End-to-End DevSecOps Deployment for MERN Stack Applications

GitHub Repo:

Application Repo: https://github.com/irfanmestri/MERN-Stack-Application-K8S.git

Infrastructure: https://github.com/irfanmestri/MERN_Stack-EKS-Terraform-GithubActions.git

Comprehensive Walkthrough of the Project: Deploying a MERN Stack Application Using Kubernetes and DevSecOps Tools

This guide will walk you through each step of deploying a MERN stack application using Kubernetes (EKS), incorporating CI/CD pipelines, and implementing monitoring and security tools.

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Step 1: Setting Up the EC2 Instance

• Objective: Create a foundational EC2 instance to install necessary tools.

• Actions:

  • Launch an EC2 instance, disable SSH, and add a script in the "User Data" section.

  • The script should automate the installation of:

    • JDK

    • Jenkins

    • Docker

    • Terraform

    • AWS CLI

    • SonarQube image

    • Trivy

  • Go to my github Application Repo /Jenkins-Server-TF /tools-install.sh

  • Here you will get the entire script for installation.

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Step 2: Configuring Jenkins

• Objective: Automate CI/CD workflows with Jenkins.

• Actions:

  • Install plugins: AWS Pipeline, AWS Credentials, Terraform, and Pipeline Stage View.

  • Configure Jenkins tools, providing the path to Terraform pre-installed on the EC2 instance.

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Step 3: Setting Up Terraform Backend

• Objective: Manage infrastructure state securely.

• Actions:

  • Create an S3 bucket and DynamoDB table for Terraform state.

  • Update the Terraform backend file with the bucket and table names.

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Step 4: Deploying EKS Cluster

• Objective: Use Terraform to set up an EKS cluster.

• Actions:

  • Clone a GitHub repo containing EKS Terraform scripts.

  • Create a Jenkins job, use terraform plan to preview resources, and terraform apply to deploy them.

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Step 5: Creating a Jump Server

• Objective: Enable secure communication with the EKS cluster.

• Actions:

  • Launch another EC2 instance as a jump server.

  • Install AWS CLI, kubectl, Helm, and eksctl for cluster management.

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Step 6: Verifying EKS Cluster

• Objective: Confirm EKS cluster readiness.

• Actions:

  • Configure AWS CLI with aws configure.

  • Update the kubeconfig for EKS and verify node statuses with:

      kubectl get nodes
    

    

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Step 7: Configuring Load Balancer and Service Account

• Objective: Manage external traffic to Kubernetes services.

• Actions:

  • Create an IAM policy for the Load Balancer.

  • Set up a service account to manage the AWS Load Balancer Controller.

  • Install the Load Balancer Controller using Helm.

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Step 8: Setting Up ArgoCD

• Objective: Automate Kubernetes deployments.

• Actions:

  • Create an ArgoCD namespace and apply its manifest file.

  • Expose ArgoCD as a LoadBalancer service to access it via DNS.

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Step 9: Configuring SonarQube

• Objective: Implement code quality and security checks.

• Actions:

  • Run SonarQube in Docker, create tokens, and integrate them into Jenkins.

  • Set up separate SonarQube projects for the frontend and backend.

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Step 10: Managing Container Images with ECR

• Objective: Store Docker images securely.

• Actions:

  • Create ECR repositories for frontend and backend images.

  • Use Jenkins pipelines to build and push Docker images to ECR.

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Step 11: Deploying Applications with ArgoCD

• Objective: Deploy the database, backend, and frontend services.

• Actions:

  • Create ArgoCD applications for each component.

  • Use GitHub as the source and define appropriate namespaces.

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Step 12: Configuring Domain Name with Route 53

• Objective: Enable public access to the application.

• Actions:

  • Create a hosted zone in Route 53.

  • Add "A" records pointing to the Load Balancer.

  • Update domain name servers with Route 53's details. (If you have purchased from another domain registrar)

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Step 13: Implementing Monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana

• Objective: Monitor application and infrastructure performance.

• Actions:

  • Install Prometheus and Grafana using Helm.

  • Expose Prometheus and Grafana services via LoadBalancer.

  • Configure Prometheus as a data source in Grafana.

  • Import pre-built dashboards or create custom ones.

Prometheus:

Grafana Dashboard 1:

Grafana Dashboard 2:

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Step 14: Verifying the Application

• Objective: Ensure successful deployment.

• Actions:

  • Access the application via the configured domain.

  • Use Grafana dashboards to monitor the health and performance of your application and infrastructure.

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This guide ensures a structured approach to deploying a MERN stack application while incorporating DevSecOps best practices. Let me know if you need further clarification on any step!