kubedev 0.5.741485194

Kubernetes development workflow made easy

kubedev

DevOps command line tool that standardizes workflows for Microservices in Kubernetes for teams:

Develop, Build, Secure, Deploy.

It builds on well-known and field-proven tools:

• 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.
• kubedev helps you build your services "secure by default".

Current state of development

kubedev is in early development and used internally at Gira.

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
    "helmReleaseName": "myservice-v1", # An optional name of the helm release. If not specified, 'name' will be used.
    "securityChecks": {
      "polaris": { # Optional, specify a custom polaris configuration
        "configFile": "polaris-config-cli.yaml", # Local file name of the polaris config
        "configDownload": { # Optional, download the polaris config to the local file before running the audit
          "url": "https://url-to-your-polaris-config",
          "headers": { # Optional, specify headers added to the GET request to download the polaris config
            "Authentication": "Bearer ${YOUR_BEARER_TOKEN}"
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "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
            "usedFrameworks": ["python", "pipenv", "npm", "vue"], # Not implemented, yet. usedFrameworks 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`.
              }
            },
            "volumes": {
              "dev": {
                "host_path": "/container/path" # Mount local directories to container directories when running via `kubedev run`
              }
            },
            "required-envs": {
                "MYDEPLOY_FLASK_ENV": {
                    "documentation": "..."
                },
                "MYDEPLOY_COMPLEX": {
                  "documentation": "This is a variable with content that can not be passed to the helm chart on the command line and must be base64-encoded.",
                  "transform": "base64"
                }
            },
            # Defines the system test for this app. System tests must be defined in the directory ./systemTests/<app-name>/ and must include a Dockerfile:
            "systemTest": {
                "variables": {
                  # Defines variables that are passed as environment variables into the test container and all services:
                  "TEST_GLOBAL_VAR": "value"
                },
                "testContainer": {
                    "variables": {
                        # Defines environment variables that are passed to the system-test container
                        "TEST_HOSTNAME": "myservice-test"
                    },
                    "buildArgs": {
                        # Defines build arguments for the system test container
                        "TEST_BUILD_X": "X"
                  }
                },
                # Services run in the background, in an isolated docker network, while the system test container is executed
                "services": {
                    # Services can reference deployments defined in this kubedev.json and will use the latest available image tag,
                    # as generated by e.g. `kubedev build`.
                    "{mydeploy}": {
                        "hostname": "myservice-test", # The system test container can access this service by this hostname
                        "ports": [8081], # Ports that are accessible from other containers
                        "variables": {
                            # Environment variables that are passed to this service.
                            # All required-envs for this deployment are passed, too, but can be overwritten here:
                            "MYSERVICE_ENV": "test-value"
                        }
                    },
                    # Services can use public images or images from your private repository, too:
                    "postgres:13": {
                        "hostname": "postgres-test",
                        "ports": [5432], # Ports that are accessible from other containers
                        "variables": {
                            "POSTGRES_USER": "tempuser",
                            "POSTGRES_PASSWORD": "correct horse battery staple"
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "daemonsets": {
       # … not implemented, yet
    },
    "cronjobs": {
       # … not implemented, yet
    }
}

Naming conventions

kubedev will work with artifacts that follow certain naming conventions that are built from the <service name> (top level "name"), the <app name> (the "name" inside of "deployments", "daemonsets" and "cronjobs") and a tag, which will be used as the image tag.

Artifact	Naming Convention
helm chart name	The helm chart is generated with the name <service name>.
helm release name	The release name is either directly specified using helmReleaseName in kubedev.json, or is the same as the helm chart name if helmReleaseName is not specified.
kubernetes labels	All kubernetes definitions include the labels kubedev-deployment (<service name>) and kubedev-app <app name>.
image name	The image name is built using <imageRegistry>/<service name>-<app name>, except when <app name> is the same as <service name>, in which case it is collapsed to just <imageRegistry>/<app name>
image tag	The tag is either built using "${CI_COMMIT_SHORT_SHA}_${CI_COMMIT_REF_NAME}", if both these environment variables are set, or to none otherwise.

Automatic docker login

When kubedev needs to access docker registries, it writes the content of ${DOCKER_AUTH_CONFIG} to the file ${HOME}/.docker/config.json, if:

• ~/.docker/config.json does not exist.
• The environment variable ${HOME} is set.
• The environment variable ${CI} is set.
• The environment variable ${DOCKER_AUTH_CONFIG} is set.

Environment Variable Transformation

Environment Variables are passed to helm and docker by shell expansion. This has some limitations of values that are not "shell-safe", such as when they contain double-quotes or special shell characters. To make it safe and possible to pass these values, kubedev provides a few transformations.

A transformation will take the content of the variable from the environment where kubedev is called, and pass it in a transformed way into helm and `docker.

Available transformations are:

Transformation	Description
base64	Base64 encodes the value

You can enable a transformation by setting the attribute transform in required-envs to the desired transformation, e.g. base64.

kubedev generate

Creates artifacts that kick-starts your microservice development.

The following files are created for by - with secure defaults:

• Tiltfile
• .gitlab-ci.yml
• helm-chart/ with all required kubernetes ressources
• <your-service>/Dockerfile

See Naming Conventions.

The following "usedFrameworks" are supported by kubedev generate.

pipenv

When "pipenv" is included in the "usedFrameworks" by either a deployment or globally, the following files are generated inside the <app>'s sub-directory:

File	Description
Dockerfile	Includes pipenv-specific instructions
app.py	An empty python script
Pipfile	A Pipfile using python 3.8. No packages or dev-packages are added.
Pipfile.lock	The result of locking the empty Pipfile.

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.

kubedev audit

Audits the k8s specification using Fairwind's Polaris.

A custom configuration file can be specified via the configuration options securityChecks.polaris, see the example.

Possible configuration options:

JSON field	Description
securityChecks.polaris.configFile	A path to a local configuration file that is passed to polaris. The file must exist or configDownload must be specified. Environment variables will be expanded.
securityChecks.polaris.configDownload	An optional object that can be used to specify a download path where kubedev audit will fetch the polaris configuration from.
securityChecks.polaris.configDownload.url	The URL to the polaris config. Environment variables will be expanded. When the object configDownload exists, the field url is mandatory.
securityChecks.polaris.configDownload.headers	An optional dictionary that can contain custom headers that will be passed to the polaris config download. Both the header names and values can include environment variables.

Note: The polaris executable needs to be available in your $PATH.

kubedev build <app>

Runs docker build for <app> with all docker build args as defined in kubedev.json.

See Naming Conventions.

This commands writes the content of ${DOCKER_AUTH_CONFIG} to the file ${HOME}/.docker/config.json, if:

• ~/.docker/config.json does not exist.
• The environment variable ${CI} is set.
• The environment variable {DOCKER_AUTH_CONFIG} is set.

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

kubedev push <app>

Runs docker push for <app>.

See Naming Conventions.

See Automatic docker login

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

kubedev run <app>

Builds an image using kubedev build with a random tag and then runs it.

The following parameters are passed to docker run, some of them can be configured in kubedev.json:

• --interactive and --rm are always passed
• If kubedev is called from a terminal, --tty is passed.
• required-envs are forwarded to the container.
• All ports.\<port-name\>.dev will be forwarded to ports.\<port-name\>.container
• volumes.dev are passed to the container. kubedev will auto-detect a WSL + Docker Desktop environment and convert the source path to a Windows path using wsl-path -aw.

kubedev deploy

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 all required env vars from kubedev.json.

See Naming Conventions.

The generated image tag is passed to the template using the environment variable KUBEDEV_TAG.

kubedev deploy 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.

See Naming Conventions.

The generated image tag is passed to the template using the environment variable KUBEDEV_TAG.

kubedev template is used inside the Tiltfile generated by kubedev generate.

kubedev system-test <app name>

Runs a system-test container against defined services, which can either be services defined in kubedev.json, or services pulled from a registry such as a database or a service defined in another repository.

See Automatic docker login

kubedev system-test's behaviour is defined in a "systemTest" sub-element of the app definition. See the thorough example at the beginning of the README.md.

The following configuration options are available:

Configuration element	Description	Mandatory
systemTest.variables	Defines global variables that are passed as environment variables into the services (if defined) and the system test container	No
systemTest.testContainer.variables	Defines variables that are passed as environment variables into the system test container, but not the services	No
systemTest.testContainer.buildArgs	Defines build args that are used when building the system test container	No
systemTest.testContainer.services	Defines services that are run in the background when running the system test container. Use the syntax {\<app name\> to reference deployments that are defined in this kubedev.json, and the image name will be built automatically according to the same rules are kuebdev build would	No
systemTest.testContainer.services[...].hostname	This service will be available by this hostname from the system test container	Yes
systemTest.testContainer.services[...].ports	Defines ports that are published from this service	No
systemTest.testContainer.services[...].variables	Defines additional variables that are passed to this service. When this service references a kubedev deployment, additionally all required-envs for this deployment are passed into the service. These values can be overwritten using this variables.	No

The schematic flow when running the system-test is as follows:

1. Build the system test container from ./systemTests/\<app-name\>/.
2. Create a temporary docker network.
3. Try to remove left-over services from previous run.
4. Run all defined services in the background.
5. Wait for all services to become ready.
6. Run the system test container in the foreground.
7. Remove the services containers.
8. Remove the temporary docker network.