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This version of the documentation is archived and no longer supported. To learn how to upgrade your version of MongoDB Kubernetes Operator, refer to the upgrade documentation.

Secure Internal Authentication with X.509 and TLS

On this page

This guide instructs you on how to configure:

  • X.509 internal authentication between MongoDB nodes in a cluster.
  • X.509 authentication from clients to your MongoDB instances.
  • TLS to encrypt connections between MongoDB hosts in a replica set or sharded cluster.
  • TLS to encrypt connections client applications and MongoDB deployments.

Prerequisites

Before you secure your MongoDB deployment using X.509 internal authentication, complete the following:

Note

You can’t secure a Standalone Instance.

Configure X.509 Internal Authentication for a Replica Set

1

Copy the highlighted section of this replica set resource.

Change the highlighted settings of this YAML file to match your desired replica set configuration.

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---
apiVersion: mongodb.com/v1
kind: MongoDB
metadata:
  name: <my-secure-replica-set>
  namespace: <configMap.metadata.namespace>
             # Must match metadata.namespace in ConfigMap file
spec:
  members: 3
  version: 4.2.1
  opsManager:
    configMapRef:
      name: <configMap.metadata.name>
            # Must match metadata.name in ConfigMap file
  credentials: <mycredentials>
  type: ReplicaSet
  persistent: true
copy 
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  security:
    tls:
      enabled: true
    authentication:
      enabled: true
      modes: ["X509"]
      internalCluster: "X509"
...
2

Paste the copied example section into your existing replica set resource.

Open your preferred text editor and paste the object specification at the end of your resource file in the spec section.

3

Configure the TLS settings for your replica set resource.

To enable TLS in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key Type Necessity Description Example
spec.security
.tls.enabled
 boolean Optional

If this value is true, TLS is enabled on the MongoDB deployment.

By default, Kubernetes Operator requires hosts to use and accept TLS encrypted connections.

 true
4

Configure the general X.509 settings for your replica set resource.

To enable TLS and X.509 in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key Type Necessity Description Example
spec.security
.authentication
.enabled
 boolean Optional If this value is true, authentication is enabled on the MongoDB deployment. true
spec.security
.authentication
.modes
 array Conditional If you enabled authentication, you must set an authentication mechanism. Accepted values are X509. X509
5

Configure the internal X.509 settings for your replica set resource.

To enable TLS and X.509 in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key Type Necessity Description Example
spec.security
.authentication
.internalCluster
 string Conditional

If you enabled authentication, you can enable X.509 internal cluster authentication. Accepted values are X509.

Important

Once internal cluster authentication is enabled, it can not be disabled.

 X509
6

Save your replica set config file.

7

Update and restart your replica set deployment.

Invoke the following Kubernetes command to update and restart your replica set:

copy 
kubectl apply -f <replica-set-conf>.yaml
8

Check the status of your deployment.

The Kubernetes Operator creates the MongoDB resources and requests the Kubernetes Certificate Authority to approve the database host’s certificates. Run the following command to verify that the certificates are pending approval:

copy 
kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -n <namespace> -o yaml -w

The status field of the output should resemble the following:

status:
  lastTransition: 2019-05-01T15:36:59Z
  message: Not all certificates have been approved by Kubernetes CA
  phase: Failed
  type: ""
  version: ""

If you do not see the status.message above, see Troubleshooting the Kubernetes Operator to help diagnose the issue.

9

Retrieve the CSRs for each host and agent in your deployment.

Invoke the following command to retrieve the CSRs for each host:

copy 
kubectl get csr

The command’s output resembles the following:

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NAME                                        AGE       REQUESTOR                                                   CONDITION
mms-automation-agent.mongodb                15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
mms-backup-agent.mongodb                    15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
mms-monitoring-agent.mongodb                15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-rs-0.mongodb                      33s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-rs-1.mongodb                      31s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-rs-2.mongodb                      24s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
10

Approve the CSR for each host in your deployment.

Using the values returned in the NAME column, approve each certificate from the previous command’s output using the following command:

copy 
kubectl certificate approve <NAME>

Example

The following commands approve the CSRs for the replica set example:

copy 
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kubectl certificate approve my-secure-rs-0.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-rs-1.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-rs-2.mongodb

kubectl prints a message to the console when a certificate is approved.

11

Retrieve the cluster file CSR for each host in your deployment.

When spec.security.clusterAuthenticationMode is set to x509, Kubernetes Operator generates an additional CSR per host for the clusterfile.

After the first batch of certificates are approved, run the command to retrieve the CSRs again:

copy 
kubectl get csr

The clusterfile CSRs are now present in the output:

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NAME                                        AGE       REQUESTOR                                                   CONDITION
mms-automation-agent.mongodb                15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
mms-backup-agent.mongodb                    15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
mms-monitoring-agent.mongodb                15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-rs-0-clusterfile.mongodb          13s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-rs-0.mongodb                      105s      system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-rs-1-clusterfile.mongodb          7s        system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-rs-1.mongodb                      103s      system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-rs-2-clusterfile.mongodb          3s        system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-rs-2.mongodb                      100s      system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued

Note

The Kubernetes Operator generates CSRs for the MongoDB Agents when MongoDB resources are present.

12

Approve the cluster file CSR for each host in your deployment.

Approve the clusterfile CSRs using the same command:

copy 
kubectl certificate approve <NAME>

Example

The following commands approve the clusterfile certificates:

copy 
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kubectl certificate approve my-secure-rs-0-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-rs-1-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-rs-2-clusterfile.mongodb
13

Approve the CSR for each agent in your deployment.

Using the values returned in the NAME column, approve each certificate from the previous command’s output using the following command:

copy 
kubectl certificate approve <NAME>

Example

The following commands approve the CSRs for the replica set example:

copy 
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kubectl certificate approve mms-automation-agent.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve mms-backup-agent.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve mms-monitoring-agent.mongodb

kubectl prints a message to the console when a certificate is approved.

14

Track the status of your deployment.

To check the status of your MongoDB Kubernetes resource, invoke the following command:

copy 
kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -n <namespace> -o yaml -w

The -w flag means “watch”. With the “watch” flag set, the output refreshes immediately when something changes until the status phase achieves the Running state.

See Troubleshooting the Kubernetes Operator for information about the resource deployment statuses.

Configure X.509 Internal Authentication for a Sharded Cluster

1

Copy the highlighted section of this sharded cluster resource.

Change the highlighted settings of this YAML file to match your desired sharded cluster configuration.

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---
apiVersion: mongodb.com/v1
kind: MongoDB
metadata:
  name: <my-secure-sharded-cluster>
  namespace: <configMap.metadata.namespace>
             # Must match metadata.namespace in ConfigMap file
spec:
  shardCount: 2
  mongodsPerShardCount: 3
  mongosCount: 2
  configServerCount: 3
  version: 4.2.1
  opsManager:
    configMapRef:
      name: <configMap.metadata.name>
            # Must match metadata.name in ConfigMap file
  credentials: <mycredentials>
  type: ShardedCluster
  persistent: true
copy 
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  security:
    tls:
      enabled: true
    authentication:
      enabled: true
      modes: ["X509"]
      internalCluster: "X509"
...
2

Paste the copied example section into your existing sharded cluster resource.

Open your preferred text editor and paste the object specification at the end of your resource file in the spec section.

3

Configure the TLS settings for your sharded cluster resource.

To enable TLS in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key Type Necessity Description Example
spec.security
.tls.enabled
 boolean Optional

If this value is true, TLS is enabled on the MongoDB deployment.

By default, Kubernetes Operator requires hosts to use and accept TLS encrypted connections.

 true
4

Configure the general X.509 settings for your sharded cluster resource.

To enable TLS and X.509 in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key Type Necessity Description Example
spec.security
.authentication
.enabled
 boolean Optional If this value is true, authentication is enabled on the MongoDB deployment. true
spec.security
.authentication
.modes
 array Conditional If you enabled authentication, you must set an authentication mechanism. Accepted values are X509. X509
5

Configure the internal X.509 settings for your sharded cluster resource.

To enable TLS and X.509 in your deployment, configure the following settings in your Kubernetes object:

Key Type Necessity Description Example
spec.security
.authentication
.internalCluster
 string Conditional

If you enabled authentication, you can enable X.509 internal cluster authentication. Accepted values are X509.

Important

Once internal cluster authentication is enabled, it can not be disabled.

 X509
6

Save your sharded cluster config file.

7

Update and restart your sharded cluster deployment.

Invoke the following Kubernetes command to update and restart your sharded cluster:

copy 
kubectl apply -f <sharded-cluster-conf>.yaml
8

Check the status of your deployment.

The Kubernetes Operator creates the MongoDB resources and requests the Kubernetes Certificate Authority to approve the database host’s certificates. Run the following command to verify that the certificates are pending approval:

copy 
kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -n <namespace> -o yaml -w

The status field of the output should resemble the following:

status:
  lastTransition: 2019-05-01T15:36:59Z
  message: Not all certificates have been approved by Kubernetes CA
  phase: Failed
  type: ""
  version: ""

If you do not see the status.message above, see Troubleshooting the Kubernetes Operator to help diagnose the issue.

9

Retrieve the CSRs for each host in your deployment.

Invoke the following command to retrieve the CSRs for each host:

copy 
kubectl get csr

The command’s output resembles the following:

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NAME                                        AGE       REQUESTOR                                                   CONDITION
mms-automation-agent.mongodb                15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
mms-backup-agent.mongodb                    15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
mms-monitoring-agent.mongodb                15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-0-0.mongodb                    30s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-0-1.mongodb                    28s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-0-2.mongodb                    27s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-1-0.mongodb                    22s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-1-1.mongodb                    13s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-1-2.mongodb                    6s        system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-config-0.mongodb               36s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-config-1.mongodb               34s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-config-2.mongodb               32s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-mongos-0.mongodb               49s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-mongos-1.mongodb               42s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
10

Approve the CSR for each host in your deployment.

Using the values returned in the NAME column, approve each certificate from the previous command’s output using the following command:

copy 
kubectl certificate approve <NAME>

Example

The following commands approve the CSRs for the sharded cluster example:

copy 
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kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-0-0.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-0-1.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-0-2.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-1-0.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-1-1.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-1-2.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-config-0.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-config-1.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-config-2.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-mongos-0.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-mongos-1.mongodb

kubectl prints a message to the console when a certificate is approved.

11

Retrieve the cluster file CSR for each host in your deployment.

When spec.security.clusterAuthenticationMode is set to x509, Kubernetes Operator generates an additional CSR per host for the clusterfile.

After the first batch of certificates are approved, run the command to retrieve the CSRs again:

copy 
kubectl get csr

The clusterfile CSRs are now present in the output:

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NAME                                        AGE       REQUESTOR                                                   CONDITION
mms-automation-agent.mongodb                15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
mms-backup-agent.mongodb                    15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
mms-monitoring-agent.mongodb                15m       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-0-0-clusterfile.mongodb        40s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-0-0.mongodb                    2m22s     system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-0-1-clusterfile.mongodb        36s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-0-1.mongodb                    2m20s     system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-0-2-clusterfile.mongodb        32s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-0-2.mongodb                    2m19s     system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-1-0-clusterfile.mongodb        27s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-1-0.mongodb                    2m14s     system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-1-1-clusterfile.mongodb        23s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-1-1.mongodb                    2m5s      system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-1-2-clusterfile.mongodb        20s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-1-2.mongodb                    118s      system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-config-0-clusterfile.mongodb   10s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-config-0.mongodb               2m28s     system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-config-1-clusterfile.mongodb   5s        system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-config-1.mongodb               2m26s     system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-config-2-clusterfile.mongodb   2s        system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-config-2.mongodb               2m24s     system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-mongos-0-clusterfile.mongodb   18s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-mongos-0.mongodb               2m41s     system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Approved,Issued
my-secure-sc-mongos-1-clusterfile.mongodb   12s       system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending
my-secure-sc-mongos-1.mongodb               2m34s     system:serviceaccount:mongodb:mongodb-enterprise-operator   Pending

Note

The Kubernetes Operator generates CSRs for the MongoDB Agents when MongoDB resources are present.

12

Approve the cluster file CSR for each host in your deployment.

Approve the clusterfile CSRs using the same command:

copy 
kubectl certificate approve <NAME>

Example

The following commands approve the clusterfile certificates:

copy 
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kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-0-0-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-0-1-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-0-2-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-1-0-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-1-1-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-1-2-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-config-0-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-config-1-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-config-2-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-mongos-0-clusterfile.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve my-secure-sc-mongos-1-clusterfile.mongodb
13

Approve the CSR for each agent in your deployment.

Using the values returned in the NAME column, approve each certificate from the previous command’s output using the following command:

copy 
kubectl certificate approve <NAME>

Example

The following commands approve the CSRs for the sharded cluster example:

copy 
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2
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kubectl certificate approve mms-automation-agent.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve mms-backup-agent.mongodb
kubectl certificate approve mms-monitoring-agent.mongodb

kubectl prints a message to the console when a certificate is approved.

14

Track the status of your deployment.

To check the status of your MongoDB Kubernetes resource, invoke the following command:

copy 
kubectl get mdb <resource-name> -n <namespace> -o yaml -w

The -w flag means “watch”. With the “watch” flag set, the output refreshes immediately when something changes until the status phase achieves the Running state.

See Troubleshooting the Kubernetes Operator for information about the resource deployment statuses.

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