kubedev

DevOps command line tool that standardizes workflows for Microservices in Kubernetes for teams: Build, Develop, CI/CD.

It builds on:

• docker
• tilt
• helm
• Security audits:
  • Fairwinds Polaris
• CI providers:
  • GitLab

kubedev Principles

• kubedev wants to help you quickly and easily build microservices that are independent, but at the same time follow a common pattern in regards to building, documenting and deploying. This makes it easier to add new services, and to onboard new developers.
• kubedev aims to be a thin wrapper around the commands it builds on, and just wants to make it easier for teams to call them appropriately.
• kubedev always prints the commands that it executes, so that you know what is going on.
• kubedev heavily relies on environment variables for service configuration.

Current state of development

kubedev is in early development. Some commands are implemented (see below), but the test coverage is not high and there might be some quirks and undocumented behaviour.

Synopsis

kubedev commands are based on the definitions found in kubedev.json, which include the minimum necessary information that is required to execute common cloud-dev related tasks.

A kubedev.json describes an "Service", which in turn can contain "Apps" that may be deployments, daemonsets or cronjobs.

Schema of kubedev.json:

{
    "name": "myservice",
    "description": "My fancy service 🎆",
    "imagePullSecrets": "foo-creds", # Your docker registry auth credentials
    "imageRegistry": "foo-registry", # Your docker registry
    "polaris-config": "/path/to/polaris-config.yaml", # specify a custom configuration file for polaris audits
    "required-envs": {
      "MYSERVICE_ENV": {
        "documentation": "Describe MYSERVICE_ENV here, so that other devs on your team know how to set them in their own env",
        "container": true, # Use this environment variable when running containers
        "build": true # Use this environment variable for building the container
      }
    },
    "deployments": {
        "mydeploy": { # An App `mydeploy' of type deployment
            "used-frameworks": ["python", "pipenv", "npm", "vue"], # Not implemented, yet. used-frameworks are used to e.g. fill in Tiltfile live_update, ignore, etc.
            "ports": {
              "https": {
                  "container": "8081", # This is the port that your actual dockerized service is bound to
                  "service": "8082",   # This is the port that the Kubernetes service serves on. Will be redirected to the container-port of the pods.
                  "dev": "8083" # This is the port used for local development by either `tilt` or `kubedev run`. Will be available on localhost when using `tilt up` or `kubedev run`.
              }
            },
            "mounts": {
              "dev": {
                "host_path": "/container/path" # Mount local directories to container directories when running via `kubedev run`
              }
            },
            "required-envs": {
                "MYDEPLOY_FLASK_ENV": {
                    "documentation": "..."
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "daemonsets": {
       # … not implemented, yet
    },
    "cronjobs": {
       # … not implemented, yet
    }
}

kubedev init [deployment:name, …][cronjob:name, …] [daemonset:name, …]

NOT IMPLEMENTED, YET

Creates:

• Directories for each deployment, daemonset or cronjob
• Empty Dockerfiles in these directories
• A template kubedev.json
• A README.md template

kubedev generate [--overwrite]

✔ Implemented

Creates a helm-chart (with Deployment and optionally Services), Tiltfile, .gitlab-ci.yml and Dockerfiles and probably subdirectories for each App from the definitions in ./kubedev.json. If ./kubedev.json does not exist, instructions are printed (referencing the "kubedev init" command).

kubedev generate helm-chart <template>

❌ NOT IMPLEMENTED, YET

Creates a helm-chart for this service, according to kubedev.json, consisting of:

• A Chart.yaml
• A deployment, daemonset or a cronjob, depending on "type".
• For deployments and daemonsets: Adds a Service (type ClusterIP).

kubedev generate Tiltfile <template>

❌ NOT IMPLEMENTED, YET

Creates a Tiltfile with some sensible defaults.

kubedev generate gitlab-ci

❌ NOT IMPLEMENTED, YET

Creates a .gitlab-ci.yml file containing the build-push and deploy states:

• build-push: Runs kubedev build and then kubedev push
• deploy: Runs kubedev deploy

It uses the latest stable dev-baseimage.

kubedev check

Reads kubedev.json and checks whether all environment variables from the configuration is set in the current environment. It prints missing variables, including it's documentation.

❌ __ NOT IMPLEMENTED:__

For used-frameworks "pipenv", it runs bandit. For used-frameworks "npm", it runs npm audit.

kubedev print env-doc

❌ NOT IMPLEMENTED, YET

Prints out a Markdown table with all environment variables declared in kubedev.json and their documentation.

kubedev up [--clean]

❌ NOT IMPLEMENTED, YET

Checks the current environment and runs tilt up when the configuration is OK.

For "used-frameworks" "vue", it runs npm run build -- --watch --mode development in parallel.

The --clean switch runs tilt down before running tilt up.

kubedev down

❌ NOT IMPLEMENTED, YET

Runs tilt down.

kubedev test-ci <job>

❌ NOT IMPLEMENTED, YET

Creates a temporary branch, commits all local changes and uncommited files to this branch, then runs gitlab-runner exec shell <job> and then restores the previous git state.

kubedev build <app>

✔ Implemented

Runs docker build for <app> with all docker build args as defined in kubedev.json. When CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA and CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME are set (inside a GitLab CI build job), the tag will be formatted as "${CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA}_${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}", otherwise the tag will be "none".

Is used inside the CI/CD build jobs generated by kubedev generate and internally by the kubedev run command.

kubedev push <app>

✔ Implemented

Runs docker push for <app>. When CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA and CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME are set (inside a GitLab CI build job), the tag will be formatted as "${CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA}_${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}", otherwise the tag will be "none".

Is used inside the CI/CD build jobs generated by kubedev generate.

kubedev run <app>

✔ Implemented

Runs kubedev build and then runs the new docker image with all envs set and ports forwarded.

kubedev deploy

✔ Implemented

Reads a kube config from the env var $KUBEDEV_KUBECONFIG (required) and optionally a context from $KUBEDEV_KUBECONTEXT and then runs helm upgrade --install with appropriate arguments and env vars from kubedev.json.

Is used inside the CI/CD build jobs generated by kubedev generate.

kubedev template

Basically runs helm template with appropriate arguments and env vars from kubedev.json.

Is used inside the Tiltfile generated by kubedev generate.