Canary Deployment

A comprehensive guide on Kurator’s Canary Deployment, providing an overview and quick start guide.

Introduction

Canary Deployment is a software release strategy. It refers to releasing a new software version to only a very small percentage of users first for testing, to observe if there are any issues. Based on the test results, determine whether to gradually roll out the release to more users. It aims to maximize reducing the impact on users after a new version goes live. It is considered a safer and more reliable method of software updates.

  • Use Case: When the system undergoes API changes that require validation through real-world usage, a Canary Deployment should be leveraged to gradually roll out and validate the changes. This incremental approach helps ensure any potential issues are identified and addressed before being exposed to all services/traffic.
  • Functionality: Provides configuration of Canary Deployment and triggers a Canary Deployment on new release.

By allowing users to deploy applications and their canary configurations in a single place, Kurator streamlines Canary Deployment through automated GitOps workflows for unified deployment and validation.

prerequisites

In the subsequent sections, we’ll guide you through a hands-on demonstration.

These are some of the prerequisites needed to use Kurator Rollout:

Kubernetes Clusters

Kubernetes v1.27.3 or higher is supported.

You can use Kind to create clusters as needed. It is recommended to use Kurator’s scripts to create multi-clusters environment.

Notes: You can find the mapping between Kind node image versions and Kubernetes versions on Kind Release. Additionally, the website provides a lookup table showing compatible Kind and node image versions.

Istio

Istio v1.18 or higher is supported.

It is recommended to install Istio using istioctl. Refer to istio documentation for instructions on installing istioctl.

After installing istioctl, you can install Istio using the following commands:

export KUBECONFIG=/root/.kube/kurator-member1.config

istioctl manifest install --set profile=default

Review the results:

kubectl get po -n istio-system --kubeconfig=/root/.kube/kurator-member1.config

istio-system         istio-ingressgateway-65b5c9f9bb-8w5ml                   1/1     Running   0          37s
istio-system         istiod-657f7686cf-hshwp                                 1/1     Running   0          2m5s

Prometheus

Kurator needs to use Prometheus to collect metrics on monitored resources in the cluster, which will be used as the basis for determining whether to continue rolling out.

You can install Prometheus using the following commands:

kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/istio/istio/release-1.20/samples/addons/prometheus.yaml

Review the results:

kubectl get po -n istio-system --kubeconfig=/root/.kube/kurator-member1.config

istio-system         prometheus-5d5d6d6fc-5hxbh                              2/2     Running   0          91s

Notes: It is recommended to change the release in the above commands to match the version of Istio that was already installed.

Ingress Gateway

To allow external programs access to the services you’ve deployed, you will need to create an IngressGateway resource.

You can create an ingress gateway using the following commands:

kubectl apply -f -<<EOF
apiVersion: networking.istio.io/v1alpha3
kind: Gateway
metadata:
  name: public-gateway
  namespace: istio-system
spec:
  selector:
    istio: ingressgateway
  servers:
    - port:
        number: 80
        name: http
        protocol: HTTP
      hosts:
        - "*"
EOF

Review the results:

kubectl get gateway -n istio-system --kubeconfig=/root/.kube/kurator-member1.config

istio-system   public-gateway   17s

Kurator Rollout Plugin

Before delving into the how to Perform a Unified Rollout, ensure you have successfully installed the Rollout plugin as outlined in the Rollout plugin installation guide.

How to Perform a Unified Rollout

Configuring the Rollout Policy

You can initiate the process by deploying a application demo using the following command:

kubectl apply -f examples/rollout/canary.yaml

Review the results:

kubectl get application rollout-demo -oyaml

The expected result should be:

apiVersion: apps.kurator.dev/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  annotations:
    kubectl.kubernetes.io/last-applied-configuration: |
      {"apiVersion":"apps.kurator.dev/v1alpha1","kind":"Application","metadata":{"annotations":{},"name":"rollout-demo","namespace":"default"},"spec":{"source":{"gitRepository":{"interval":"3m0s","ref":{"branch":"master"},"timeout":"1m0s","url":"https://github.com/stefanprodan/podinfo"}},"syncPolicies":[{"destination":{"fleet":"quickstart"},"kustomization":{"interval":"0s","path":"./deploy/webapp","prune":true,"timeout":"2m0s"},"rollout":{"port":9898,"rolloutPolicy":{"rolloutTimeoutSeconds":600,"trafficAnalysis":{"checkFailedTimes":2,"checkIntervalSeconds":90,"metrics":[{"intervalSeconds":90,"name":"request-success-rate","thresholdRange":{"min":99}},{"intervalSeconds":90,"name":"request-duration","thresholdRange":{"max":500}}],"webhooks":{"command":["hey -z 1m -q 10 -c 2 http://backend-canary.webapp:9898/"],"timeoutSeconds":60}},"trafficRouting":{"canaryStrategy":{"maxWeight":50,"stepWeight":10},"gateways":["istio-system/public-gateway"],"hosts":["backend.webapp"],"timeoutSeconds":60}},"serviceName":"backend","testLoader":true,"trafficRoutingProvider":"istio","workload":{"apiVersion":"apps/v1","kind":"Deployment","name":"backend","namespace":"webapp"}}},{"destination":{"fleet":"quickstart"},"kustomization":{"interval":"5m0s","path":"./kustomize","prune":true,"targetNamespace":"default","timeout":"2m0s"}}]}}
  creationTimestamp: "2024-01-11T02:39:03Z"
  finalizers:
  - apps.kurator.dev
  generation: 1
  name: rollout-demo
  namespace: default
  resourceVersion: "6853"
  uid: 42ac8bce-7f6d-4bd5-90d9-c85aa696fbe5
spec:
  source:
    gitRepository:
      gitImplementation: go-git
      interval: 3m0s
      ref:
        branch: master
      timeout: 1m0s
      url: https://github.com/stefanprodan/podinfo
  syncPolicies:
  - destination:
      fleet: quickstart
    kustomization:
      force: false
      interval: 0s
      path: ./deploy/webapp
      prune: true
      timeout: 2m0s
    rollout:
      port: 9898
      rolloutPolicy:
        rolloutTimeoutSeconds: 600
        trafficAnalysis:
          checkFailedTimes: 2
          checkIntervalSeconds: 90
          metrics:
          - intervalSeconds: 90
            name: request-success-rate
            thresholdRange:
              min: 99
          - intervalSeconds: 90
            name: request-duration
            thresholdRange:
              max: 500
          webhooks:
            command:
            - hey -z 1m -q 10 -c 2 http://backend-canary.webapp:9898/
            timeoutSeconds: 60
        trafficRouting:
          canaryStrategy:
            maxWeight: 50
            stepWeight: 10
          gateways:
          - istio-system/public-gateway
          hosts:
          - backend.webapp
          timeoutSeconds: 60
      serviceName: backend
      testLoader: true
      trafficRoutingProvider: istio
      workload:
        apiVersion: apps/v1
        kind: Deployment
        name: backend
        namespace: webapp
  - destination:
      fleet: quickstart
    kustomization:
      force: false
      interval: 5m0s
      path: ./kustomize
      prune: true
      targetNamespace: default
      timeout: 2m0s
status:
  sourceStatus:
    gitRepoStatus:
      artifact:
        digest: sha256:8d86ecbdb528263637786ff0ad07491b4f78781626695ffa8bd9649032699636
        lastUpdateTime: "2024-01-11T02:39:05Z"
        path: gitrepository/default/rollout-demo/dc830d02a6e0bcbf63bcc387e8bde57d5627aec2.tar.gz
        revision: master@sha1:dc830d02a6e0bcbf63bcc387e8bde57d5627aec2
        size: 282288
        url: http://source-controller.fluxcd-system.svc.cluster.local./gitrepository/default/rollout-demo/dc830d02a6e0bcbf63bcc387e8bde57d5627aec2.tar.gz
      conditions:
      - lastTransitionTime: "2024-01-11T02:39:05Z"
        message: stored artifact for revision 'master@sha1:dc830d02a6e0bcbf63bcc387e8bde57d5627aec2'
        observedGeneration: 1
        reason: Succeeded
        status: "True"
        type: Ready
      - lastTransitionTime: "2024-01-11T02:39:05Z"
        message: stored artifact for revision 'master@sha1:dc830d02a6e0bcbf63bcc387e8bde57d5627aec2'
        observedGeneration: 1
        reason: Succeeded
        status: "True"
        type: ArtifactInStorage
      observedGeneration: 1
      url: http://source-controller.fluxcd-system.svc.cluster.local./gitrepository/default/rollout-demo/latest.tar.gz
  syncStatus:
  - kustomizationStatus:
      conditions:
      - lastTransitionTime: "2024-01-11T02:49:07Z"
        message: 'Applied revision: master@sha1:dc830d02a6e0bcbf63bcc387e8bde57d5627aec2'
        observedGeneration: 1
        reason: ReconciliationSucceeded
        status: "True"
        type: Ready
      inventory:
        entries:
        - id: default_podinfo__Service
          v: v1
        - id: default_podinfo_apps_Deployment
          v: v1
        - id: default_podinfo_autoscaling_HorizontalPodAutoscaler
          v: v2
      lastAppliedRevision: master@sha1:dc830d02a6e0bcbf63bcc387e8bde57d5627aec2
      lastAttemptedRevision: master@sha1:dc830d02a6e0bcbf63bcc387e8bde57d5627aec2
      observedGeneration: 1
    name: rollout-demo-0-attachedcluster-kurator-member1
    rolloutStatus:
      rolloutNameInCluster: backend
      rolloutStatusInCluster:
        canaryWeight: 0
        conditions:
        - lastTransitionTime: "2024-01-11T02:40:40Z"
          lastUpdateTime: "2024-01-11T02:40:40Z"
          message: Deployment initialization completed.
          reason: Initialized
          status: "True"
          type: Promoted
        failedChecks: 0
        iterations: 0
        lastAppliedSpec: 79d699c99
        lastPromotedSpec: 79d699c99
        lastTransitionTime: "2024-01-11T02:40:40Z"
        phase: Initialized
        trackedConfigs: {}
      clusterName: kurator-member1
  - kustomizationStatus:
      conditions:
      - lastTransitionTime: "2024-01-11T02:49:07Z"
        message: 'Applied revision: master@sha1:dc830d02a6e0bcbf63bcc387e8bde57d5627aec2'
        observedGeneration: 1
        reason: ReconciliationSucceeded
        status: "True"
        type: Ready
      inventory:
        entries:
        - id: default_podinfo__Service
          v: v1
        - id: default_podinfo_apps_Deployment
          v: v1
        - id: default_podinfo_autoscaling_HorizontalPodAutoscaler
          v: v2
      lastAppliedRevision: master@sha1:dc830d02a6e0bcbf63bcc387e8bde57d5627aec2
      lastAttemptedRevision: master@sha1:dc830d02a6e0bcbf63bcc387e8bde57d5627aec2
      observedGeneration: 1
    name: rollout-demo-1-attachedcluster-kurator-member1

Given the output provided, let’s dive deeper to understand the various elements and their implications:

  • Kurator allows customizing Rollout strategies under the Spec.syncPolicies.rollout section for services deployed via kustomization or helmrelease. It will establish and implement Canary Deployment for these services according to the configuration defined here.
  • The workload defines the target resource for the Canary Deployment. The kind specifies the resource type, which can be either deployment or daemonset.
  • The serviceName and port specify the name of the service for the workload as well as the exposed port number.
  • The trafficAnalysis section defines the configuration for evaluating a new release version’s health and readiness during a rollout process.
    • The checkFailedTimes parameter specifies the maximum number of failed check results allowed throughout the Canary Deployment lifecycle.
    • checkIntervalSeconds denotes the time interval between consecutive health evaluation checks.
    • The metrics identify the metrics that will be monitored to determine the deployment’s health status. Currently, only request-success-rate and request-duration two built-in metric types are supported.
    • The webhooks provide an extensibility mechanism for the analysis procedures. In this configuration, webhooks communicate with the testloader to generate test traffic for the healthchecks.
  • The trafficRouting configuration specifies how traffic will be shifted to the canary deployment during the rollout process.
    • The maxWeight parameter defines the maximum percentage of traffic that can be routed to the canary before promotion.
    • stepWeight determines the incremental amount by which traffic will be increased after each successful analysis iteration, allowing the canary to be validated under a gradually growing proportion of real-world load. Kurator also supports configuring both the traffic settings for the full release after validation completes, as well as non-graduated traffic shifts during the testing period. Please refer to Application API Reference for more details on directly setting the release and test traffic distributions.
    • The gateways and host represent the ingress points for external and internal service traffic, respectively.
  • The rolloutStatus section displays the actual processing status of rollout within the fleet.

About a minute after submitting this configuration, you can check the rollout status by running the following command:

kubectl get canary -n webapp --kubeconfig=/root/.kube/kurator-member1.config

NAME      STATUS        WEIGHT   LASTTRANSITIONTIME
backend   Initialized   0        2024-01-11T02:40:40Z

If the status shows as Initialized, it means the initialization of rollout process has completed successfully.

Notes: In the above configuration, we set the kustomization.interval to 0s. This disables Fluxcd’s periodic synchronization of configurations between the local mirror and cluster. The reason is that Flagger needs to modify the replica counts in Deployments to complete its initialization process. If you are uncertain whether the replicas for all applications in your deployments are set to zero, it is recommended to also set kustomization.interval to 0s.

Trigger Rollout

A Canary Deployment can be triggered by either updating the container image referenced in the git repository configuration, or directly updating the image of the deployment resource locally in the Kubernetes cluster.

Review the results:

kubectl get canary -n webapp -w --kubeconfig=/root/.kube/kurator-member1.config

NAME      STATUS        WEIGHT   LASTTRANSITIONTIME
backend   Initialized   0        2024-01-11T02:40:40Z
backend   Progressing   0        2024-01-11T09:01:40Z
backend   Progressing   10       2024-01-11T09:03:10Z
backend   Progressing   10       2024-01-11T09:04:40Z
backend   Progressing   20       2024-01-11T09:06:10Z
backend   Progressing   30       2024-01-11T09:07:40Z
backend   Progressing   40       2024-01-11T09:09:10Z
backend   Progressing   50       2024-01-11T09:10:40Z
backend   Promoting     0        2024-01-11T09:12:10Z
backend   Finalising    0        2024-01-11T09:13:40Z
backend   Succeeded     0        2024-01-11T09:15:10Z
  • As shown in the diagram, after triggering a canary deployment, the Kurator Rollout Plugin will first create pod(s) for the new version.
  • It will then gradually shift traffic to the new version pod by increasing its traffic weight in the result metric over time. This WEIGHT in the displayed result represents the current percentage of traffic accessing the new version pod during the analysis.
  • Upon validating the new version through testing and confirming it is ready for release, Kurator will proceed to replace the old version with the new version across the entire cluster.
  • It will then remove the canary pod, completing the rollout process.
kubectl get application rolllout-demo -oyaml

rolloutStatus:
  rolloutNameInCluster: backend
  rolloutStatusInCluster:
    canaryWeight: 0
    conditions:
    - lastTransitionTime: "2024-01-11T09:15:10Z"
      lastUpdateTime: "2024-01-11T09:15:10Z"
      message: Canary analysis completed successfully, promotion finished.
      reason: Succeeded
      status: "True"
      type: Promoted
    failedChecks: 1
    iterations: 0
    lastAppliedSpec: 7b779dcc48
    lastPromotedSpec: 7b779dcc48
    lastTransitionTime: "2024-01-11T09:15:10Z"
    phase: Succeeded
    trackedConfigs: {}
  clusterName: kurator-member1

A canary deployment is triggered by changes in any of the following objects:

  • Deployment PodSpec (container image, command, ports, env, resources, etc)
  • ConfigMaps mounted as volumes or mapped to environment variables
  • Secrets mounted as volumes or mapped to environment variables

Notes: If you apply new changes to the deployment during the canary analysis, Kurator Rollout will restart the analysis.

Cleanup

1.Cleanup the Rollout Policy

If you only need to remove the Rollout Policy, simply edit the current application and remove the corresponding description:

kubectl edit application rollout-demo

To check the results of the deletion, you can observe that the rollout-related pods have been removed:

kubectl get po -A --kubeconfig=/root/.kube/kurator-member1.config
kubectl get po -A --kubeconfig=/root/.kube/kurator-member2.config

If you want to configure a canary deployment for it again, you can simply edit the application and add the necessary configurations.

2.Cleanup the Application

When the application is delete, all associated resources will also be removed:

kubectl delete application rollout-demo