Easily automate your CI/CD pipeline with Kubernetes, Helm, and Jenkins

In a fast-paced software development environment, rapid release is crucial. CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment) pipelines automate the deployment process and simplify the movement of code from development to production. This article focuses on setting up a fully automated CI/CD pipeline using Jenkins, Helm, and Kubernetes in a Kubernetes environment, including: environment setup, steps to automate pipeline builds, and deployment to development, staging, and production environments. By implementing this automated process, developers can focus on code development while leaving complex infrastructure management to automation, improving deployment efficiency and reliability.

#Releasing releases quickly is crucial these days. Gone are the days when developers waited weeks to deploy code to a test environment. More than ever, people need fast deployment cycles that move code seamlessly from development to production without any hiccups.

The reality, however, is that developers often find themselves bogged down in the complexities of infrastructure management and the tedium of manual deployment processes. They crave a solution that allows them to focus solely on code and leave the complex deployment work to automation.

This is where continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines come into play. These automated workflows streamline the entire deployment process from code compilation to testing to deployment, allowing developers to deliver updates at lightning speed. However, implementing a robust CI/CD pipeline has historically been challenging, especially for organizations with legacy applications.

Why use Kubernetes for deployment?

This is where Kubernetes, the leading container orchestration platform, shines. Kubernetes revolutionizes deployment environments by providing a scalable and flexible infrastructure for managing containerized applications. When combined with Helm, the Kubernetes package manager, developers get a powerful toolkit to simplify application deployment and management.

In this article, we take a deep dive into the complexities of setting up a fully automated CI/CD pipeline for containerized applications using Jenkins, Helm, and Kubernetes. We'll guide you through the process of configuring your environment, optimizing your pipeline for greater efficiency, and provide practical templates for customizing your own deployment workflow. After reading this guide, you'll have the knowledge and tools you need to accelerate your software delivery cycles and stay ahead of today's competitive landscape. Let’s dive in!

Automated CI/CD Pipeline Setup

This 6-step workflow will easily automate your CI/CD pipeline to quickly and easily use Jenkins, Helm, and Kubernetes deploy.

To get familiar with the Kubernetes environment, I mapped the traditional Jenkins pipeline with the main steps of my solution.

Note: This workflow also applies to implementing other tools or partial implementations.

Set up the environment

Configure the software components

Before creating the automation pipeline, you need to set up and configure the software according to the following configuration Components:

Preparing Your Application

Please follow these guidelines when preparing your application:

• Package your application in a Docker image according to Docker best practices.

• To run the same Docker container in any of the following environments: development, staging, or production, separate processes and configurations as follows:

• For development: Create a default configuration.

• For staging and production: Create a non-default configuration using one or more of:

• can be mounted at runtime to Configuration files in the container.

• Environment variables passed to the Docker container.

Practical Application of a 6-Step Automated CI/CD Pipeline in Kubernetes

General Assumptions and Guidelines

• These steps are consistent with best practices when running a Jenkins agent.

• Assign a dedicated agent to build the application and an additional agent to perform deployment tasks. This depends on your good judgment.

• Run the pipeline for each branch. To do this, use Jenkins multi-branch pipeline jobs.

Steps

1. Get the code from Git

• Developers push the code to Git , which triggers Jenkins to build the webhook.

• Jenkins pulls the latest code changes.

2. Run the build and unit test

• Jenkins runs the build.

• The Docker image of the application is created during the build. - Run tests against a running Docker container.

3. Publish Docker image and Helm Chart

• The application's Docker image is pushed to the Docker registry.

• Helm charts are packaged and uploaded to the Helm repository.

4. Deploy to development

• Use the published Helm chart to deploy the application to the Kubernetes development cluster or namespace.

• Run tests against a deployed application in a Kubernetes development environment.

5. Deploy to staging

• Use published Helm charts to deploy the application to a Kubernetes staging cluster or namespace.

• Run tests against deployed applications in a Kubernetes staging environment.

6. [Optional] Deploy to production environment

• If the application meets the defined conditions, the application will be deployed to the production cluster . Note that you can set up a manual approval step.

• Run sanity tests against deployed applications.

• You can perform a rollback if necessary.

Create your own automated CI/CD pipeline

Feel free to use the following sample frameworks I put together for this purpose to build something like Implementation:

• for a Jenkins Docker image running on Kubernetes.

• A 6-step CI/CD pipeline for a simple static website application based on the official nginx Docker image.

Conclusion

Using Jenkins, Helm, and Kubernetes to automate CI/CD pipelines is not only a trend, but a necessity in today’s fast-paced software development Necessities in the environment. By leveraging these powerful tools, you can streamline your deployment process, reduce manual errors, and accelerate time to market.

As you embark on the journey to implement a fully automated pipeline, remember that continuous improvement is key. Regularly evaluate and optimize your workflow to ensure maximum efficiency and reliability. With the right tools and practices, you'll be equipped to meet the demands of modern software development and stay ahead of the competition.

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