June 2023 Summaries

Equinix has introduced a self-maintained Pulumi provider that allows users to manage Equinix resources, such as Equinix Metal, Equinix Fabric, and Equinix Network Edge, using Pulumi's infrastructure-as-code framework. This provider supports the deployment and management of high-performance compute resources and software-defined networking connections, facilitating efficient network traffic management for multi- and hybrid cloud environments. A demonstration codebase is available in TypeScript and Python, showcasing the creation of a Kubernetes cluster on Equinix Metal, highlighting Pulumi's ability to orchestrate various resources using programming languages. The process involves using additional providers like Cloud-init, TLS, Command, and Random for initializing and managing cluster resources. Users can deploy workloads on the Kubernetes cluster through the Pulumi Kubernetes provider by configuring an explicit provider using the cluster's Kubeconfig. Although the current setup lacks a StorageClass for stateful workloads, various storage options are suggested for bare-metal clusters. This integration provides a streamlined, automated approach for developers to manage Equinix resources, enabling them to focus more on innovation rather than manual configuration tasks.

Pulumi has introduced two new features to manage the complexity of large infrastructure projects by facilitating the automatic updating of dependent stacks. The first feature, Deployment Webhook Destinations, enables the automatic triggering of updates in downstream stacks whenever a node in the dependency graph is updated. The second feature, the Pulumi Auto Deploy Package, simplifies the expression of stack dependencies and automates the creation and updating of necessary Deployment Webhooks. These features aim to reduce coordination costs by ensuring that changes in one part of the infrastructure are automatically propagated to dependent components, thereby maintaining up-to-date infrastructure without relying on manual processes. Pulumi's tools, including Deployment Webhook Destinations and Pulumi Auto Deploy, aim to streamline infrastructure management through automation, providing a scalable solution for infrastructure updates.

Review Stacks, powered by Pulumi Deployments, are automated cloud environments that are created whenever a pull request is opened, facilitating streamlined development and testing processes. These environments allow developers to iterate on both application and infrastructure code simultaneously, supporting technologies from static websites to complex systems like Kubernetes clusters. When a pull request is merged, the environment is automatically dismantled, optimizing cloud costs by eliminating the need for perpetual infrastructure. The integration with GitHub allows for seamless collaboration and review, while the ability to configure Review Stacks through various Pulumi tools and APIs simplifies deployment management. This innovation enhances development velocity and efficiency by standardizing development environments and change management, making it easier for developers to handle multiple projects and feature branches. Pulumi's approach enables engineers to independently manage infrastructure changes, reducing reliance on dedicated infrastructure teams and facilitating faster project delivery.

The Pulumi Azure Native Provider 2.0 has been released, offering enhanced support for managing Microsoft Azure resources with a focus on performance and usability improvements. This major upgrade includes reduced SDK size by over 50%, refreshed default module versions to align with the latest Azure API updates, and expanded coverage with additional resources, functions, and input properties, enabling users to efficiently manage a wide range of Azure services. Key enhancements also include resolving title case inconsistencies for a unified experience and simplifying user-assigned identity inputs as string arrays for clearer configuration. The update underscores Pulumi's commitment to providing cutting-edge tools for building robust cloud infrastructure, with the new version available across TypeScript, Python, .NET, and Go. Current users are advised to update to the latest 1.x version before migrating to 2.x to address deprecations and ensure a smooth transition, and a live workshop is scheduled to guide users in leveraging the provider's capabilities for infrastructure as code on Azure.

Pulumi has enhanced its Resource Search feature within Pulumi Cloud to include the ability to search over resource properties, thereby enabling more detailed and expressive queries for compliance, operational, and diagnostic purposes. This expansion applies to resources across over 100 cloud providers, including AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure, allowing users to search based on specific property data such as instance type, database version, and region. The new search functionality is integrated into the Enterprise and Business Critical editions of Pulumi Cloud, streamlining cloud resource management by enabling users to identify and manage resources that are misconfigured or not aligned with organizational best practices. Additionally, Pulumi AI Assist simplifies the process by converting natural language queries into search syntax, enhancing the tool's usability. Users can also export search results for further analysis or automate workflows through the Resource Search API, providing a versatile tool for optimizing cloud infrastructure management.

Pulumi has introduced a new feature in its CLI, the pulumi convert command, which allows users to seamlessly migrate entire Terraform projects to Pulumi, supporting various programming languages such as TypeScript, Python, Go, and C#. This development addresses the limitations of expressivity, productivity, scalability, or reliability that many cloud development teams experience with Terraform, prompting their switch to Pulumi. The converter, integrated directly into the Pulumi CLI, includes support for Terraform modules, core features of Terraform 1.4, and most of its built-in functions, significantly reducing migration time. While some manual adjustments are still required for unsupported features, the tool automates the majority of the migration process. It builds upon Pulumi’s CrossCode foundation, allowing universal infrastructure as code support across different languages and encouraging ecosystem partners to integrate other infrastructure as code platforms. Additionally, support for importing existing resource states from a .tfstate file is being developed to further streamline transitions from Terraform to Pulumi.

Pulumi has announced enhancements to its documentation experience aimed at improving search, navigation, and discoverability, thereby making it easier for users to efficiently learn and build cloud infrastructure with Pulumi. The improvements include a more effective search function that categorizes documentation by Docs and Packages with clear navigation paths, a unified navigation system across different content types, and enhanced discoverability features to help users find relevant content even if they are unaware of its existence. The documentation now offers a cohesive developer experience by integrating new design patterns and user experience elements across previously separate parts. Pulumi's documentation covers various areas such as quickstart guides for newcomers, detailed cloud tutorials, concept documentation on Pulumi's functionalities, and package documentation for configuration and API details, supporting 119 providers with new additions weekly.

Azure OIDC authentication is now supported in the Pulumi Azure Native and Azure Classic providers with the v1.100.0 release, allowing users to authenticate their Pulumi programs with Azure using OpenID Connect (OIDC) without needing secrets such as client secrets or certificates. OIDC, a standardized protocol for federated identity, enables trust between service providers, allowing credentials from one service to be used for another. For Pulumi programs, this involves establishing a trust relationship between Azure and a service like GitHub, followed by configuring the Pulumi program with necessary settings for OIDC token exchange. This process is simplified for GitHub Actions users, as GitHub automatically provides the necessary variables, while other providers require additional configuration settings. The setup involves setting environment variables such as ARM_USE_OIDC and ensuring that the Active Directory App holds federated credentials. The implementation of this authentication method reduces the need for secret management in CI/CD workflows, streamlining access to Azure resources while maintaining security.