Microservices-based Architecture Deployment using Kubernetes and Infrastructure as Code (IaaC)

This project demonstrates the deployment of a microservices-based architecture on Kubernetes using Infrastructure as Code (IaaC) approach. The application includes a webapp with an nginx frontend proxy and a database backend - mongodb. Additionally, the Socks Shop example microservice application is also deployed.

Deployment Approach

The deployment approach for this project emphasizes readability, maintainability, and DevOps methodologies. The following tools were used for deployment:

• EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service) as the Kubernetes cluster provider
• GitHub Actions pipeline for continuous integration and deployment
• Prometheus as the monitoring tool
• Grafana for visualization of Prometheus metrics
• EFK (Elasticsearch, Fluentd, and Kibana) for logging
• Terraform for setting up the EKS cluster and infrastructure as code configuration management tool

Prerequisites

• AWS account with access to EKS
• GitHub account
• Kubernetes CLI (kubectl) installed
• Terraform CLI installed

Step 1: Deploying the EKS Cluster

The Terraform files for deploying the EKS cluster are located in the terraform directory. These files have already been configured to set up the necessary infrastructure on AWS.

The deployment is handled through GitHub Actions, so there's no need to manually set up the cluster. Whenever code is pushed to the GitHub repository, the Actions pipeline will automatically execute the Terraform commands to create the EKS cluster and the necessary networking components on AWS.

Step 2: Deploying the Applications

The Kubernetes manifests for the webapp, nginx frontend proxy, mongo database backend are located in the webapp directory and Socks Shop microservice application manifest is located in the sockapp directory.

The deployment is also handled through GitHub Actions. Whenever code is pushed to the GitHub repository, the Actions pipeline will automatically execute the kubectl apply command to deploy the applications to the EKS cluster.

Step 3: Setting up Monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana

The Kubernetes manifests for Prometheus and Grafana are located in the manifests-monitoring directory. These manifests have already been configured to deploy and set up both Prometheus and Grafana.

After the applications are deployed, access the Grafana dashboard to visualize the Prometheus metrics.

Step 4: Setting up Logging with EFK

The Kubernetes manifests for Elasticsearch, Fluentd, and Kibana are located in the logging directory. These manifests have already been configured to deploy and set up EFK logging.

After the applications are deployed, access the Kibana dashboard to view the logs.

Step 5: Testing the Webapp

The Node.js webapp can be accessed at portfolio.deb-ops.live and tested by the /api endpoint.

Step 6: Testing the Sockapp

The Socks Shop can be accessed at sockshop.deb-ops.live.

Step 6: Monitoring

The prometheus dashboard is accessed at prometheus.deb-ops.live:9090 while the grafana dashboard is at grafana.deb-ops.live

Step 7: Logging

The Kibana dashboard is accessed at kibana.deb-ops.live:5601

Conclusion

This project demonstrates the deployment of a microservices-based architecture on Kubernetes using Infrastructure as Code. By automating the deployment process with GitHub Actions and Terraform, the project emphasizes maintainability, readability, and DevOps methodologies. With Prometheus and Grafana for monitoring and EFK for logging, the project provides a comprehensive solution for managing a Kubernetes deployment.