Can an `ExternalName` service point to the host machine?

Question

I'm working locally (within Docker for Mac) on a Kubernetes cluster that will eventually be deployed to the cloud. We plan to use a database service in that environment. To simulate that, I'd like to have the services in the cluster connect to a database running outside the cluster on my laptop.

Can I do that? Here's what I thought I'd try.

• Define a Service with type: ExternalName and externalName: somedb.local
• Add 127.0.0.1 somedb.local to /etc/hosts on the laptop

Is that correct? Is there a better way?

Answer 1

After talking with some colleagues, I found a solution.

In Docker for Mac, host.docker.internal points to the host machine, and that lets me connect to the db running there, even from containers running in the K8s cluster.