Deploy the speedtest-tracker helm chart on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Question

Pulumi · Accepted Answer

To deploy the `speedtest-tracker` Helm chart on an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster using Pulumi, you'll need to perform a series of steps which I'll guide you through. The process involves:

1. Creating an AKS cluster, which is a managed Kubernetes service on Azure, enabling you to run and manage containerized applications easily.
2. Installing the Helm chart for the `speedtest-tracker`, which is basically a set of pre-configured Kubernetes resources that can be deployed as a unit.

We will be using Pulumi's TypeScript SDK to write the program. Pulumi allows us to define our infrastructure using code, which will be executed to provision and manage the required cloud resources. Below is the complete program that you can use to deploy the `speedtest-tracker` on AKS.

Before we begin, ensure you've done the following preparatory steps:
- You have an Azure subscription and have the Pulumi CLI installed and configured with appropriate Azure credentials.
- You have installed Node.js to run the TypeScript program.
- Initialize a new Pulumi project and set it up to use the Azure provider.

Here's the program:

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

// Step 1: Create an Azure Resource Group.
const resourceGroup = new azure.core.ResourceGroup("aksResourceGroup");

// Step 2: Create an AKS cluster.
// First, create an AD service principal for the AKS cluster.
const password = new random.RandomPassword("password", {
    length: 20,
    special: true,
}).result;

const adApp = new azuread.Application("aks");
const adSp = new azuread.ServicePrincipal("aksSp", { applicationId: adApp.applicationId });
const adSpPassword = new azuread.ServicePrincipalPassword("aksSpPassword", {
    servicePrincipalId: adSp.id,
    value: password,
    endDate: "2099-01-01T00:00:00Z",
});

// Then, create the AKS cluster itself.
const k8sCluster = new azure.containerservice.KubernetesCluster("aksCluster", {
    resourceGroupName: resourceGroup.name,
    defaultNodePool: {
        name: "aksagentpool",
        nodeCount: 2,
        vmSize: "Standard_DS2_v2",
    },
    dnsPrefix: `${pulumi.getStack()}-kube`,
    linuxProfile: {
        adminUsername: "aksuser",
        sshKey: {
            keyData: sshPublicKey,
        },
    },
    servicePrincipal: {
        clientId: adApp.applicationId,
        clientSecret: adSpPassword.value,
    },
    kubernetesVersion: "1.18.14",
});

// Export the K8S cluster's kubeconfig.
export const kubeconfig = k8sCluster.kubeConfigRaw;

// Step 3: Install the speedtest-tracker Helm chart into the AKS cluster.
const speedtestChart = new k8s.helm.v3.Chart("speedtest-tracker", {
    // Point to the namespace where you wish to deploy the chart.
    // If omitted, it uses "default" namespace.
    namespace: "default",
    chart: "speedtest-tracker",
    // Provide the repository details where the Helm chart is located.
    fetchOpts: {
        repo: "https://your-helm-chart-repository-here",
    },
    // Specify any custom values for the Helm chart.
    // Refer to the chart's documentation for options.
    values: {
        service: {
            type: "LoadBalancer",
        },
    },
}, { provider: new k8s.Provider("k8s-provider", { kubeconfig: k8sCluster.kubeConfigRaw }) });

// Optional: Export the public IP of the `speedtest-tracker` service if you have set it up as a LoadBalancer.
const speedtestService = speedtestChart.getResource("v1/Service", "speedtest-tracker");
export const speedtestTrackerUrl = speedtestService.status.apply(status => 
    `http://${status.loadBalancer.ingress[0].ip}:80`
);
```

Now, let's cover some of the major parts of the code:

- First, we define a resource group within Azure that will contain all our AKS resources. In Pulumi, we define this with the `azure.core.ResourceGroup` class.

- We then create an Azure AD application, service principal, and related service principal password. These are required for AKS cluster authentication.

- The AKS cluster is created next. For that, we use `azure.containerservice.KubernetesCluster`. We specify the node count, size, and the SSH public key for access. Please remember to replace `sshPublicKey` with your actual SSH public key content.

- Once the AKS cluster is provisioned, we use Pulumi's Helm package that allows deploying applications packaged as Helm charts. Here, we create a `Chart` resource with the `speedtest-tracker` chart information.

- Finally, we export the kubeconfig which can be used to access the Kubernetes cluster and the URL of the `speedtest-tracker` service, assuming it's exposed via a LoadBalancer and an external IP.

Remember, this program is a general guide and you may need to adjust the `chart`, `repo`, and `values` sections according to your specific `speedtest-tracker` Helm chart requirements. Make sure to find the correct repository URL and Helm chart configurations from the chart's documentation or repository.