica Set
- Prerequisites
- Procedure
Configure TLS for a Sharded Cluster
- Prerequisites
- Procedure

The MongoDB Enterprise Kubernetes Operator can use TLS certificates to encrypt connections between:

MongoDB hosts in a replica set or sharded cluster
Client applications and MongoDB deployments

Note

You can’t secure a Standalone Instance of MongoDB in a Kubernetes cluster.

This guide instructs you on how to configure the Kubernetes Operator to use TLS for its MongoDB instances.

To secure your deployment using TLS, you may use Kubernetes’s CA or your own CA:

Kubernetes CA
Own CA

General Prerequisites¶

Before you secure your MongoDB deployment using TLS encryption, complete the following:

Configure TLS for a Replica Set¶

Prerequisites¶

Before you secure your replica set using TLS encryption, complete the following:

Deploy the Replica Set that you want to secure

Deploy the Replica Set that you want to secure

Create a PEM file for each of the following components:

PEM file purpose Save File As…

Your custom CA ca-pem

Each member of your replica set <metadata.name>-<X>-pem
About the example filenames
- Name these files the exact names provided, substituting the appropriate variables. If a filename doesn’t match, deployment errors occur.
  - Replace <metadata.name> with the value of metadata.name in your deployment resource.
  - Replace <Y> with a 0-based number for the sharded cluster.
  - Replace <X> with the member of a shard or replica set.
- End the PEM files with -pem and not .pem. These files shouldn’t have a file extension.

Procedure¶

1

Configure `kubectl` to default to your namespace.¶

If you have not already, run the following command to execute all kubectl commands in the namespace you created:

copy

kubectl config set-context $(kubectl config current-context) --namespace=<namespace>

2

Copy the highlighted section of this replica set resource.¶

Change the highlighted settings of this YAML file to match your desired replica set configuration.

---
apiVersion: mongodb.com/v1
kind: MongoDB
metadata:
  name: <my-replica-set>
spec:
  members: 3
  version: 4.2.2-ent
  opsManager:
    configMapRef:
      name: <configMap.metadata.name>
            # Must match metadata.name in ConfigMap file
  credentials: <mycredentials>
  type: ReplicaSet
  persistent: true

copy

  security:
    tls:
      enabled: true
...

3

Paste the copied example section into your existing replica set resource.¶

Open your preferred text editor and paste the object specification at the end of your resource file in the spec section.

4

Configure the TLS settings for your replica set resource.¶

To enable TLS in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key Type Necessity Description Example

spec.security

.tls.enabled

boolean

Optional

Set this value to true to enable TLS on the MongoDB deployment.

By default, Kubernetes Operator requires hosts to use and accept TLS encrypted connections.

true

5

Save your replica set config file.¶

6

Update and restart your replica set deployment.¶

Invoke the following Kubernetes command to update and restart your replica set:

copy

kubectl apply -f <replica-set-conf>.yaml

7

Check the status of your deployment.¶

The Kubernetes Operator creates the MongoDB resources and requests the Kubernetes CA to approve the database host’s certificates. Run the following command to verify that the certificates are pending approval:

copy

kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -o yaml -w

The status field of the output should resemble the following:

status:
  lastTransition: 2019-05-01T15:36:59Z
  message: Not all certificates have been approved by Kubernetes CA
  phase: Failed
  type: ""
  version: ""

If you do not see the status.message above, see Troubleshooting the Kubernetes Operator to help diagnose the issue.

8

Retrieve the CSRs for each host and agent in your deployment.¶

Invoke the following command to retrieve the CSRs for each host:

copy

kubectl get csr

The command’s output resembles the following:

NAME                                        AGE       REQUESTOR                                                   CONDITION
my-secure-rs-0.mongodb                      33s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-rs-1.mongodb                      31s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-rs-2.mongodb                      24s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending

9

Approve the CSR for each host in your deployment.¶

Using the values returned in the NAME column, approve each certificate from the previous command’s output using the following command:

copy

kubectl certificate approve <NAME>

Example

The following commands approve the CSRs for the replica set example:

copy

kubectl certificate approve my-secure-rs-0.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-rs-1.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-rs-2.mongodb

kubectl prints a message to the console when a certificate is approved.

10

Track the status of your deployment.¶

To check the status of your MongoDB Kubernetes resource, invoke the following command:

copy

kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -o yaml -w

The -w flag means “watch”. With the “watch” flag set, the output refreshes immediately when something changes until the status phase achieves the Running state.

See Troubleshooting the Kubernetes Operator for information about the resource deployment statuses.

1

Configure `kubectl` to default to your namespace.¶

If you have not already, run the following command to execute all kubectl commands in the namespace you created:

copy

kubectl config set-context $(kubectl config current-context) --namespace=<namespace>

2

Create the secret for your TLS certificates.¶

Run this kubectl command to create the secret that stores the replica set’s certificates:

copy

kubectl create secret generic <metadata.name>-cert \
  --from-file=<metadata.name>-0-pem \
  --from-file=<metadata.name>-1-pem \
  --from-file=<metadata.name>-2-pem

This example covers a three-member replica set. If you have more than three members, you can add them to the certificate using the --from-file option.

3

Create the ConfigMap to link your CA with your deployment.¶

Run this kubectl command to link your CA to your replica set:

copy

kubectl create configmap custom-ca --from-file=ca-pem

4

Copy the highlighted section of this replica set resource.¶

Change the highlighted settings of this YAML file to match your desired replica set configuration.

---
apiVersion: mongodb.com/v1
kind: MongoDB
metadata:
  name: <my-replica-set>
spec:
  members: 3
  version: 4.2.2-ent
  opsManager:
    configMapRef:
      name: <configMap.metadata.name>
            # Must match metadata.name in ConfigMap file
  credentials: <mycredentials>
  type: ReplicaSet
  persistent: true

copy

  security:
    tls:
      enabled: true
      ca: <custom-ca>
...

5

Paste the copied example section into your existing replica set resource.¶

Open your preferred text editor and paste the object specification at the end of your resource file in the spec section.

6

Configure the TLS settings for your replica set resource using a Custom Certificate Authority.¶

To enable TLS in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key Type Necessity Description Example

spec.security

.tls.enabled

boolean

Optional

If this value is true, TLS is enabled on the MongoDB deployment.

By default, Kubernetes Operator requires hosts to use and accept TLS encrypted connections.

true

spec.security

.tls.ca

string

Optional

If you use a custom CA and have created the secret that stores it, add the secret’s name.

<custom-ca>

7

Save your replica set config file.¶

8

Apply your changes to your replica set deployment.¶

Invoke the following Kubernetes command to updated your replica set:

copy

kubectl apply -f <replica-set-conf>.yaml

9

Track the status of your deployment.¶

To check the status of your MongoDB Kubernetes resource, invoke the following command:

copy

kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -o yaml -w

The -w flag means “watch”. With the “watch” flag set, the output refreshes immediately when something changes until the status phase achieves the Running state.

See Troubleshooting the Kubernetes Operator for information about the resource deployment statuses.

Configure TLS for a Sharded Cluster¶

Prerequisites¶

Before you secure your replica set using TLS encryption, complete the following:

Deploy the Sharded Cluster that you want to secure

Create a PEM file for each of the following components:

PEM file purpose	Save File As…
Your custom CA	`ca-pem`
Each shard in your sharded cluster	`<metadata.name>-<Y>-<X>-pem`
Each member of your config server replica set	`<metadata.name>-config-<X>-pem`
Each `mongos`	`<metadata.name>-mongos-<X>-pem`

About the example filenames

Name these files the exact names provided, substituting the appropriate variables. If a filename doesn’t match, deployment errors occur.
- Replace <metadata.name> with the value of metadata.name in your deployment resource.
- Replace <Y> with a 0-based number for the sharded cluster.
- Replace <X> with the member of a shard or replica set.
End the PEM files with -pem and not .pem. These files shouldn’t have a file extension.

Deploy the Sharded Cluster that you want to secure

Create a PEM file for each of the following components:

PEM file purpose	Save File As…
Your custom CA	`ca-pem`
Each shard in your sharded cluster	`<metadata.name>-<Y>-<X>-pem`
Each member of your config server replica set	`<metadata.name>-config-<X>-pem`
Each `mongos`	`<metadata.name>-mongos-<X>-pem`

About the example filenames

Name these files the exact names provided, substituting the appropriate variables. If a filename doesn’t match, deployment errors occur.
- Replace <metadata.name> with the value of metadata.name in your deployment resource.
- Replace <Y> with a 0-based number for the sharded cluster.
- Replace <X> with the member of a shard or replica set.
End the PEM files with -pem and not .pem. These files shouldn’t have a file extension.

Procedure¶

1

Configure `kubectl` to default to your namespace.¶

If you have not already, run the following command to execute all kubectl commands in the namespace you created:

copy

kubectl config set-context $(kubectl config current-context) --namespace=<namespace>

2

Copy the highlighted section of this sharded cluster resource.¶

Change the highlighted settings of this YAML file to match your desired sharded cluster configuration.

---
apiVersion: mongodb.com/v1
kind: MongoDB
metadata:
  name: <my-sharded-cluster>
spec:
  shardCount: 2
  mongodsPerShardCount: 3
  mongosCount: 2
  configServerCount: 3
  version: 4.2.2-ent
  opsManager:
    configMapRef:
      name: <configMap.metadata.name>
            # Must match metadata.name in ConfigMap file
  credentials: <mycredentials>
  type: ShardedCluster
  persistent: true

copy

  security:
    tls:
      enabled: true
...

3

Paste the copied example section into your existing sharded cluster resource.¶

Open your preferred text editor and paste the object specification at the end of your resource file in the spec section.

4

Configure the TLS settings for your sharded cluster resource.¶

To enable TLS in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key Type Necessity Description Example

spec.security

.tls.enabled

boolean

Optional

Set this value to true to enable TLS on the MongoDB deployment.

By default, Kubernetes Operator requires hosts to use and accept TLS encrypted connections.

true

5

Save your sharded cluster config file.¶

6

Update and restart your sharded cluster deployment.¶

Invoke the following Kubernetes command to update and restart your sharded cluster:

copy

kubectl apply -f <sharded-cluster-conf>.yaml

7

Check the status of your deployment.¶

The Kubernetes Operator creates the MongoDB resources and requests the Kubernetes CA to approve the database host’s certificates. Run the following command to verify that the certificates are pending approval:

copy

kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -o yaml -w

The status field of the output should resemble the following:

status:
  lastTransition: 2019-05-01T15:36:59Z
  message: Not all certificates have been approved by Kubernetes CA
  phase: Failed
  type: ""
  version: ""

If you do not see the status.message above, see Troubleshooting the Kubernetes Operator to help diagnose the issue.

8

Retrieve the CSRs for each host and agent in your deployment.¶

Invoke the following command to retrieve the CSRs for each host:

copy

kubectl get csr

The command’s output resembles the following:

NAME                                        AGE       REQUESTOR                                                   CONDITION
my-secure-sc-0-0.mongodb                    30s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-0-1.mongodb                    28s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-0-2.mongodb                    27s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-1-0.mongodb                    22s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-1-1.mongodb                    13s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-1-2.mongodb                    6s        system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-config-0.mongodb               36s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-config-1.mongodb               34s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-config-2.mongodb               32s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-mongos-0.mongodb               49s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-mongos-1.mongodb               42s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending

9

Approve the CSR for each host in your deployment.¶

Using the values returned in the NAME column, approve each certificate from the previous command’s output using the following command:

copy

kubectl certificate approve <NAME>

Example

The following commands approve the CSRs for the sharded cluster example:

copy

kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-0-0.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-0-1.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-0-2.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-1-0.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-1-1.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-1-2.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-config-0.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-config-1.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-config-2.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-mongos-0.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-mongos-1.mongodb

kubectl prints a message to the console when a certificate is approved.

10

Track the status of your deployment.¶

To check the status of your MongoDB Kubernetes resource, invoke the following command:

copy

kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -o yaml -w

The -w flag means “watch”. With the “watch” flag set, the output refreshes immediately when something changes until the status phase achieves the Running state.

See Troubleshooting the Kubernetes Operator for information about the resource deployment statuses.

1

Configure `kubectl` to default to your namespace.¶

If you have not already, run the following command to execute all kubectl commands in the namespace you created:

copy

kubectl config set-context $(kubectl config current-context) --namespace=<namespace>

2

Create the secret for your Shards’ TLS certificates.¶

Run this kubectl command to create the secret that stores the sharded cluster shards’ certificates:

copy

kubectl -n mongodb create secret generic <metadata.name>-0-cert \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-0-0-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-0-1-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-0-2-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-0-3-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-0-4-pem

kubectl -n mongodb create secret generic <metadata.name>-1-cert \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-1-0-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-1-1-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-1-2-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-1-3-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-1-4-pem

This example covers a two-shard sharded cluster with five members per shard. If you have more than two shards or five members per shard, you can add them to the certificate using the --from-file option.

3

Create the secret for your config server’s TLS certificates.¶

Run this kubectl command to create the secret that stores the sharded cluster config server’s certificates:

copy

kubectl -n mongodb create secret generic <metadata.name>-config-cert \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-config-0-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-config-1-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-config-2-pem

4

Create the secret for your mongos server’s TLS certificates.¶

Run this kubectl command to create the secret that stores the sharded cluster mongos certificates:

copy

kubectl -n mongodb create secret generic <metadata.name>-mongos-cert \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-mongos-0-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-mongos-1-pem \
       --from-file=<metadata.name>-mongos-2-pem

5

Create the ConfigMap to link your CA with your deployment.¶

Run this kubectl command to link your CA to your replica set:

copy

kubectl create configmap custom-ca --from-file=ca-pem

6

Copy the highlighted section of this sharded cluster resource.¶

Change the highlighted settings of this YAML file to match your desired sharded cluster configuration.

---
apiVersion: mongodb.com/v1
kind: MongoDB
metadata:
  name: <my-sharded-cluster>
spec:
  shardCount: 2
  mongodsPerShardCount: 3
  mongosCount: 2
  configServerCount: 3
  version: 4.2.2-ent
  opsManager:
    configMapRef:
      name: <configMap.metadata.name>
            # Must match metadata.name in ConfigMap file
  credentials: <mycredentials>
  type: ShardedCluster
  persistent: true

copy

  security:
    tls:
      enabled: true
      ca: <custom-ca>
...

7

Paste the copied example section into your existing sharded cluster resource.¶

Open your preferred text editor and paste the object specification at the end of your resource file in the spec section.

8

Configure the TLS settings for your sharded cluster resource using a Custom Certificate Authority.¶

To enable TLS in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key Type Necessity Description Example

spec.security

.tls.enabled

boolean

Optional

If this value is true, TLS is enabled on the MongoDB deployment.

By default, Kubernetes Operator requires hosts to use and accept TLS encrypted connections.

true

spec.security

.tls.ca

string

Optional

If you use a custom CA and have created the secret that stores it, add the secret’s name.

<custom-ca>

9

Save your sharded cluster config file.¶

10

Update and restart your sharded cluster deployment.¶

Invoke the following Kubernetes command to update and restart your sharded cluster:

copy

kubectl apply -f <sharded-cluster-conf>.yaml

11

Track the status of your deployment.¶

To check the status of your MongoDB Kubernetes resource, invoke the following command:

copy

kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -o yaml -w

The -w flag means “watch”. With the “watch” flag set, the output refreshes immediately when something changes until the status phase achieves the Running state.

See Troubleshooting the Kubernetes Operator for information about the resource deployment statuses.

PEM file purpose	Save File As…
Your custom CA	`ca-pem`
Each member of your replica set	`<metadata.name>-<X>-pem`

Secure Deployments using TLS¶

General Prerequisites¶

Configure TLS for a Replica Set¶

Prerequisites¶

Procedure¶

Configure kubectl to default to your namespace.¶

Copy the highlighted section of this replica set resource.¶

Paste the copied example section into your existing replica set resource.¶

Configure the TLS settings for your replica set resource.¶

Save your replica set config file.¶

Update and restart your replica set deployment.¶

Check the status of your deployment.¶

Retrieve the CSRs for each host and agent in your deployment.¶

Approve the CSR for each host in your deployment.¶

Track the status of your deployment.¶

Configure kubectl to default to your namespace.¶

Create the secret for your TLS certificates.¶

Create the ConfigMap to link your CA with your deployment.¶

Copy the highlighted section of this replica set resource.¶

Paste the copied example section into your existing replica set resource.¶

Configure the TLS settings for your replica set resource using a Custom Certificate Authority.¶

Save your replica set config file.¶

Apply your changes to your replica set deployment.¶

Track the status of your deployment.¶

Configure TLS for a Sharded Cluster¶

Prerequisites¶

Procedure¶

Configure kubectl to default to your namespace.¶

Copy the highlighted section of this sharded cluster resource.¶

Paste the copied example section into your existing sharded cluster resource.¶

Configure the TLS settings for your sharded cluster resource.¶

Save your sharded cluster config file.¶

Update and restart your sharded cluster deployment.¶

Check the status of your deployment.¶

Retrieve the CSRs for each host and agent in your deployment.¶

Approve the CSR for each host in your deployment.¶

Track the status of your deployment.¶

Configure kubectl to default to your namespace.¶

Create the secret for your Shards’ TLS certificates.¶

Create the secret for your config server’s TLS certificates.¶

Create the secret for your mongos server’s TLS certificates.¶

Create the ConfigMap to link your CA with your deployment.¶

Copy the highlighted section of this sharded cluster resource.¶

Paste the copied example section into your existing sharded cluster resource.¶

Configure the TLS settings for your sharded cluster resource using a Custom Certificate Authority.¶

Save your sharded cluster config file.¶

Update and restart your sharded cluster deployment.¶

Track the status of your deployment.¶

Configure `kubectl` to default to your namespace.¶

Configure `kubectl` to default to your namespace.¶

Configure `kubectl` to default to your namespace.¶

Configure `kubectl` to default to your namespace.¶