Building a Dad Joke Provider: A Kubernetes Microservices Project

Key Components

1. Microservices:
   • Joke Service: Manages the collection and retrieval of dad jokes.
   • User Service: Handles user accounts and favorite jokes.
   • API Gateway: Acts as a single entry point for the application.
2. Technologies Used:
   • Python with Flask for the microservices
   • Docker for containerization
   • Kubernetes for orchestration
   • Minikube for local Kubernetes cluster

Project Structure

Repo: https://github.com/tkhudson/dadjoke-provider-a-kubernetes-microservices-project

dadjoke-provider/
│
├── services/
│   ├── joke_service/
│   │   ├── joke_service.py
│   │   ├── Dockerfile
│   │   └── requirements.txt
│   │
│   ├── user_service/
│   │   ├── user_service.py
│   │   ├── Dockerfile
│   │   └── requirements.txt
│   │
│   └── api_gateway/
│       ├── api_gateway.py
│       ├── Dockerfile
│       └── requirements.txt
│
├── kubernetes/
│   ├── joke-service.yaml
│   ├── user-service.yaml
│   └── api-gateway.yaml
│
└── venv/  (not shown in detail)

Development Process

1. Microservices Development: We created three Python Flask applications, each serving a specific purpose in our Dad Joke ecosystem.

2. Containerization: Each service was containerized using Docker, ensuring consistency across different environments.

3. Kubernetes Deployment: We created Kubernetes manifests (YAML files) for each service, defining how they should be deployed and managed within the cluster.

4. Local Cluster Setup: Using Minikube, we set up a local Kubernetes cluster for development and testing.

5. Deployment and Testing: We deployed our containerized services to the Kubernetes cluster and tested the functionality of our Dad Joke Provider.

Kubernetes in Action

Our Kubernetes deployment showcases several key concepts:

• Pods: The smallest deployable units in Kubernetes, each running a container with one of our microservices.
• Deployments: Managing the desired state of our pods, ensuring the specified number of replicas are running.
• Services: Providing stable network endpoints to access our microservices within the cluster.
• LoadBalancer: Exposing our API Gateway to external traffic.

Learning Outcomes

Through this project, we gained hands-on experience with:

• Designing and implementing a microservices architecture
• Containerizing applications with Docker
• Creating and managing a Kubernetes cluster
• Deploying and scaling applications in Kubernetes
• Understanding Kubernetes concepts like pods, deployments, and services

Next Steps

This project lays the groundwork for further exploration of Kubernetes features, such as:

• Implementing health checks and readiness probes
• Setting up horizontal pod autoscaling
• Configuring rolling updates and rollbacks
• Implementing monitoring and logging solutions

By building this Dad Joke Provider, we’ve not only created a fun application but also gained valuable experience in modern cloud-native development practices.

Signing Off

I hope you enjoyed this project and found it informative. If you have any questions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thank you all and best regards,

Tyler

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Tyler

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