Help for AsciiArtify team

To help the AsciiArtify startup team prepare a comparative analysis of three tools for deploying Kubernetes clusters in a local environment - minikube, kind, and k3d - the following action plan is proposed:

1. Introduction

Description of tools and their purpose

• minikube: A local Kubernetes system that allows you to deploy a Kubernetes cluster on a single computer. A convenient option for development and testing.
• kind: A tool that allows you to create local Kubernetes clusters in Docker containers. It is used for testing.
• k3d: A tool for creating local Kubernetes clusters in Docker containers using the Rancher Kubernetes Engine (RKE). Fast and easy to use.

2. Features

Main characteristics of each tool

• minikube:
  • Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Architectures: x86-64, ARM
  • Automation: Possible via scripts and CI/CD
  • Additional features: Monitoring, integration with various hypervisors
• kind:
  • Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Architectures: x86-64, ARM
  • Automation: Easy integration with CI/CD
  • Additional features: Easy and fast startup
• k3d:
  • Supported OS: Windows, macOS, Linux
  • Architectures: x86-64, ARM
  • Automation: Easy integration with CI/CD
  • Additional features: Fast cluster creation, support for multi-cluster configurations

3. Advantages and disadvantages

Description of the advantages and disadvantages of each tool

• minikube:
  • Advantages: Ease of use, stability, good documentation
  • Disadvantages: Limited scalability, hypervisor dependency
• kind:
  • Advantages: Speed of deployment, integration with Docker, easy configuration
  • Disadvantages: Requires Docker installation, limited functionality compared to real-world clusters
• k3d:
  • Advantages: Speed of deployment, support for multi-cluster configurations, ease of use
  • Disadvantages: Requires Docker installation, possible scaling issues

Demonstration

** A short demonstration of the recommended tool (k3d) **

Installing k3d:

curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/k3d-io/k3d/main/install.sh | bash

Creating a cluster

k3d cluster create mycluster

Check the status of the cluster

kubectl get nodes

Deployment of the Hello World application

kubectl create deployment hello-world --image=k8s.gcr.io/echoserver:1.4
kubectl expose deployment hello-world --type=NodePort --port=8080 --target-port=8080 --name=hello-world

Check the availability of the application

kubectl get services

Docker licensing risks

Using Podman as an alternative to Docker

Docker has certain licensing restrictions, especially in enterprise environments. To avoid these restrictions, you can use Podman, which is a free and open source alternative to Docker.

Installing Podman and configuring it for use with Kubernetes

1. Installing Podman

    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get -y install podman

2. Setting up Podman as Kubernetes

    podman machine init
    odman machine start
    podman kube play myapp.yaml

Conclusion

• minikube: Recommended for local development
• kind: Good choice for CI/CD
• k3d: The best option for PoC (recommended).

AsciiArtify Concept

Characteristics of the each tool on the doc/Concept.md

AsciiArtify PoC

PoC for deploying a GitOps system on Kubernetes using ArgoCD. For detailed instructions, see - doc/POC.md

AsciiArtify MVP

This is an MVP for deploying a GitOps system on Kubernetes using ArgoCD doc/MVP.md.