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Infrastructure as Code Deployment with Pulumi and GitHub Actions

11 posts · Oct 2020 – Feb 2022

What this trail covers

This thread tracks the evolution of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) deployment by integrating Pulumi with Azure. It demonstrates how to automate the testing and deployment of Azure resources defined by Pulumi programs within a CI/CD pipeline. The focus is on ensuring infrastructure integrity through automated testing and enabling repeatable, reliable deployments. This post specifically details using Python with Pulumi to deploy an Azure App Service.

All Microsoft trails
  1. Deploy Into Azure Using Pulumi and GitHub ActionsThis post details the integration of Pulumi infrastructure-as-code deployments into a GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline. It covers setting up a GitHub Actions workflow to run Pulumi unit tests (using Mocha) and perform a Pulumi preview. The post highlights the use of the Azure native package in Pulumi and the benefits of writing infrastructure as software in general-purpose programming languages, including the ability to leverage existing language ecosystems for testing.
  2. Deploy Bicep files by using GitHub ActionsThis post introduces the use of Bicep for defining Azure infrastructure and GitHub Actions for automating its deployment. It provides concrete examples of Bicep templates for deploying Azure Storage accounts and AKS clusters, and a GitHub Actions workflow demonstrating Docker login, image building/pushing, Kubernetes secret creation, and deployment. It also includes an example of using the Azure Key Vault client library for JavaScript to manage secrets programmatically.
  3. AzureFunBytes Episode 53 - Intro to @PulumiCorp with @mattstrattonThis post details the AzureFunBytes Episode 53, featuring an introduction to Pulumi with Matt Stratton. It covers the benefits of Infrastructure as Code, why developers and ops people should care, and why Pulumi is a compelling choice. The post includes a demonstration of building an Azure VM and Azure App Service using Pulumi, showcasing the `pulumi up` command and the Pulumi portal. It also touches on configuring Azure providers with Azure CLI or Service Principals.
  4. AzureFunBytes Episode 51 - Deploy With ARM Templates with @shankuehnThis post introduces ARM templates as a declarative way to define Azure deployments, contrasting them with imperative approaches and highlighting idempotency. It details the structure of ARM templates (parameters, variables, functions, resources, outputs, metadata) and demonstrates their use by deploying a virtual network, then a virtual machine to that network, and finally a storage account with a file share mounted from the VM. It also mentions Bicep as a newer alternative to ARM templates.
  5. AzureFunBytes Episode 50 - Intro to @BicepLang with @adotfrankThis post introduces Bicep as a declarative language for Azure infrastructure deployments, highlighting its cleaner syntax, improved type safety, and better support for modularity compared to ARM templates. It details key differences, language design principles, and the benefits of being Azure-native, such as day-zero support for resource types and integrated state management. The post also provides resources for learning and using Bicep, including documentation, a playground, and VS Code extensions.
  7. AzureFunBytes - Getting started with BicepIntroduced Bicep as a Domain Specific Language (DSL) for creating Azure resources, presenting it as a transparent abstraction of ARM templates with a cleaner syntax. Covered Bicep CLI installation, the VS Code plug-in, and Azure CLI usage. Demonstrated creating a basic Bicep template and deploying it to Azure, along with converting quickstart templates in the Bicep Playground.
  8. Project Bicep - Next Generation ARM TemplatesIntroduced Project Bicep as a Domain Specific Language (DSL) for ARM templates, aiming to simplify the authoring of Azure Resource Manager templates. Highlights the ease of use with the VS Code extension and provides a link to a tutorial for getting started.
  9. Introduction to Infrastructure as Code on Azure using Python with PulumiThis post introduces Infrastructure as Code (IaC) on Azure using Python with Pulumi. It explains the concept of IaC, compares Pulumi to traditional tools like ARM templates and Terraform, and provides a step-by-step guide to setting up a Pulumi project and deploying an Azure App Service. The guide covers creating a Pulumi project using the `azure-python` template, defining resources like Resource Groups, App Service Plans, and App Services using Python code, and deploying these resources using the `pulumi up` command. It also highlights exporting the web app's hostname as an output.
  10. ARM Templates Or HashiCorp Terraform - What Should I Use?This post compares ARM Templates and HashiCorp Terraform for infrastructure as code, detailing their respective strengths and use cases. It highlights ARM Templates for Azure-specific deployments and Terraform for multi-cloud and on-premises environments. A key feature discussed is the ability to deploy ARM Templates using Terraform's `azurerm_resource_group_template_deployment` resource, allowing for a gradual migration. The Azure DevOps Provider for Terraform is also mentioned, enabling management of Azure DevOps projects.
  11. Project Bicep Demo at Ignite 2020 by Mark RussinovichIntroduced Project Bicep, a Domain Specific Language (DSL) for creating Azure resources, aiming to reduce complexity with a cleaner syntax and transparent abstraction of ARM templates. It details the goals and non-goals of Bicep, emphasizing its focus on Azure infrastructure description, validation, and deployment. The post also provides information on its current development status (0.1 release) and seeks feedback on language syntax and tooling, with a plan to reach parity with ARM templates by the end of the year.
  12. What is infrastructure as code?This post details the concepts of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and introduces Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates and HashiCorp Terraform as methods for implementing IaC on Azure. It explains that IaC involves defining infrastructure in code, storing it in a source repository, and versioning it, allowing for automated and repeatable deployments.