Deploying a Django Application to Kubernetes

This guide walks you through setting up a Django project, packaging it as a Docker image, and deploying it to a local Kubernetes environment using Docker Desktop.

Prerequisites:

• Docker Desktop (with Kubernetes enabled)
• Python 3.9 or later
• Django 3.2 or later

Steps:

1. Set Up the Project

   django-admin startproject myproject
   cd myproject

2. Create a Dockerfile

   Create a file named Dockerfile in your project directory with the following content:

   # Use the official Python image
   FROM python:3.9
   
   # Set the working directory
   WORKDIR /app
   
   # Copy requirements and install dependencies
   COPY requirements.txt requirements.txt
   RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
   
   # Copy the rest of the project files
   COPY . .
   
   # Set environment variables for Django
   ENV DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE=myproject.settings
   ENV PYTHONUNBUFFERED 1
   
   # Collect static files
   RUN python manage.py collectstatic --noinput
   
   # Run the development server
   CMD ["python", "manage.py", "runserver", "0.0.0.0:8000"]
   
   

# Build and run containers
docker-compose up -d --build

# Run migrations
docker-compose exec web python manage.py migrate

# Create a superuser
docker-compose exec web python manage.py createsuperuser

# Load demo data
docker-compose exec web python manage.py loaddata profiles.json

3. Create requirements.txt

   Ensure you have a requirements.txt file with all required packages, including Django:

   Django
   

4. Build and Push the Docker Image

   Build the Docker image:

   docker build -t abedulwahed/backend:latest .

   Push the image to a Docker repository (replace with your own):

   docker push abedulwahed/backend:latest

5. Create a Kubernetes YAML File

   Create a file named docker-django-kubernetes.yaml with the following content:

   apiVersion: apps/v1
   kind: Deployment
   metadata:
     name: django-demo
     namespace: default
   spec:
     replicas: 1
     selector:
       matchLabels:
         service: django
     template:
       metadata:
         labels:
           service: django
       spec:
         containers:
           - name: django-service
             image: abedulwahed/backend:latest
             imagePullPolicy: Always
             env:
               - name: POSTGRES_PASSWORD
                 value: mysecretpassword
             ports:
               - containerPort: 8000
   ---
   apiVersion: v1
   kind: Service
   metadata:
     name: service-entrypoint
     namespace: default
   spec:
     type: NodePort
     selector:
       service: django
     ports:
       - port: 8000
         targetPort: 8000
         nodePort: 30001

   Note: Replace mysecretpassword with your actual password for the PostgreSQL database.

6. Deploy the Application to Kubernetes

   Deploy the application:

   kubectl apply -f docker-django-kubernetes.yaml

7. Verify the Deployment

   Verify the deployment:

   kubectl get deployments
   kubectl get services

8. Test the Service

   Test the service using curl:

   curl http://localhost:30001/

   You should see the Django homepage if everything works correctly.

9. Remove the Application

   To remove the application, use the following command:

   kubectl delete -f docker-django-kubernetes.yaml

This guide provides a step-by-step process to deploy your Django application to a Kubernetes cluster using Docker. Remember to replace placeholders like mysecretpassword and image repository name with your own values.