Basic GitOps Project

This covers the setup and management of a GitOps workflow utilizing a suite of powerful tools including Jenkins, Kubernetes (via minikube), Helm, and ArgoCD. Follow the steps below to get your GitOps pipeline up and running.

Prerequisites

Ensure your system has the following software installed:

• Have a Dockerhub account
• VirtualBox: A free and open-source hosted hypervisor for x86 virtualization.
• Vagrant: A tool for building and managing virtual machine environments.

Setup Steps

Step 1: Clone project

  git clone https://github.com/evandjefie/basic-gitops-project
  cd basic-gitops-project

Step 2: Creating Virtual Machines

This project involves setting up two virtual machines (VMs):

• vmjks: Hosts Jenkins for automation, CI/CD.
• vmk8s: Hosts Kubernetes (using minikube), Helm, and ArgoCD for container orchestration and deployment.

Deployment

To deploy the VMs, execute the following commands:

cd Vagrant
vagrant up

Check the VMs' status with:

vagrant status

Step 2: Configuring Jenkins Jobs

With the VMs running, the next step involves setting up Jenkins jobs for CI/CD.

Accessing Jenkins Enter the Jenkins VM with:

vagrant ssh vmjks

Default password: vagrant

Job Setup Configure two key Jenkins jobs:

• ci-app: Builds the app and pushes the Docker image to a registry.
• cd-k8s: Updates the image on the Kubernetes cluster automatically.

Configuration Details

• Install Plugins and Secrets: In Jenkins, install necessary plugins (e.g., Docker) and configure secrets for Docker Hub and GitHub access.
• Prepare Jenkinsfiles: Copy the Jenkinsfile from both ci-app and cd-k8s directories into their respective jobs on Jenkins. Adjust the Jenkinsfile contents to match your project specifics, such as repository URLs and Docker image names.

Continuous Integration and Deployment

• The ci-app job should include steps for building your application, running tests, and pushing the built Docker image to a Docker registry.
• The cd-k8s job should pull the latest Docker image and deploy it to your Kubernetes cluster, making use of Helm for deployment and ArgoCD for managing the application lifecycle in a GitOps manner.

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