January 2021 Summaries

Pulumi offers an efficient solution to the complexities of managing Kubernetes clusters by utilizing infrastructure as code, which simplifies the deployment and management of Amazon EKS clusters on AWS. With Pulumi's SDKs, users can deploy an entire EKS cluster with a single command, thanks to the @pulumi/eks package, and the tool supports multiple programming languages such as Python, .NET, and Go. Pulumi streamlines the process by replacing manual steps with a declarative approach that describes the desired state of infrastructure, resulting in a managed Amazon EKS cluster, complete with configurations similar to the Amazon EKS Getting Started guide. The integration allows for the addition of AWS or Kubernetes resources, the deployment of Helm charts, and the creation of reusable components, which can be versioned and replicated for testing or disaster recovery. Pulumi manages deployments through app.pulumi.com, offering real-time insights, audit histories, and additional management features like RBAC, CI/CD integrations, and resource graph visualization, catering to teams of all sizes. The tool also supports other cloud platforms such as Azure AKS, Google GKE, and DigitalOcean’s Managed Kubernetes.

Cloud spending can be a significant challenge for organizations, and strategies such as using Spot Instances or scaling infrastructure based on peak usage can help manage costs. AWS offers Graviton2-based EC2 Instances as a cost-effective alternative, with the M6g instance providing up to a 40% price/performance gain compared to Intel m5.large instances. AWS also provides a range of instances optimized for different purposes, including general-purpose, compute-optimized, and memory-optimized instances. The text provides a guide on deploying infrastructure using ARM instances with Pulumi, a tool for infrastructure as code, demonstrating how to set up a virtual environment and utilize ARM-specific images from Dockerhub. This approach allows for rapid experimentation and adaptation to new technologies while maintaining budget constraints, and it facilitates easy blue/green deployments by swapping components within a known infrastructure. The guide concludes by suggesting further learning opportunities with Pulumi’s tutorials and hints at future articles on building ARM-based container images.

Delivering modern applications involves coordinating numerous components, with frequent updates improving features, security, and user experience, while infrastructure must be managed alongside to avoid conflicts. Containerized applications on Kubernetes often face challenges between developers pushing updates and operators maintaining stability. CI/CD practices streamline this by automating code integration and deployment, where Continuous Integration handles code building and testing, and Continuous Delivery or Deployment manages application deployment, with the latter being fully automated. Codefresh, a CI/CD platform designed for Kubernetes, allows seamless integration and monitoring from Git commit to deployment across any cloud environment, supporting various programming languages and cloud providers. Pulumi enhances infrastructure management by enabling developers to write infrastructure as code using their preferred languages, simplifying cloud governance and deployment across public, private, or hybrid cloud environments.

Pulumi's Automation API offers a programming interface that overlays the Pulumi engine, enabling cloud engineers to deploy infrastructure directly using their chosen programming language, which enhances workflow efficiency by reducing manual intervention. This API supports Node.js, Go, and Python, with .NET (C#) support forthcoming, and facilitates the creation of custom ops tools that automate routine tasks such as managing unused virtual machines (VMs) to reduce organizational costs. The article highlights the development of 'vmgr', a CLI tool that uses the Automation API to provision and manage temporary VMs in Azure, demonstrating the API's capability to integrate common software packages and automate resource cleanup tasks. By allowing infrastructure as code to be embedded within software projects, Pulumi's Automation API streamlines the development cycle for application developers and reduces the operational burden on cloud engineers. The Automation API is currently in preview but will be part of the Pulumi 3.0 GA release, extending its language support and offering further examples and documentation for cloud automation projects.

Pulumi is offering a series of workshops and technical sessions to enhance cloud engineering skills, focusing on Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and cloud technologies. The sessions include tutorials on using Codefresh for CI/CD pipelines, with demonstrations of applying Pulumi's programming languages to declare cloud resources and define Kubernetes deployment pipelines. "Intro to Pulumi" workshops guide beginners through the fundamentals of Pulumi's IaC platform, covering installation, configuration, and resource provisioning. Additionally, advanced workshops focus on deploying microservices with AWS Lambda, showcasing Pulumi's capabilities in provisioning cloud infrastructure and utilizing AWS features, as well as building a Kubernetes platform in Amazon EKS, where attendees learn to manage clusters and install developer-friendly software. These sessions are scheduled from January to March, providing a comprehensive learning opportunity for both new and experienced Pulumi users.

Pulumi has achieved SOC 2 Type 2 compliance, underscoring its commitment to operational excellence by implementing robust controls, reviewing governance and risk management procedures, and enhancing security measures amidst the challenges posed by a remote work environment due to Covid-19. The comprehensive audit process involved the entire company, emphasizing the importance of well-documented policies and procedures, while collaboration with a third-party tool was pivotal in automating routine checks and identifying improvements beyond SOC requirements. The initiative also leveraged Pulumi's own platform for automating necessary procedures, showcasing the company's strong DevOps discipline. Pulumi remains dedicated to ongoing progress, with a leadership team that regularly reviews key SOC areas and a commitment to evolving with industry standards and best practices.