- TechOps Examples
- Posts
- Kubernetes Cloud Controller Manager Chicken and Egg Problem
Kubernetes Cloud Controller Manager Chicken and Egg Problem
Govardhana M K
February 21, 2025
TechOps Examples
Hey — It's Govardhana MK 👋
Along with a use case deep dive, we identify the remote job opportunities, top news, tools, and articles in the TechOps industry.
👋 Before we begin... a big thank you to today's sponsor PERFECTSCALE
[EBOOK] Mastering Kubernetes Autoscaling
This practical guide breaks down the most effective autoscaling tools and techniques, helping you choose the right solutions for your environment.
No more manually managing clusters, struggling with traffic spikes, or wasting resources on over-provisioned systems!
IN TODAY'S EDITION
🧠 Use Case
Kubernetes Cloud Controller Manager Chicken and Egg Problem
🚀 Top News
👀 Remote Jobs
Trumid is hiring a Cloud Network Engineer
Remote Location: Worldwide
Kard is hiring a Sr Software Engineer (Platform Engineering)
Remote Location: Worldwide
📚️ Resources
📢 Reddit Threads
🛠️ TOOL OF THE DAY
Can I TF - As time passes, OpenTofu and Terraform become more distant from each other.
CanI.TF helps us to understand their differences quickly.
🧠 USE CASE
Kubernetes Cloud Controller Manager Chicken and Egg Problem
In Kubernetes, there's a lesser known yet frustrating bootstrap paradox - the Cloud Controller Manager (CCM) Chicken and Egg Problem.
The CCM depends on cloud managed nodes to function, but those nodes often need CCM to be initialized.
If neither exists first, you're stuck in a deadlock where Kubernetes nodes are created but remain NotReady, and CCM can’t update them because they aren’t fully initialized.
This is a real problem when setting up self managed Kubernetes clusters in cloud environments like AWS, GCP, or Azure.
For someone new to the controller Manager and its role in Kubernetes, before diving into the problem, let’s connect some dots.
Kubernetes Architecture Illustration
The Control Plane consists of several critical components, including:
API Server: The brain of Kubernetes, handling all cluster operations.
Scheduler: Assigns Pods to Nodes.
Controller Manager: Houses multiple controllers, including the Cloud Controller Manager (CCM).
etcd: Stores all cluster state data.
The CCM is responsible for cloud specific integrations like assigning external IPs, managing LoadBalancers, and updating Node metadata (labels, addresses).
Without it, Kubernetes can’t properly communicate with the cloud.
How the Chicken and Egg Problem Manifests (A Sequence Walkthrough)
source: kubernetes.io
Here’s what happens when a new node joins a Kubernetes cluster:
A new node is created and registered with the API Server.
The node is automatically tainted with node.cloudprovider.kubernetes.io, marking it as Not Ready.
CCM detects the new node and is supposed to update its metadata (IP, cloud labels, etc.).
But, if CCM isn’t running or isn’t aware of the cloud instance yet, the updates don’t happen.
Since the node stays NotReady, workloads can’t be scheduled on it, leading to a non functional cluster.
Why It Matters and The Impact
If your Kubernetes cluster hits this issue, expect chaos.
Nodes remain in limbo, never reaching a Ready state, meaning workloads don’t get scheduled, and your cluster becomes effectively useless.
LoadBalancer services also take a hit - without CCM setting up cloud networking, external traffic can’t reach applications.
And if you're relying on autoscaling, expect it to break too, since node provisioning is tied to cloud metadata updates, which aren’t happening.
Worse, debugging this can be a pain, since it often appears as a networking or kubelet misconfiguration rather than a CCM issue.
Practical Fixes
So how do you avoid getting trapped in this cycle?
1. Bootstrap nodes without depending on CCM
This means ensuring nodes are pre created with the required cloud metadata so they don’t get stuck in NotReady.
Another trick is to manually remove the node.cloudprovider.kubernetes.io taint if necessary.
2. Make sure CCM starts as early as possible in the cluster bootstrap sequence
Running CCM as a static pod or DaemonSet ensures it’s ready before worker nodes try to register.
Out of tree cloud providers like AWS EKS, GKE, and AKS are moving CCM functionality outside of the Kubernetes core, reducing this problem, but if you’re managing your own cluster, this is on you.
3. Stay ahead by monitoring node status.
A quick kubectl get nodes -o wide will reveal if cloud metadata updates are missing.
If nodes are still tainted and NotReady, automate a fix - whether that’s forcing metadata updates or removing taints manually.
Understanding this issue before it happens can save you hours of debugging, ensuring a smooth Kubernetes deployment with zero deadlocks.
TL;DR: The Kubernetes Cloud Controller Manager needs nodes to be ready, but nodes need CCM to become ready - leading to a bootstrap deadlock.
Solve this by ensuring CCM starts early, pre configuring nodes, and automating taint handling.
PerfectScale’s Kubernetes Autoscaling practical guide breaks down the most effective autoscaling tools and techniques, helping you choose the right solutions for your environment.
I run a DevOps and Cloud consulting agency and have helped 17+ businesses, including Stanford, Hearst Corporation, CloudTruth, and more.
What people say after working with me: Genuine testimonials
When your business needs my services, book a free 1:1 business consultation.
You may even like: