💡 Quick Answer: Deploy MySQL with StatefulSet + headless Service + PVC. Use volumeClaimTemplates for persistent storage, headless Service (clusterIP: None) for stable DNS. Store credentials in Secrets. MySQL is single-writer—for HA, use Percona XtraDB Cluster or MySQL Operator.
Key resources: StatefulSet (ordered pods), PVC (persistent data), ConfigMap (my.cnf), Secret (root password), headless Service (DNS records).
Gotcha: MySQL requires fsGroup in securityContext for file permissions; always test backup/restore before production.

The Problem

You need to run MySQL on Kubernetes with persistent storage, stable network identity, and ordered deployment/scaling.

The Solution

Use a StatefulSet with PersistentVolumeClaims to deploy MySQL with stable storage and predictable pod names.

Understanding StatefulSets

StatefulSets provide:

Stable, unique network identifiers
Stable, persistent storage
Ordered deployment and scaling
Ordered, automated rolling updates

Step 1: Create a Secret for MySQL Password

apiVersion: v1
kind: Secret
metadata:
  name: mysql-secret
type: Opaque
stringData:
  mysql-root-password: "YourSecurePassword123!"
  mysql-password: "AppPassword456!"

Apply it:

kubectl apply -f mysql-secret.yaml

Step 2: Create a ConfigMap for MySQL Configuration

apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: mysql-config
data:
  my.cnf: |
    [mysqld]
    default-authentication-plugin=mysql_native_password
    max_connections=200
    innodb_buffer_pool_size=256M
    innodb_log_file_size=64M
    slow_query_log=1
    slow_query_log_file=/var/log/mysql/slow.log
    long_query_time=2

Step 3: Create a Headless Service

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: mysql
  labels:
    app: mysql
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 3306
    name: mysql
  clusterIP: None  # Headless service
  selector:
    app: mysql

Step 4: Create the StatefulSet

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: StatefulSet
metadata:
  name: mysql
spec:
  serviceName: mysql
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: mysql
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: mysql
    spec:
      terminationGracePeriodSeconds: 30
      containers:
      - name: mysql
        image: mysql:8.0
        ports:
        - containerPort: 3306
          name: mysql
        env:
        - name: MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: mysql-secret
              key: mysql-root-password
        - name: MYSQL_DATABASE
          value: "myapp"
        - name: MYSQL_USER
          value: "appuser"
        - name: MYSQL_PASSWORD
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: mysql-secret
              key: mysql-password
        volumeMounts:
        - name: data
          mountPath: /var/lib/mysql
        - name: config
          mountPath: /etc/mysql/conf.d
        resources:
          requests:
            memory: "512Mi"
            cpu: "250m"
          limits:
            memory: "1Gi"
            cpu: "1"
        livenessProbe:
          exec:
            command:
            - mysqladmin
            - ping
            - -h
            - localhost
            - -u
            - root
            - -p${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
          initialDelaySeconds: 30
          periodSeconds: 10
          timeoutSeconds: 5
        readinessProbe:
          exec:
            command:
            - mysql
            - -h
            - localhost
            - -u
            - root
            - -p${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD}
            - -e
            - "SELECT 1"
          initialDelaySeconds: 10
          periodSeconds: 5
          timeoutSeconds: 2
      volumes:
      - name: config
        configMap:
          name: mysql-config
  volumeClaimTemplates:
  - metadata:
      name: data
    spec:
      accessModes: ["ReadWriteOnce"]
      storageClassName: "standard"  # Use your StorageClass
      resources:
        requests:
          storage: 10Gi

Step 5: Create a Service for External Access

For applications to connect:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: mysql-external
spec:
  type: ClusterIP
  ports:
  - port: 3306
    targetPort: 3306
  selector:
    app: mysql

Connecting to MySQL

From Within the Cluster

DNS name: mysql-0.mysql.<namespace>.svc.cluster.local

mysql -h mysql-0.mysql.default.svc.cluster.local -u root -p

Using kubectl

kubectl exec -it mysql-0 -- mysql -u root -p

From Your Application

env:
- name: DATABASE_HOST
  value: "mysql-0.mysql"
- name: DATABASE_PORT
  value: "3306"
- name: DATABASE_NAME
  value: "myapp"

Backup Strategy

Manual Backup

kubectl exec mysql-0 -- mysqldump -u root -p${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD} --all-databases > backup.sql

CronJob for Automated Backups

apiVersion: batch/v1
kind: CronJob
metadata:
  name: mysql-backup
spec:
  schedule: "0 2 * * *"  # Daily at 2 AM
  jobTemplate:
    spec:
      template:
        spec:
          containers:
          - name: backup
            image: mysql:8.0
            command:
            - /bin/sh
            - -c
            - |
              mysqldump -h mysql-0.mysql -u root -p${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD} \
                --all-databases | gzip > /backup/mysql-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql.gz
            env:
            - name: MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD
              valueFrom:
                secretKeyRef:
                  name: mysql-secret
                  key: mysql-root-password
            volumeMounts:
            - name: backup
              mountPath: /backup
          restartPolicy: OnFailure
          volumes:
          - name: backup
            persistentVolumeClaim:
              claimName: mysql-backup-pvc

Scaling Considerations

Single Instance

For simple applications, one replica is sufficient.

MySQL Replication

For high availability, consider:

MySQL Group Replication
Percona XtraDB Cluster
MySQL Operator

Monitoring MySQL

Add Prometheus exporter:

- name: exporter
  image: prom/mysqld-exporter:latest
  ports:
  - containerPort: 9104
    name: metrics
  env:
  - name: DATA_SOURCE_NAME
    value: "exporter:exporterpassword@(localhost:3306)/"

Troubleshooting

Check Pod Status

kubectl get pods -l app=mysql
kubectl describe pod mysql-0

View Logs

kubectl logs mysql-0

Check PVC

kubectl get pvc
kubectl describe pvc data-mysql-0

Access MySQL Shell

kubectl exec -it mysql-0 -- mysql -u root -p

Best Practices

Use Secrets for passwords
Set resource limits to prevent resource starvation
Configure backups before going to production
Use PodDisruptionBudget for maintenance windows
Monitor disk usage to avoid running out of space

Key Takeaways

StatefulSets provide stable identity and storage
Headless services enable direct pod DNS
PersistentVolumeClaims retain data across restarts
Always implement backup strategies
Consider operators for production deployments

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How to Deploy MySQL with StatefulSet