Deploy the hawkbit helm chart on Kubernetes

Question

Pulumi · Accepted Answer

Sure, I can guide you through deploying the Hawkbit helm chart on a Kubernetes cluster using Pulumi with TypeScript. Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes, which allows you to define, install, and upgrade even the most complex Kubernetes applications. Helm charts help you define, install, and upgrade Kubernetes applications.

Here's what we'll do:

1. Install and import the necessary Pulumi packages for Kubernetes.
2. Define the configuration of the Helm chart we wish to deploy – in this case, the Hawkbit chart.
3. Deploy the chart to a Kubernetes cluster.

We'll use the `kubernetes.helm.v3.Chart` class from the Pulumi Kubernetes provider to accomplish this. You should have the Pulumi CLI installed, have access to a Kubernetes cluster, and have performed a `pulumi login` to an account (the Pulumi Service, or a self-hosted Pulumi state backend).

Before you begin, make sure you have the Helm CLI installed on your local machine and that you have added the repository containing the Hawkbit chart. This step is not mandatory for Pulumi but is a good practice to ensure that you can use the same Helm chart version later on and that you have all the necessary information about the chart values.

You might typically perform the following commands using Helm:
```shell
helm repo add hawkbit https://eclipse.github.io/packages/charts
helm repo update
```

Now, let's proceed with the Pulumi TypeScript program.

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

const stackConfig = new pulumi.Config(); // Load the stack configuration

// Ensure you have the required Kubernetes context set in your kubeconfig file.
// Check it using `kubectl config current-context`
const k8sProvider = new k8s.Provider("k8s-provider", {
  // You can specify your Kubernetes cluster details here if needed.
});

// Deploy Hawkbit Helm chart. Modify the `chart` and `version` as per the chart details.
const hawkbitChart = new k8s.helm.v3.Chart("hawkbit-chart", {
  chart: "hawkbit",
  version: "0.2.0", // specify the chart version you wish to deploy
  fetchOpts: {
    repo: "https://eclipse.github.io/packages/charts", // Helm repository URL
  },
  values: {
    // Place your customized values here. E.g.:
    // replicaCount: 2,
  },
}, { provider: k8sProvider });

// Export the Helm chart name and status
export const chartName = hawkbitChart.metadata.apply(metadata => metadata.name);
export const chartStatus = hawkbitChart.status.apply(status => status);
```

### Explanation:

- We start by importing the `@pulumi/pulumi` and `@pulumi/kubernetes` packages.
- A new Kubernetes provider is instantiated. If you have your `kubeconfig` file correctly set up, this will connect to your default Kubernetes cluster. Otherwise, you might need to specify the cluster details.
- We use the `Chart` class from the `@pulumi/kubernetes/helm/v3` package to deploy the Hawkbit chart. We provide the necessary chart information, including name, version, and a repository where the chart is located.
- The `values` object within the `Chart` resource is used to customize settings within the Helm chart. You would populate this with any overrides needed for your Helm chart's default values. These can be obtained by inspecting the chart's `values.yaml` or by using `helm show values hawkbit/hawkbit`.
- Lastly, the program exports the name and the status of the deployed chart, allowing you to retrieve this information once Pulumi has completed the deployment.

To run this Pulumi program:
- Install Pulumi and set up your Pulumi account.
- Create a new Pulumi project or use an existing one.
- Add this code to your project’s `index.ts` file.
- Install the necessary node modules: `@pulumi/pulumi` and `@pulumi/kubernetes`.
- Run `pulumi up` to preview and deploy the changes; Pulumi will handle the creation of the resources as defined in the program.

After running the program, you will see Pulumi's output, which will include the name and status of the Helm release. If you need to make changes to your deployed chart, you can modify the `values` property in your TypeScript program and rerun `pulumi up` to apply the changes.

Remember that the values specified in the `values` property will override the corresponding default values of the Helm chart. Ensure that you review the chart's documentation to understand what configuration options are available to you.