Merge pull request #2344 from odidev/buildkite_LP

Deploy Multi-Architecture Docker Images with Buildkite on GCP C4A Arm VM

Author: jasonrandrews

content/learning-paths/servers-and-cloud-computing/buildkite-gcp/_index.md

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+---
+title: Multi-Architecture Docker Builds with Buildkite on Arm-based GCP C4A Axion VMs
+
+minutes_to_complete: 40
+
+who_is_this_for: This is an introductory guide for software developers learning to build and run multi-architecture Docker images with Buildkite on Arm-based Google Cloud C4A virtual machines powered by Axion processors.
+
+
+learning_objectives:
+- Provision an Arm-based SUSE SLES virtual machine on Google Cloud (C4A with Axion processors)
+- Install and configure Docker, Buildx, and the Buildkite agent
+- Write a Dockerfile to containerize a simple Flask-based Python application
+- Configure a Buildkite pipeline to build multi-architecture Docker images and push them to DockerHub
+- Run and validate the application to ensure it works as expected
+
+
+prerequisites:
+  - A [Google Cloud Platform (GCP)](https://cloud.google.com/free?utm_source=google&hl=en) account with billing enabled (or another supported cloud provider like Azure or AWS)
+  - Basic knowledge of Linux system administration (creating users, installing packages, managing services)
+  - Familiarity with [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-started/) and container concepts
+  - A [GitHub](https://github.com/) account to host your application repository
+  - Familiarity with [Buildkite concepts](https://buildkite.com/docs/tutorials/getting-started) such as agents, pipelines, secrets, and queues
+
+
+author: Pareena Verma
+
+##### Tags
+skilllevels: Introductory
+subjects: CI-CD
+cloud_service_providers: Google Cloud
+
+armips:
+  - Neoverse
+
+tools_software_languages:
+  - Buildkite
+  - Docker
+  - Buildx
+
+operatingsystems:
+  - Linux
+
+# ================================================================================
+#       FIXED, DO NOT MODIFY
+# ================================================================================
+further_reading:
+  - resource:
+      title: Google Cloud documentation
+      link: https://cloud.google.com/docs
+      type: documentation
+
+  - resource:
+      title: Buildkite documentation
+      link: https://buildkite.com/docs
+      type: documentation
+
+  - resource:
+      title: Docker documentation
+      link: https://docs.docker.com/
+      type: documentation
+
+weight: 1
+layout: "learningpathall"
+learning_path_main_page: "yes"
+---

content/learning-paths/servers-and-cloud-computing/buildkite-gcp/_next-steps.md

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+---
+# ================================================================================
+#       FIXED, DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE
+# ================================================================================
+weight: 21                  # Set to always be larger than the content in this path to be at the end of the navigation.
+title: "Next Steps"         # Always the same, html page title.
+layout: "learningpathall"   # All files under learning paths have this same wrapper for Hugo processing.
+---

content/learning-paths/servers-and-cloud-computing/buildkite-gcp/background.md

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+---
+title: Get started with Buildkite on Google Axion C4A (Arm Neoverse V2)
+
+weight: 2
+layout: "learningpathall"
+---
+
+## Google Axion C4A instances on Google Cloud
+
+Google Axion C4A is a family of Arm-based virtual machines powered by Google’s custom Axion CPU, which is built on Arm Neoverse V2 cores. Designed for high performance and energy efficiency, these VMs are well-suited to modern cloud workloads such as CI/CD pipelines, microservices, media processing, and general-purpose applications.
+
+The C4A series can provide a cost-efficient alternative to x86 VMs while leveraging the scalability and performance characteristics of the Arm64 (AArch64) architecture on Google Cloud.
+
+To learn more about Google Axion, see the blog [Introducing Google Axion Processors, our new Arm-based CPUs](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/compute/introducing-googles-new-arm-based-cpu).
+
+## Buildkite for CI/CD on Arm
+
+[Buildkite](https://buildkite.com/) is a flexible and scalable continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) platform that allows you to run pipelines on your own infrastructure. By deploying Buildkite agents on Google Axion C4A VMs, you can take advantage of Arm’s performance and cost efficiency to build, test, and deploy applications—including multi-architecture Docker images.
+
+Buildkite integrates seamlessly with version control systems such as GitHub and supports advanced workflows for cloud migration, multi-arch builds, and testing microservices. Learn more in the [Buildkite documentation](https://buildkite.com/docs).

content/learning-paths/servers-and-cloud-computing/buildkite-gcp/buildkite-agent-setup.md

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+---
+title: Set-up Buildkite
+weight: 5
+
+### FIXED, DO NOT MODIFY
+layout: learningpathall
+---
+
+# Buildkite Agent Setup 
+This guide describes the steps to configure a Buildkite agent and queue after installing the Buildkite agent binary on a Google Axion C4A Arm VM.
+
+## 1. Create an Agent Token
+
+Before configuring the agent, you need an agent token from your Buildkite organization.
+
+1. Log in to your **Buildkite** account (you can login with GitHub), and go to your **Organization Settings**.  
+2. Click **Agents** in the left menu.
+3. Click **Create Agent Token**.  
+4. Enter a **name** for your token, e.g., `buildkite-arm`.  
+5. Click **Create Token**.  
+6. **Copy the token** immediately – you won’t be able to see it again after leaving the page.
+
+![Buildkite Dashboard alt-text#center](images/agent-token.png "Figure 1: Create Buildkite agent Token")
+
+
+## 2. Configure Buildkite Agent
+
+Create the configuration directory and file on your local system:
+
+```console
+sudo tee /root/.buildkite-agent/buildkite-agent.cfg > /dev/null <<EOF
+token="YOUR_AGENT_TOKEN"
+tags="queue=buildkite-queue1"
+EOF
+```
+- Replace `YOUR_AGENT_TOKEN` with the token you generated from your **Buildkite Agents page**.  
+- `tags` in Buildkite are key-value labels that let you match pipeline steps to specific agents, ensuring jobs run only on agents with the required tag.
+- The `name` field is optional; if omitted, Buildkite will assign a default name.
+
+
+Verify the configuration:
+
+```console
+sudo cat /root/.buildkite-agent/buildkite-agent.cfg
+```
+You should see output similar to:
+
+```output
+# The token from your Buildkite "Agents" page
+token="YOUR-GENERATED-TOKEN-VALUE"
+tags="queue=buildkite-queue1"
+
+# The name of the agent
+name="%hostname-%spawn"
+
+# The number of agents to spawn in parallel (default is "1")
+# spawn=1
+
+# The priority of the agent (higher priorities are assigned work first)
+# priority=1
+```
+## 3. Create a Queue in Buildkite
+
+1. Go to your **Buildkite Organization → Queues → Create Queue**.  
+2. Name it: `buildkite-queue1`.  
+3. Save it.  
+
+{{% notice Note %}}Make sure the queue name matches the `tags` field in the agent configuration.{{% /notice %}}
+
+![Buildkite Dashboard alt-text#center](images/queue.png "Figure 2: Create Buildkite Queue")
+
+## 4. Verify Agent in Buildkite UI
+
+First, you need to run locally:
+
+```console
+sudo /root/.buildkite-agent/bin/buildkite-agent start
+```
+
+Then, Verify by UI:
+
+Go to **Buildkite → Agents.**
+
+Confirm that the agent is online and connected to the queue buildkite-queue1.
+
+![Buildkite Dashboard alt-text#center](images/agent.png "Figure 3: Verify Agent")
+
+Buildkite-agent setup is complete, you can now proceed with the multi-arch build using Buildkite.