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Core Cluster Installation

important

core-cluster is the only component of the VUI project not released under the Apache 2.0 license. It is a proprietary, closed-source component, distributed under a custom End-User License Agreement (EULA) and available exclusively to active Seriohub sponsors at the required tier. Please make sure to review the applicable licenses before continuing: see the VUI License Overview and the VUI-Core License Terms.

Starting from VUI version 0.3.0, the new vui-core component is available.
It enables centralized management of multiple remote clusters from a single UI instance.
👉 Read the announcement and learn more about the project.

This scenario sets up a centralized VUI environment using VUI-Core, designed for multi-cluster visibility, coordination, and control.

Evaluating VUI-Core​

The VUI-Core component is available for evaluation in demo mode for 14 days. This allows you to explore its centralized management features and multi-cluster capabilities before becoming a sponsor.

For any questions, clarifications, or additional information, feel free to get in touch or open a issue.

note

Before installing, we recommend reviewing the Multi-Cluster Architecture Blueprint to better understand how VUI-Core fits into a distributed setup.

Managing NATS Users​

In this initial release, user authentication for NATS is handled via static user credentials.
These must be created manually and stored in a Kubernetes secret.

  1. Create a temporary file called users.conf with the following content:
users = [
  { user = "nats-Core-User", password = "nats-Core-Pwd" },
  { user = "nats-Agent-1-User", password = "nats-Agent-1-pwd" },
  { user = "nats-Agent-2-User", password = "nats-Agent-2-pwd" },
  { user = "nats-Agent-3-User", password = "nats-Agent-3-pwd" },
]
  1. Create the Kubernetes secret from this file:
kubectl create secret generic vui-nats-user-auth \
  --from-file=users.conf=./tmp/users.conf \
  -n vui \
  --dry-run=client -o yaml -n vui | kubectl apply -f -

🔄 The NATS service includes a sidecar that watches this secret and automatically reloads its configuration.
You do not need to restart any pods when updating cluster credentials.

Requirements​

  • Ingress or NodePort access to expose the UI and API
  • A static IP for natsService (recommended for stable multi-cluster communication)

Configuration​

Use the predefined override file:
core.yaml

Minimal required configuration:

global:
  veleroNamespace: <your-velero-namespace>
  clusterName: <core-cluster-name>
  core: true

apiService:
  secret:
    defaultAdminUsername: <admin>
    defaultAdminPassword: <password>
    natsUsername: <nats-Agent-1-User>
    natsPassword: <nats-Agent-1-Pwd>

coreService:
  secret:
    # clientKey: <client-key>
    defaultAdminUsername: <admin>
    defaultAdminPassword: <password>
    natsUsername: <nats-Core-User>
    natsPassword: <nats-Core-Pwd>

exposure:
  mode: ingress
  ingress:
    spec:
      tls:
        - hosts:
            - vui-core.yourdomain.com

natsService:
  loadBalancerIP: <ip>
Credentials

Login to the UI with the credentials defined in:

  • Username: coreService.secret.defaultAdminUsername
  • Password: coreService.secret.defaultAdminPassword

Installation​

helm repo add seriohub https://seriohub.github.io/velero-helm
helm repo update

helm install vui seriohub/vui \
-n vui \
--create-namespace \
-f core.yaml

Access​

Once deployed, the UI will be accessible at:

https://vui-core.yourdomain.com

Use the Core dashboard to manage and monitor multiple remote clusters using Agent installations.

Additional Useful Override Files​

The velero-helm repository includes other override files for alternative use cases:

Notes​

  • By default, NATS is configured to use the nats protocol (non-TLS).
  • NATS supports TLS, but enabling it depends on the network and ingress configuration.

LoadBalancer IP Configuration​

If your environment does not allow reserving a static LoadBalancer IP ahead of time, you can retrieve it after deployment and update the chart:

  1. Get the assigned IP:
kubectl get svc -n vui -o jsonpath="{.items[?(@.spec.type=='LoadBalancer')].status.loadBalancer.ingress[0].ip}"
  1. Update the deployment with the resolved IP:
helm upgrade vui ./chart/ -f core.yaml --set natsService.loadBalancerIP=<resolved-ip>

kubectl rollout restart deployment -l component=api -n vui
kubectl rollout restart deployment -l component=core -n vui