Azure DevOps Helm Deployment 🚀

Are you diving into the world of Kubernetes deployments and feeling a bit lost at sea? Don’t worry, Helm is here to rescue you! Let’s sail through Helm and make your Kubernetes journey smoother.

🤔 What is Helm?

Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes applications, designed to simplify the process of deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications. Think of it as your go-to tool for streamlining the management of complex Kubernetes resources.

🏗️ Helm Structure:

The Helm structure consists of:

1. Charts: Bundles of pre-configured Kubernetes resources that define the structure of an application.
2. Templates: Dynamic YAML files within charts, allowing parameterization and customization.
3. Values: Configuration options that can be customized during deployment.
4. Charts Repository: A centralized location for sharing and discovering Helm charts.

🧩 Components in a Helm Chart:

When you crack open a Helm chart, you’ll find several key components

my-chart/
├── charts/
├── templates/
│ ├── NOTES.txt
│ ├── deployment.yaml
│ ├── service.yaml
│ └── ... (other k8s manifest files)
├── Chart.yaml
├── values.yaml
└── README.md

1. Chart.yaml: Metadata about the chart, including name, version, and dependencies.
2. Templates: Kubernetes manifest files with placeholders for dynamic values.
3. Values.yaml: Default configuration values for the chart.
4. Charts: Subcharts or dependencies required by the main chart.
5. README.md: Documentation providing instructions and guidance on using the chart.
6. NOTES.txt: Helpful information and post-installation notes for users.

⚙️ Helm Basic Commands:

Getting started with Helm is a breeze thanks to its intuitive command-line interface. Here are some essential commands:

• helm create <chart_name>: Create a new chart.
• helm install <release_name> <chart_name>: Install a chart.
• helm upgrade <release_name> <chart_name>: Upgrade a deployed release.
• helm list: List deployed releases.
• helm uninstall <release_name>: Uninstall a release.

🚀 Sample Helm Project Files:

Now, let’s dive into a sample Helm project to see how these concepts come together:

#Azure Pipeline Code: Helm Upgrade/Install 🚀
- task: HelmDeploy@0
  displayName: 'helm upgrade for [Component]'
  inputs:
    connectionType: 'Kubernetes Service Connection'
    kubernetesServiceConnection: $(KubernetesServiceConnection)
    namespace: $(Namespace)
    command: upgrade
    chartType: FilePath
    chartPath: '$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/[PathToChart]'
    releaseName: $(ReleaseName)
    valueFile: '$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/[PathToValuesFile]'
    arguments: '--timeout 30m'

#Deployment Template File
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: {{ .Values.deploymentname }}  # 🚀 Name of the Deployment
spec:
  replicas: 1  # 🚶 Number of desired replicas
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: {{ .Values.appname }}  # 🏷️ Selector to match pods with the label "app: wavecafe"
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: {{ .Values.appname }}  # 🏷️ Labels applied to pods created by this template
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: my-app-container  # 📦 Name of the container
          image: "{{ .Values.image.name }}:{{ .Values.image.tag }}"  # 🐳 Docker image to use
          ports:
            - name: cafe-port  # 🌐 Name of the port
              containerPort: 80  # 🚪 Port that the container listens on

#Service Template File
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: {{ .Values.servicename }}  # ☕ Name of the Service
spec:
  selector:
    app: {{ .Values.appname }}  # 🏷️ Select pods with the label "app: wavecafe"
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP  # 🌐 Protocol for the port
      port: 80  # 🚪 Port on the Service
      targetPort: cafe-port  # 🚀 Port on the pods to forward traffic to
  type: LoadBalancer

#Values File
appname: wavecafe
deploymentname: wavecafe
servicename: wave-cafe

image:
  name: saitejairrinki/wavecafe
  tag: v1

Additional Features 🧩

In this Helm repository, I have added Horizontal Pod Autoscaling (HPA) and Kubernetes probes to ensure high availability and improved reliability.

Happy Helming! ⚓🌟