Deploy the shortlink-proxy helm chart on Kubernetes

Question

Pulumi · Accepted Answer

To deploy a Helm chart on Kubernetes using Pulumi, you would need to use the Pulumi Kubernetes provider. The provider enables you to deploy Kubernetes resources, and specifically Helm charts, using Pulumi's infrastructure as code approach.

In the following program, I'll use the `Chart` resource from the Pulumi Kubernetes provider. The `Chart` resource allows you to deploy a Helm chart from a repository or a local path. The example will demonstrate how to deploy a chart from a public or private Helm chart repository.

I'll walk you through the essential parts of the deployment process:

1. **Import the necessary libraries**: You'll need to import the `@pulumi/kubernetes` package to interact with Kubernetes resources.

2. **Create a Kubernetes Provider**: You can optionally create a specific Kubernetes provider if you need to target a particular kubeconfig context or namespace. If you don't specify a provider, Pulumi will use the default context as configured in your kubeconfig file.

3. **Deploy the Helm Chart**: You'll create an instance of the `Chart` resource and specify the chart name, repository, and other settings, such as any values you want to override in the chart defaults.

Here's the Pulumi TypeScript program that accomplishes this:

```typescript
import * as k8s from "@pulumi/kubernetes";

// Deploy a Helm chart using Pulumi for the `shortlink-proxy` application.
// You need to specify the repository where the Helm chart is located,
// the chart version, and any values you want to override.

// 1. (Optional) Set up the Kubernetes Provider if not using the default context.
const provider = new k8s.Provider("myprovider", {
    // kubeconfig: ... specify your kubeconfig details if not default.
    // namespace: "default", // specify if you want to deploy in a custom namespace.
});

// 2. Deploy the `shortlink-proxy` Helm chart.
const shortlinkProxyChart = new k8s.helm.v3.Chart("shortlink-proxy", {
    // Replace with the actual repository URL of the `shortlink-proxy` chart.
    repo: "example-repo",
    chart: "shortlink-proxy",
    // Specify the version of the chart you want to deploy.
    version: "1.2.3",
    // Specify any custom values. This is just an example; you'll need to consult
    // the chart's documentation for actual values.
    values: {
        // service: {
        //     type: "LoadBalancer",
        // },
        // Use `ingress` configuration if you have an Ingress controller set up.
        // ingress: {
        //     enabled: true,
        //     annotations: {
        //         "kubernetes.io/ingress.class": "nginx",
        //     },
        //     hosts: [
        //         {
        //             host: "shortlink.example.com",
        //             paths: ["/"],
        //         },
        //     ],
        // },
    },
    // Specify the namespace for the release. This is optional; if you don't specify,
    // it will default to the namespace used by the provider.
    namespace: "default",
    // If you have set up a custom provider, you can reference it here.
    // If not specified, the default provider will be used.
    // provider: provider,
}, { provider: provider });

// 3. (Optional) Export the status of the Helm release or other resources you need to track.
export const status = shortlinkProxyChart.status;
```

Before you run this program, you need to know the details of your `shortlink-proxy` Helm chart, such as:

- The **repository URL** where the chart is hosted.
- The **specific chart version** to deploy.
- The **configuration values** based on your application's needs, such as service type, ingress configuration, and any other values that you need to override.

Make sure you have Pulumi installed and configured for TypeScript. Save this script as `index.ts` in your Pulumi project directory. Run `pulumi up` to preview and deploy your changes. Pulumi will show you a preview of the Kubernetes resources it will deploy and request your confirmation before proceeding.

Remember, this program assumes that you've already set up Pulumi and logged in to your cloud provider and that you have `kubectl` configured with the context of the Kubernetes cluster you're targeting. If you need to specify a different context, you can do so by providing the appropriate kubeconfig file to the Kubernetes provider.

Once executed, this program will deploy the specified Helm chart on your Kubernetes cluster, and you'll be able to access the `shortlink-proxy` application at the service's external address or through the ingress URL if you've set up ingress.