Getting Started with CIRRUS

Package your application as a Docker container. This makes it portable and ensures it runs consistently across environments.

FROM python:3.11-slim

WORKDIR /app

COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt

COPY . .

CMD ["python", "app.py"]

Build and push your image to Harbor (CIRRUS container registry):

docker build -t hub.k8s.ucar.edu/your-project/your-app:v1.0 .
docker push hub.k8s.ucar.edu/your-project/your-app:v1.0

Define your application's Kubernetes resources using Helm, a package manager for Kubernetes. Helm charts describe what your app needs: containers, storage, networking, scaling rules, etc.

Basic Helm chart structure:

my-app/
├── Chart.yaml          # Chart metadata
├── values.yaml         # Configuration values
└── templates/
    ├── deployment.yaml # Your application pods
    ├── service.yaml    # Network access
    └── ingress.yaml    # External URL (optional)

CIRRUS provides example templates to get you started:

• CIRRUS Examples Repository

Store your Helm chart in a Git repository (GitHub recommended). CIRRUS uses GitOps principles where your Git repository is the source of truth.

Repository structure:

your-repo/
├── src/                # Your application code
├── Dockerfile          # Container definition
├── helm/               # Helm chart
│   ├── Chart.yaml
│   ├── values.yaml
│   └── templates/
└── .github/
    └── workflows/      # CI/CD (optional)

Submit a request to the CIRRUS team with your application details. We'll review your Helm chart and deploy it to the platform.

Information to include in your request:

• Git Repository URL: Link to your repository with Helm chart
• GitHub Branch: Branch to deploy from (e.g., main, production)
• Helm Chart Folder: Path to Helm chart directory in your repo
• Application URL: Desired external URL (e.g., myapp.k8s.ucar.edu)

The CIRRUS team will:

1. Review your Helm chart for best practices and security
2. Set up Argo CD to automatically sync your app from Git
3. Configure monitoring, logging, and alerting
4. Provide your application URL and access information