Josh Siviour
74b91b5cc5
* feat(eks): node-targetable control-plane VM (HA spread transport prereq)
Groundwork for HA control-plane placement (mulga-siv-231.7.1): make the k3s
control-plane VM placeable on a specific Spinifex host.
- Add a sys.medium instance type (2 vCPU / 4 GB) and boot the control-plane VM
as it instead of t3.medium. A sys.* type keeps the CP VM out of customer
DescribeInstanceTypes and makes the daemon register the node-targeted
system.LaunchInstance.{type}.{nodeID} subject (only sys.* types get it).
- Add K3sServerInput.TargetNodeID and a LaunchSystemInstanceOnNode method on
the launcher: empty/local node launches in-process (unchanged single-CP
path); any other node dispatches over the node-targeted subject, where the
receiving daemon runs the launch and owns the VM.
The spread orchestrator (reserve N hosts, launch per host, verify, rollback,
<3-host fallback) lands separately; CreateCluster still launches locally
(TargetNodeID empty), so behaviour is unchanged.
* feat(eks): HA control-plane spread orchestrator
Place N=3 k3s server VMs across distinct Spinifex hosts via a per-cluster
spread placement group, with all-or-nothing rollback and single-CP fallback.
- placeControlPlane: capacity fan-out (HostScheduler) -> >=3-host gate ->
ensure spread group (system account) -> ReserveSpreadNodes(Min=Max=3) ->
parallel per-node LaunchK3sServerVM(TargetNodeID) -> node-vms placement
verify -> FinalizeSpreadInstances. Any launch/verify/finalize failure
terminates launched VMs, releases the reservation, drops the group.
- <3 schedulable hosts or a lost reservation race falls back to a single
local control-plane VM (prior behaviour).
- ClusterMeta gains ControlPlaneNodes[] + ControlPlaneSpreadGroup; [0] is
mirrored into the scalar ControlPlane* fields for back-compat. DeleteCluster
tears down every CP VM and the spread group.
- Wire PlacementGroup + Scheduler into EKSServiceDeps + orchestration-deps gate.
* fix(eks): size HA control-plane spread on raw host headroom
SchedulableHosts matched the CP type by name in node.status's per-type
capacity list, but that list omits sys.* types (system types are hidden
from customers). The CP VM is sys.medium, so the match never hit and
SchedulableHosts returned 0 on every node — placeControlPlane always fell
back to a single CP, making the >=3-host spread unreachable in production.
System VMs consume host vCPU/memory like any guest, so size the fit against
each node's raw schedulable headroom (Total - Reserved - Alloc) and the
type's footprint instead. Adds instancetypes.SpecForSystemType for the
sys.* vCPU/memory spec and a pure nodeFitsSystemInstance helper.
* feat(eks): k3s server-join role for HA control-plane quorum
Servers 2..N now boot in join mode: server: https://<first-server>:6443 +
a shared cluster token, without cluster-init, so they join the first server's
embedded-etcd quorum instead of each cluster-initing an independent datastore.
- K3sServerInput gains JoinToken (shared cluster secret, set on every server)
and ServerURL (set => join server, no cluster-init, server-join role).
- buildK3sUserData branches cluster-init vs server:, emits token:, and selects
SPINIFEX_K3S_ROLE server vs server-join.
- launchControlPlaneSpread launches nodes[0] first (cluster-init), derives the
join URL from its ENI IP, then launches the rest in parallel as join servers;
a first-server failure skips the joins and rolls back.
- CreateCluster mints a per-cluster crypto-random token (GenerateK3sClusterToken)
threaded into the placement template.
- eks-node-role.sh adds a server-join case: token-webhook + k3s + state-report,
but not k3s-first-boot (the first server already publishes the bootstrap
artifacts; a join re-publish only races the bootstrap bus).
* fix: open etcd-peer/kubelet ingress on EKS control-plane SG for HA join
Join servers (231.7.2) register over the supervisor port 6443 but their
embedded etcd could not peer with the quorum: the control-plane SG only
admitted 6443 from the VPC CIDR, omitting etcd client+peer 2379-2380 and
kubelet 10250 between control-plane nodes. A single cluster-init server never
exercises those ports, so the gap stayed hidden until multi-server HA — the
join registered but its etcd never replicated the raft log, leaving the node
perpetually NotReady.
Add EnsureControlPlaneHAIngress with self-referencing (cpSG->cpSG) rules for
etcd 2379-2380 and kubelet 10250, called from CreateCluster after
EnsureControlPlaneIngress. Verified live on a 3-node cluster: join servers
reach Ready and form a 3-member etcd quorum that survives loss of the original
first server.
* feat: register all control-plane ENI IPs as EKS cluster NLB targets
Register every HA control-plane server ENI IP in the cluster NLB target
group, not just the primary. The TG already health-checks :6443, so a
dead member drains and kubectl/apiserver traffic fails over to surviving
etcd-quorum members. Add RegisterClusterTargets batch helper; the single
RegisterClusterTarget now delegates to it.
What is Spinifex? · Platform · Components · Architecture · Installation · Docs
Spinifex: An Open Source AWS-Compatible Stack for Bare-Metal, Edge, and On-Prem Deployments
Spinifex developed by Mulga Defense Corporation is an open source infrastructure platform that brings the core services of AWS—like EC2, VPC, EBS, and S3—to environments where running in the cloud isn't an option. Whether you're deploying to edge sites, private data-centers, or need to operate in low-connectivity or highly contested environments, Spinifex gives you AWS-style workflows on your own hardware.
What is Spinifex?
Spinifex replicates essential AWS primitives—virtual machines, block volumes, and object storage—using lightweight, self-contained components that are easy to deploy and integrate.
It's designed for developers and operators who need:
- Cloud-like infrastructure without the cloud
- Minimal dependencies, full control
- Drop-in compatibility with tools like the AWS CLI, SDKs, and Terraform
- A secure cloud environment you control and own the entire hardware, network and software stack
You can run Spinifex on a few servers in a rack, a field site, or anywhere centralized cloud services aren't feasible.
The Platform
From commodity hardware up to unmodified AWS tooling, every layer is replaceable and yours to own.
Core Components
Spinifex (Compute Service – EC2 Alternative)
Spinifex is a minimal VM orchestration layer built on top of QEMU, exposing APIs similar to EC2. It manages lifecycle operations like start, stop, and terminate, using QEMU's QMP interface. Designed to be straightforward and scriptable, Spinifex lets you launch VMs using the AWS CLI, SDKs, or Terraform—without needing Kubernetes or heavyweight orchestrators. Keep in mind, you can also setup a Kubernetes environment using Spinifex with underlying instances.
- EC2-like VM management on bare metal
- Launches with cloud-init metadata support
- Works with standard AWS tooling
Viperblock (Block Storage – EBS Alternative)
Viperblock is a high-performance, WAL-backed block storage service that replicates volumes across multiple nodes. It's built for reliability and speed, with support for snapshots, recovery, and direct connection to QEMU instances using NBD or virtio-blk.
- Fast, durable virtual disks
- Replication for resilience
- Exposed over NBD or embedded in VMs
- Supports high performance WAL logs using local NVMe drives to reduce IO traffic to S3.
- In memory read/write block cache for blazing performance.
Predastore (Object Storage – S3-Compatible)
Predastore is a fully S3-compatible object storage system. It supports the AWS S3 API, including Signature V4 authentication, multipart uploads, and Terraform provisioning. Data is chunked and distributed across nodes using Reed-Solomon erasure coding, making it fault-tolerant and ideal for large-scale or low-bandwidth scenarios.
- S3-compatible API and auth
- Multipart uploads, streaming reads/writes
- Data redundancy with Reed-Solomon encoding
Architecture at a Glance
Every AWS API call is authenticated at the gateway, published to a NATS subject, and answered by whichever daemon claims it. Daemons are stateless — scale horizontally by starting more. No etcd, no Kubernetes, no external control plane. Deep dive: docs/DESIGN.md.
Key Features
AWS-Compatible Interfaces – Provision infrastructure with awscli, Terraform, or SDKs you already use.
- Designed for Control – Run on your own terms, whether that's in a datacenter, remote site, or sensitive environment.
- Minimal Dependencies – Each service is standalone and avoids complex orchestration layers.
- Works Offline – No reliance on centralized cloud services or external networks.
- Open Source – Licensed under AGPL 3.0. Fork it, extend it, or deploy it as-is.
Installation
Installation requires an Ubuntu / Debian system. See the detailed documentation at docs.mulgadc.com for maintaining and installing Spinifex.
Bare Metal ISO
The recommended installation is a bootable x86 installer for bare-metal hardware.
curl -fLO https://iso.mulgadc.com/spinifex.iso
Follow the USB install guide to write the ISO to USB and install on your hardware. The install guide walks through the full process.
Single Node Install
The installation is straightforward to set up and running on a single node for testing purposes. Debian 13 is currently supported, additional Linux distributions are on the immediate roadmap.
Prerequisite: Linux bridge for networking.
Spinifex requires a Linux bridge configured on the host for VM networking. See the single-node install guide prerequisites for setup details.
curl -fsSL https://install.mulgadc.com | bash
sudo /usr/local/share/spinifex/setup-ovn.sh --management
sudo spx admin init --node node1 --nodes 1
sudo systemctl start spinifex.target
export AWS_PROFILE=spinifex
aws ec2 describe-instance-types
Development Setup
For a complete development environment see the Source Install documentation
Component Repositories
Spinifex coordinates these independent components:
- Predastore - S3-compatible object storage
- Viperblock - EBS-compatible block storage
Each component can be developed independently. See component-specific documentation for focused development guides.
Spinifex UI
Spinifex ships with a built-in web console — an optional alternative to the AWS CLI, SDKs, and Terraform. If you're familiar with the AWS Management Console, the Spinifex UI fills the same role: a browser-based view of your instances, volumes, buckets, VPCs, and IAM resources, without leaving your own network.
The console is served by each node on port 3000 over TLS, and becomes available as soon as spinifex.target is up:
open https://YOUR_NODE_IP:3000
- Same API, different surface. Every action in the UI is the same AWS SigV4 call the CLI makes — so RBAC, audit trails, and IAM policies apply uniformly.
- Single sign-on against your AWS credentials. Log in with the access keys from
~/.aws/credentialson the node where Spinifex is installed — no separate user database. - Self-hosted, works offline. The UI is embedded in the Spinifex binary and served from the node itself. No external CDN, no analytics calls, no cloud dependency.
For the full walkthrough — first-time TLS certificate trust, login, and feature tour — see Launching the Web UI in the cluster setup guide.
Development Philosophy
Built by Engineers, For Engineers
Spinifex is developed by experienced infrastructure engineers with deep AWS expertise, including former AWS team members who understand the intricacies of building production-grade cloud services. Our team brings decades of combined experience from AWS, enterprise infrastructure, and edge computing environments.
Real-World Experience:
- Production AWS service development and operations
- Large-scale infrastructure deployment and management
- Edge computing and resource-constrained environments
- Enterprise security and compliance requirements
AI-Assisted Development
While Spinifex is architected and implemented by experienced engineers, we leverage Claude Code (Anthropic's AI coding assistant) to accelerate certain development tasks. This approach combines human expertise with AI efficiency:
How We Use Claude Code:
- Code Generation: Boilerplate AWS API structures and handlers
- Documentation: Comprehensive development guides and API documentation
- Testing: Test case generation and validation scenarios
- Refactoring: Large-scale code restructuring and optimization
What Remains Human-Driven:
- Architecture Decisions: Core system design and scalability choices
- Security Implementation: Authentication, encryption, and threat modeling
- Performance Optimization: Real-world performance tuning and benchmarking
- Production Operations: Deployment strategies and operational procedures
This hybrid approach ensures Spinifex benefits from both proven engineering expertise and modern development acceleration, while maintaining the quality and reliability standards required for production infrastructure.
License
Spinifex is open source under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0. You're free to use, modify, and deploy it anywhere you need reliable infrastructure without depending on centralized cloud platforms.