Development - Kubernetes

This guide covers deploying Watcher to Kubernetes using Helm charts for local development.

Prerequisites

Before deploying Watcher to Kubernetes for local development, ensure you have the following installed:

Docker Desktop with Kubernetes enabled
kubectl - Kubernetes command-line tool
Helm - Kubernetes package manager

Note

Kubernetes Cluster Required: Make sure Docker Desktop’s Kubernetes cluster is running. You can enable it in Docker Desktop settings under “Kubernetes” and ensure the cluster is started.

Installation Steps

Install kubectl

brew install kubectl

curl -LO "https://dl.k8s.io/release/$(curl -L -s https://dl.k8s.io/release/stable.txt)/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl"
sudo install -o root -g root -m 0755 kubectl /usr/local/bin/kubectl

choco install kubernetes-cli

Install Helm

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/main/scripts/get-helm-3 | bash

choco install kubernetes-helm

Verify Installation

kubectl version --client
helm version

Deploy to Kubernetes

Quick Start with Make Commands (Recommended)

The easiest way to deploy is using the provided Make commands:

# Complete development deployment with one command
make dev-kube

This single command will:

Build the Docker image
Start PostgreSQL and Redis dependencies from Docker Compose
Deploy to Kubernetes with Helm using NodePort service
Expose the service on port 8000

Access Your Application

After running make dev-kube, you can access:

Main Application: http://localhost:8000
API Documentation: http://localhost:8000/scalar

Note

NodePort Service: The service is exposed directly on port 8000, so no port forwarding or external IP needed!

Stop the Development Environment

To stop the development environment:

# In a new terminal window
make dev-kube-stop

This will:

Remove the Helm deployment
Stop all dependencies
Clean up resources

Manual Development Setup - Alternative

If you prefer to run commands manually for development:

Start Dependencies

Start PostgreSQL and Redis using docker-compose:

docker-compose up -d postgres redis

Verify services are running:

docker-compose ps

Build Docker Image

Build the Watcher Docker image:

docker build -t watcher:latest .

Deploy with Helm

Deploy using Helm:

helm install watcher ./watcher

Check deployment status:

kubectl get pods
kubectl get services

Access the Application

With NodePort service configured, access the application via:

Health Check: http://localhost:8000
API Documentation: http://localhost:8000/scalar

Note

NodePort Service: The service is exposed directly on port 8000, making it simple to access for development.

Cleanup

Remove the Deployment

helm uninstall watcher
docker-compose down

Note

Don’t forget to stop the Kubernetes cluster in Docker Desktop!