Cloud Native Kiosk App on GCP / AWS

Overview

This GitHub project focuses on learning cloud native technologies and frameworks. The objective is to gain hands-on experience with the latest tools and techniques for building scalable and resilient cloud-based applications. Topics covered include Docker, Kubernetes, GCP, AWS, Terraform, and best practices for security, testing, and CI/CD. The project provides interactive, hands-on learning through practical exercises and real-world scenarios. Whether you're a beginner or experienced developer, this project offers the knowledge and skills needed to become proficient in cloud computing.

Cloud Native Kiosk (cnk)

The cloud native kiosk is a monorepo project built using the Python frameworks Flask (for the frontend) and FastAPI (for the backend). You can view a live demo of the project on GCP at http://xxx.com. The app has a login system, where guests can browse, search, and add products to the cart, but only registered users can checkout and make payments.

Architecture

Container Diagram

Component Diagram

Project Source Code Documentation

CNK Python Backend Application

Motivation

The author decided to continue this project for the following reasons:

• To build a modern Python monorepo project with Flask and FastAPI that can serve as a template for your own business cases.
• To gain hands-on experience with cloud native and GitOps tools such as k8s, Prometheus, and ArgoCD.
• To learn about cloud technologies like GCP, AWS, Terraform, and GitHub.

Application Use Cases

• Users can view items available on the kiosk.
• Users can create and manage their account.
• Users can add items to their shopping cart.

Requirements and Technology Stack:

• Frontend Framework: Flask
• Backend Framework: FastAPI
• Deployment Manger: Kubernetes
• Continuous Integration Tool: GitHub Actions
• Continuous Delivery Tool: ArgoCD
• Hosting: Google Cloud (with a hybrid cloud setup using GCP, RPi, and AWS)

1. Local Debugging (Application)

cat .vscode/launch.json

2. Local Testing (Cluster)

Running a k8s Cluster

# deploy a local k8s cluster
minikube start --cpus 2 --memory 8192
minikube profile list
minikube ip

# enable minikube ingress controller to use ./deploy/ingress.yaml
minikube addons enable ingress

# verify the ingress controller
kubectl get pods -n ingress-nginx | grep ingress-nginx-controller

Update Local DNS for Local Domain Access

echo -e "$(minikube ip)\cnk.com" | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts

2.1. Testing Manually Deployment

./deploy/k8s/README.md

2.2. Testing with ArgoCD

./argocd/REAdME.md

3. Monitoring

# install monitoring tool (prometheus + grafana)
bash monitoring/prometheus.sh

# start grafana
bash monitoring/grafana.sh

# open port
open http://localhost:3000

4. Clean up

kubectl delete -f deploy/ingress.yaml
kubectl delete -f deploy/service.yaml
kubectl delete -f deploy/pods.yaml

minikube delete --all

Test DB Connection

# TEST IN CLOUD SHELL
INSTANCE_NAME="cnk-sql-instance"
gcloud sql connect ${INSTANCE_NAME} --user=postgres --quiet

# TEST WITH PROXY

# download the Cloud SQL Proxy
curl -o cloud_sql_proxy https://dl.google.com/cloudsql/cloud_sql_proxy.darwin.amd64

# make the proxy executable
chmod +x cloud_sql_proxy

# create proxy connection
./cloud_sql_proxy -instances=${INSTANCE_NAME}=tcp:3306