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Prerequisites

  • A Kubernetes cluster (GCP setup instructions provided below)
  • Docker credentials (you will receive a Personal Access Token (PAT) from the Cobalt team)
  • Redis (managed or self-hosted)
  • MongoDB (managed or self-hosted, recommended: MongoDB Atlas)

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1. Redis Setup

You can either use a managed Redis instance or host Redis yourself.

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Option 1: Managed Redis (Google Cloud MemoryStore)

  1. Go to the Google Cloud Console.
  2. Navigate to MemoryStore > Redis > Create Instance.
  3. Choose the following settings:
    • Instance ID: Choose a unique ID.
    • Region: Select the same region as your Kubernetes cluster.
    • Tier: Select a tier depending on your requirements (Standard or Basic).
    • Eviction Policy: Set to no-eviction to ensure Redis works properly with BullMQ.
  4. Once the instance is created, note down the connection endpoint. You will use this endpoint in your environment configuration to connect Cobalt services to Redis.
  5. Ensure your Kubernetes pods can access this Redis instance by setting up appropriate firewall rules in your GCP project.

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Option 2: Self-Hosted Redis Installation

  1. Install Redis using Helm on your Kubernetes cluster: 
    helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
helm install redis bitnami/redis --set redis.configuration="maxmemory-policy noeviction"
  2. Verify Redis installation: 
    kubectl exec -it $(kubectl get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=redis -o jsonpath="{.items[0].metadata.name}") -- redis-cli ping

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2. MongoDB Setup

You can either use a managed MongoDB instance with MongoDB Atlas or host MongoDB yourself.

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Option 1: Managed MongoDB (MongoDB Atlas)

  1. Go to MongoDB Atlas and create an account or log in.
  2. Create a new cluster:
    • Choose the appropriate region based on your workload and proximity to your Kubernetes cluster.
    • Select the cluster tier (e.g., M10, M20, etc.) depending on your usage needs.
  3. Once the cluster is created, set up access:
    • Add your Kubernetes cluster’s IP address (or CIDR) to the IP Whitelist to allow access.
    • Create a database user with proper permissions (e.g., readWrite).
  4. Get the connection string:
    • Navigate to your cluster, click Connect, and copy the connection string. Use this connection string in your configuration files to connect your services to MongoDB.

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Option 2: Self-Hosted MongoDB Installation

  1. Install MongoDB using Helm: 
    helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
helm install mongodb bitnami/mongodb --set auth.rootPassword=<password>,auth.username=<user>,auth.password=<password>,auth.database=<db_name>
  2. Verify MongoDB installation: 
    kubectl exec -it $(kubectl get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=mongodb -o jsonpath="{.items[0].metadata.name}") -- mongo --eval "db.stats()"

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3. Setting Up Kubernetes Cluster on GCP

You can either create an autopilot or a standard cluster on GCP. Here’s how:

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Autopilot Cluster Setup

  1. Create the cluster using the following command: 
    gcloud container clusters create-auto cobalt-cluster --region <region>
  2. Get credentials for the cluster: 
    gcloud container clusters get-credentials cobalt-cluster --region <region>

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Standard Cluster Setup

  1. Create the cluster: 
    gcloud container clusters create cobalt-cluster --region <region> --machine-type=e2-standard-4
  2. Get credentials for the cluster: 
    gcloud container clusters get-credentials cobalt-cluster --region <region>
  3. Create a namespace for the services: 
    kubectl create namespace services

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4. Creating Docker Registry Credentials

Once your Kubernetes cluster is ready, you’ll need to create a secret to pull Docker images from the private GitHub Container Registry (GHCR). You will receive a Personal Access Token (PAT) from the Cobalt team. Run the following command to create the secret: 
kubectl create secret docker-registry regcred \
  --docker-server=https://ghcr.io \
  --docker-username=<user-name> \
  --docker-password=<PAT> \
  --docker-email=<email> \
  -n services
This command creates a secret named regcred in the services namespace that will allow Kubernetes to authenticate and pull images from the private repository.

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5. Applying ConfigMaps and Secrets Provided by Cobalt

As part of the Cobalt setup, you’ll receive ConfigMaps and Secrets from our team. These files contain important configurations such as REDIS_HOST, MONGODB_URI, and other service-related settings.

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Option 1: Manually Applying ConfigMaps and Secrets

  1. Update ConfigMap and Secret YAML Files
    Modify the YAML files (e.g., configmap.yaml and secret.yaml) to include environment-specific values. For example:
    • REDIS_HOST, MONGODB_URI, and any other service-related settings should match your environment.
  2. Apply ConfigMap and Secret Files
    Use the following kubectl commands to apply the ConfigMap and Secret to the services namespace in your Kubernetes cluster:     
    kubectl apply -f <configmap.yaml> -n services
kubectl apply -f <secret.yaml> -n services
Replace <configmap.yaml> and <secret.yaml> with the actual names of the YAML files you received. Repeat the process for all ConfigMap and Secret files provided.

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Option 2: Using apply_all.sh Script

You can use the provided apply_all.sh script to apply all ConfigMap and Secret files at once after updating the necessary values (e.g., REDIS_HOST, MONGODB_URI, etc.) in the YAML files.
  1. Ensure all required values are updated in the YAML files.
  2. Run the script: 
    ./apply_all.sh
This should display properly when rendered in a compatible MDX environment. Let me know if you need any further modifications!

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6. Installing Cobalt Services via Helm

After setting up Redis, MongoDB, the Kubernetes cluster, Docker registry credentials, ConfigMaps, and Secrets, you are ready to install the Cobalt services.

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To Install Cobalt Services

Use the provided install_all.sh script to install all necessary services: 
./install_all.sh
This script will handle the installation of all Cobalt services on your Kubernetes cluster.

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To Uninstall Cobalt Services

If you need to uninstall the services, use the provided uninstall_all.sh script: 
./uninstall_all.sh
This script will cleanly uninstall all Cobalt services from your cluster.
This guide provides the foundational setup for deploying Cobalt services, including the option to use the apply_all.sh script for easier management of ConfigMaps and Secrets. For further questions or assistance, feel free to reach out to the Cobalt support team.