Deploying multi-tier applications on Kubernetes requires managing numerous YAML manifests for deployments, services, and configurations. Helm simplifies this by packaging Kubernetes resources into reusable Helm charts that enable one-command deployments with customizable settings.
In this project, we'll deploy a Ruby on Rails application with a PostgreSQL database on Kubernetes using Helm and Docker. We'll start by containerizing the Rails application with Docker, creating a Docker image, and pushing it to Docker Hub. Next, we'll set up a Kubernetes cluster and install Helm, then use a published Helm chart to deploy the PostgreSQL database with custom configurations. We'll create a custom Helm chart for the Rails frontend, defining Kubernetes deployments, services, and ConfigMaps to inject environment variables for database connectivity.
We'll configure Helm values files to manage settings for both the database and frontend, ensuring proper communication between components. After deploying both charts to the Kubernetes cluster, we'll access the running application through exposed services. By the end, you'll have hands-on experience with Helm chart creation, multi-component deployment, Docker containerization, Kubernetes service networking, and environment configuration applicable to any microservices architecture or full-stack application deployment.