GKE

Learn how to add and manage a Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster in StrongDM.

For an overview of the available Kubernetes features and supported platforms, please see our Kubernetes guide.

Overview

This guide describes how to manage access to an Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster. Adding a GKE cluster takes place in the StrongDM Admin UI, Google Cloud Console, and Google Developers Console.

If you would like to learn more about how to enable automatic resource discovery within your Kubernetes cluster, or use privilege levels to allow users to request various levels of access to the Kubernetes cluster, please read the Kubernetes Discovery and Privilege Levels section to learn more about those features prior to following this configuration guide.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that the GKE endpoint you are connecting is accessible from one of your StrongDM gateways or relays. See our guide on nodes for more information.

If you are using kubectl 1.30 or higher, it will default to using websockets, which the StrongDM client did not support prior to version 45.35.0. This can be remedied by taking one of the following actions:

Update your client to version 45.35.0 or greater.
Set the environment variable KUBECTL_REMOTE_COMMAND_WEBSOCKETS=false to restore the previous behavior in your kubectl.

Resource Configuration in StrongDM

This section provides instructions for adding the resource in either the StrongDM Admin UI, CLI, Terraform provider, or SDKs.

Set up and Manage With the Admin UI

If using the Admin UI to add the resource to StrongDM, use the following steps.

Log in to the Admin UI and go to Infrastructure > Clusters.
Click the Add cluster button.
Select Google Kubernetes Engine as the Server Type and set other resource properties to configure how the StrongDM relay connects.
Click Create to save the resource.

The Admin UI updates and shows your new cluster in a green or yellow state. Green indicates a successful connection. If it is yellow, click the pencil icon to the right of the server to reopen the Connection Details screen. Then click Diagnostics to determine where the connection is failing.

Set up and Manage With the CLI

This section provides general steps on how to configure and manage the resource using the StrongDM CLI. For more information and examples, please see the CLI Reference documentation.

In your terminal or Command Prompt, log in to StrongDM:
```
sdm login
```

Run sdm admin clusters add gke --help to view the help text for the command, which shows you how to use the command and what options (properties) are available. Note which properties are required and collect the values for them.

NAME:
   sdm admin clusters add gke - create Google Kubernetes Engine cluster

USAGE:
   sdm admin clusters add gke [command options] <name>

OPTIONS:
   --allow-resource-role-bypass                 (For legacy orgs) allows users to fallback to the existing authentication mode (Leased Credential or Identity Set) when a resource role is not provided.
   --bind-interface value                       IP address on which to listen for connections to this resource on clients. Specify "default", "loopback", or "vnm" to automatically allocate an available address from the corresponding IP range configured in the organization. (default: "default")
   --certificate-authority value                (secret)
   --discovery-enabled                          Enable discovery for the cluster.
   --discovery-username value                   The user to impersonate in the cluster when running discovery. Required if the cluster is configured for identity aliases. (conditional)
   --egress-filter value                        apply filter to select egress nodes e.g. 'field:name tag:key=value ...'
   --endpoint value                             (required)
   --healthcheck-namespace default              This path will be used to check the health of your connection.  Defaults to default.
   --identity-alias-healthcheck-username value  (conditional)
   --identity-set-id value                      
   --identity-set-name value                    set the identity set by name
   --port-override value                        Port on which to listen for connections to this resource on clients. Specify "-1" to automatically allocate an available port. (default: -1)
   --proxy-cluster-id value                     proxy cluster id
   --secret-store-id value                      secret store id
   --service-account-key value                  (required, secret)
   --subdomain value, --bind-subdomain value    DNS subdomain through which this resource may be accessed on clients (e.g. "app-prod" allows the resource to be accessed as "app-prod.<your-org-name>.<sdm-proxy-domain>"). Only applicable to HTTP-based resources or resources using virtual networking mode.
   --tags value                                 tags e.g. 'key=value,...'
   --template, -t                               display a JSON template
   --timeout value                              set time limit for command

Then run sdm admin clusters add gke <RESOURCE_NAME> and set all required properties with their values. For example:

sdm admin clusters add gke "gke-cluster-prod"
  --endpoint "https://35.225.123.45"
  --service-account-key "/etc/strongdm/keys/gcp-service-account.json"
  --certificate-authority "/etc/strongdm/certs/gke-ca.crt"
  --identity-set-name "GKE Cluster Admins"
  --identity-alias-healthcheck-username "svc_gke_health"
  --discovery-enabled
  --discovery-username "sdm-discovery"
  --healthcheck-namespace "default"
  --bind-interface "default"
  --port-override -1
  --egress-filter 'field:name tag:env=prod tag:region=us-central1'
  --proxy-cluster-id "plc_0123456789abcdef"
  --secret-store-id "ss_abcdef0123456789"
  --subdomain "gke-prod01"
  --tags "env=prod,cloud=gcp,platform=kubernetes,team=platform"
  --timeout 30

Check that the resource has been added. The output of the following command should show the resource's name:
```
sdm admin clusters list
```

Set up and Manage With Terraform

This section provides an example of how to configure and manage the resource using the Terraform provider. For more information and examples, please see the Terraform provider documentation.

# Install StrongDM provider
terraform {
  required_providers {
    sdm = {
      source  = "strongdm/sdm"
      version = "5.1.0"
    }
  }
}

# Configure StrongDM provider
provider "sdm" {
  # Add API access key and secret key from the Admin UI
  api_access_key = "njjSn...5hM"
  api_secret_key = "ziG...="
}

# ----------------------------
# Create Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster
# ----------------------------
resource "sdm_resource" "gke_cluster_prod" {
  gke {
    # Required
    name                  = "gke-cluster-prod"                      # <name>
    endpoint              = "https://35.225.123.45"                 # --endpoint
    service_account_key   = file("/etc/strongdm/keys/gcp-service-account.json")  # --service-account-key (use secret store for production)

    # TLS / CA
    certificate_authority = file("/etc/strongdm/certs/gke-ca.crt")  # --certificate-authority

    # Identity & discovery
    identity_set_name                   = "GKE Cluster Admins"      # --identity-set-name
    identity_alias_healthcheck_username = "svc_gke_health"          # --identity-alias-healthcheck-username (conditional)
    discovery_enabled                   = true                      # --discovery-enabled
    discovery_username                  = "sdm-discovery"           # --discovery-username
    healthcheck_namespace               = "default"                 # --healthcheck-namespace

    # Common networking options
    bind_interface = "default"                                      # --bind-interface ("default" | "loopback" | "vnm")
    port_override  = -1                                             # --port-override (-1 = auto-allocate)
    egress_filter  = "field:name tag:env=prod tag:region=us-central1" # --egress-filter
    subdomain      = "gke-prod01"                                   # --subdomain / --bind-subdomain (for VN access)

    # Optional integrations
    proxy_cluster_id = "plc_0123456789abcdef"                       # --proxy-cluster-id
    secret_store_id  = "ss_abcdef0123456789"                        # --secret-store-id (recommended for key and cert storage)

    # (Legacy orgs) allow fallback auth when no resource role is provided
    allow_resource_role_bypass = false                              # --allow-resource-role-bypass

    # Tags
    tags = {                                                        # --tags
      env      = "prod"
      cloud    = "gcp"
      platform = "kuberne

Resource properties

The GKE cluster type has the following properties.

Property

Requirement

Description

Display Name

Required

Meaningful name to display the resource throughout StrongDM; exclude special characters like quotes (") or angle brackets (< or >)

Cluster Type

Required

Google Kubernetes Engine

Proxy Cluster

Required

Defaults to "None (use gateways)"; if using proxy clusters, select the appropriate cluster to proxy traffic to this resource

Endpoint

Required

Endpoint of the GKE cluster, such as 35.232.191.126; relay server should be able to connect to your GKE endpoint

Connectivity Mode

Required

Select either Virtual Networking Mode, which lets users connect to the resource with a software-defined, IP-based network; or Loopback Mode, which allows users to connect to the resource using the local loopback adapter in their operating system; this field is shown if Virtual Networking Mode enabled for your organization

IP Address

Optional

If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, an IP address value in the configured Virtual Networking Mode subnet in the organization network settings; if Loopback Mode is the selected connectivity mode, an IP address value in the configured Loopback IP range in the organization network settings (by default, 127.0.0.1); if not specified, an available IP address in the configured IP address space for the selected connectivity mode will be automatically assigned; this field is shown if Virtual Networking Mode and/or multi-loopback mode is enabled for your organization

Port Override

Optional

If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a port value between 1 and 65535 that is not already in use by another resource with the same IP address; if Loopback Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a port value between 1024 to 64999 that is not already in use by another resource with the same IP address; when left empty with Virtual Networking Mode, the system assigns the default port to this resource; when left empty for Loopback Mode, an available port that is not already in use by another resource is assigned; preferred port also can be modified later from the Port Overrides settings

DNS

Optional

If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a unique hostname alias for this resource; when set, causes the desktop app to display this resource's human-readable DNS name (for example, k8s.my-organization-name) instead of the bind address that includes IP address and port (for example, 100.64.100.100:5432)

Secret Store

Optional

Credential store location; defaults to none (credentials are stored in StrongDM resource configuration); to learn more, see Secret Store options

Server CA

Optional

Server CA, which is available under the Show Credentials link just to the right of the endpoint in the Google Cloud Platform console

Service Account Key

Required

Service account key in JSON format; you can generate this key in the Google Developers Console; ensure it is associated with a user having the appropriate level of access to the cluster for your use case; once generated, upload the key using the button below the Service Account Key box

Healthcheck Namespace

Optional

If enabled for your organization, the namespace used for the resource healthcheck; defaults to default if empty; supplied credentials must have the rights to perform one of the following kubectl commands in the specified namespace: get pods, get deployments, or describe namespace

Enable Resource Discovery

Optional

Enables automatic discovery within this cluster

Authentication

Required

Authentication method to access the cluster; select either Leased Credential (default) or Identity Aliases (to use the Identity Aliases of StrongDM users to access the cluster)

Identity Set

Required

Displays if Authentication is set to Identity Aliases; select an Identity Set name from the list

Healthcheck Username

Required

If Authentication is set to Identity Aliases, the username that should be used to verify StrongDM's connection to it; username must already exist on the target cluster

Resource Tags

Optional

Resource Tags consisting of key-value pairs <KEY>=<VALUE> (for example, env=dev)

Display name

Some Kubernetes management interfaces, such as Visual Studio Code, do not function properly with cluster names containing spaces. If you run into problems, please choose a Display Name without spaces.

Google credentials

When your users connect to this cluster, they have exactly the rights permitted by this Google Service Account key. See this Google document for more information.

Secret Store options

By default, server credentials are stored in StrongDM. However, these credentials can also be saved in a secrets management tool.

Non-StrongDM options appear in the Secret Store dropdown menu if they are created under Settings > Secrets Management. When you select another Secret Store type, its unique properties display. For more details, see Configure Secret Store Integrations.

Test the Connection

After creating the GKE cluster resource in the Admin UI, navigate to Infrastructure > Clusters and locate your newly added cluster. The health indicator should turn green once connectivity and credentials are validated.
On a test client using the StrongDM desktop app or CLI, connect to the cluster and run a basic command such as kubectl get nodes. Confirm the output returns your nodes and the connection is routed via StrongDM.
If discovery is enabled, in the Admin UI verify that namespaces, roles, and service accounts appear under the cluster’s Discovery tab. This confirms StrongDM successfully queried the Kubernetes API and retrieved metadata from your GKE cluster.
If the health status remains red or yellow:
- Verify the cluster’s endpoint, region, and service account permissions are correct and reachable from your relay or gateway.
- Check the certificate authority file and ensure the GKE control plane endpoint uses valid TLS configuration.
- Confirm the healthcheck_namespace exists and that the identity alias healthcheck user (if specified) has appropriate access.
- Review the Diagnostics tab in the Admin UI for authentication or network-related errors.

Once connectivity is verified and Kubernetes operations succeed, the GKE cluster resource is ready. You can assign roles, apply access policies, and monitor all cluster activity through StrongDM.

Help

If you encounter issues, please consult the StrongDM Help Center.

Be prepared to provide the following information to StrongDM Support, so that they can inspect logs and confirm node and resource health:

Resource name or ID
CLI error output or logs
Node name and region
Timestamps of failed attempts

Last updated 18 days ago

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Overview

Prerequisites

Resource Configuration in StrongDM

Set up and Manage With the Admin UI

Set up and Manage With the CLI

Set up and Manage With Terraform

Set up and Manage With SDKs

Resource properties

Display name

Google credentials

Secret Store options

Test the Connection

Help