Deploy the tyk-dashboard helm chart on Rancher

Question

Pulumi · Accepted Answer

To deploy the `tyk-dashboard` Helm chart on a Rancher-managed Kubernetes cluster using Pulumi, we will follow these main steps:

1. Create or select a Pulumi `Stack` and ensure you have access to a Rancher Kubernetes cluster.
2. Install the `rancher2` provider package for Pulumi, which allows us to interact with Rancher's resources.
3. Use the `rancher2.AppV2` Pulumi resource to deploy a Helm chart onto the cluster by referencing the `tyk-dashboard` Helm chart details.

Here is a detailed program that does this:

```typescript
import * as rancher2 from "@pulumi/rancher2";

// You need to have Rancher API credentials configured for Pulumi.
// This includes the Rancher API URL, access key, and secret key.
// The credentials can be specified using either environment variables or Pulumi config secrets.

// First, obtain a reference to your Rancher cluster.
// If you have already set up your Rancher cluster and you know its ID,
// you can provide it here directly.
const clusterId = "my-cluster-id"; // replace with your actual cluster ID

// Next, define the namespace within Rancher where the tyk-dashboard will be deployed.
const tykNamespace = new rancher2.Namespace("tyk-namespace", {
    name: "tyk-dashboard",
    clusterId: clusterId,
});

// Now we can define the App which corresponds to the Helm chart deployment.
// The `rancher2.AppV2` resource is used to deploy Helm charts through Rancher's catalog apps feature.
const tykDashboardApp = new rancher2.AppV2("tyk-dashboard-app", {
    // Specify where the app should be deployed.
    clusterId: clusterId,
    namespace: tykNamespace.name,

// Here 'chart' is the name of the Helm chart you want to install,
    // which in this case is 'tyk-dashboard'.
    // 'repoName' should reference the Helm repo name added to the Rancher's catalog.
    chartName: "tyk-dashboard",
    // 'repoName' is the name of the Helm repository in Rancher.
    // Ensure that this repository has been added to Rancher's catalog and contains the tyk-dashboard chart.
    repoName: "the-name-of-repo-containing-tyk-dashboard",
    // 'chartVersion' can be used to specify a specific version of the Helm chart.
    // If omitted, the latest version will be used.
    chartVersion: "x.y.z",

// You can customize the installation by providing values inline or
    // by referencing a custom values.yaml file.
    values: `
apiVersion: v2
appVersion: "1.0"
valuesField: value
`   // you need to replace the above content with the actual values required by the tyk-dashboard chart.
});

// Export the URL to access the tyk-dashboard
export const tykDashboardUrl = tykDashboardApp.status.url;
```

Let's break down what each part of the program does:

- **Import rancher2 Package**: The `rancher2` package is imported, providing access to Rancher's resources within Pulumi.
- **Rancher Credentials**: Before running this program, you must have your Rancher credentials set up for Pulumi. This could be via Pulumi configuration secrets or environment variables.
- **Rancher Cluster Reference**: A reference to your Rancher-managed Kubernetes cluster is needed. Here, it's represented by `clusterId`, which you should replace with the actual ID of your cluster.
- **Namespace Creation**: A Kubernetes namespace on the Rancher cluster is created where the `tyk-dashboard` will be deployed.
- **App Deployment**: We define an `AppV2` resource with the name and repo name of the Helm chart we wish to deploy. `chartName`, `repoName`, and `chartVersion` specify the exact chart to install from the catalog.

After you have created your Pulumi program, you can run it using the Pulumi CLI tool:

1. Initialize a new Pulumi stack if you haven't already.
2. Run `pulumi up` to preview and deploy your changes.

The `pulumi up` command will output the URL to access the `tyk-dashboard` once it's successfully deployed. Remember, the actual values and configurations may vary depending on the specifics of your Rancher setup and the `tyk-dashboard` Helm chart.