Install using Kubernetes Manifests

The Drasi CLI provides the ability to generate Kubernetes manifests instead of performing a direct installation. This approach is useful for environments where you need to review manifests before deployment, have restricted network access, or prefer to apply manifests manually through your CI/CD pipeline.

Prerequisites

This guide assumes you are familiar with:

• Kubernetes and know how to use kubectl to manage a Kubernetes cluster
• Basic understanding of Kubernetes manifests and YAML files

You will need:

• Access to a Kubernetes cluster with admin permissions
• kubectl installed and configured
• Dapr pre-installed in your cluster (see Dapr installation guide)

Get the Drasi CLI

You will generate the manifests using the Drasi CLI.

You can get the Drasi CLI for your platform using one of the following options:

• macOS
• Windows PowerShell
• Linux
• Binaries
• Build from Source

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/drasi-project/drasi-platform/main/cli/installers/install-drasi-cli.sh | /bin/bash

iwr -useb "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/drasi-project/drasi-platform/main/cli/installers/install-drasi-cli.ps1" | iex

wget -q "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/drasi-project/drasi-platform/main/cli/installers/install-drasi-cli.sh" -O - | /bin/bash

Generate Drasi Manifests

To generate Kubernetes manifests instead of performing a direct installation, use the --manifest flag with the drasi init command:

drasi init --manifest

This command will generate two manifest files in the current directory:

• kubernetes-resources.yaml - Contains Kubernetes infrastructure components to setup the Drasi control plane
• drasi-resources.yaml - Contains Drasi-specific resources (Sources, Reactions, Query Containers, etc.)

You can also specify a custom output directory:

drasi init --manifest /path/to/manifests

Customizing the Generated Manifests

The drasi init --manifest command supports the same configuration flags as the regular installation:

• -n|--namespace <namespace>: Specifies the Kubernetes namespace to target. Default is “drasi-system”.
• --registry <registry>: Address of the container registry to pull Drasi images from. Default is “ghcr.io”.
• --version <tag>: Container image version tag to use. Default is the CLI version.
• --observability-level <level>: Specifies observability infrastructure (none, tracing, metrics, full).

Example with custom settings:

drasi init --manifest ./drasi-manifests --namespace drasi-prod --version 0.1.5 --observability-level metrics

Install Drasi Using the Generated Manifests

Follow these steps to install Drasi using the generated manifests:

Step 1: Verify Dapr Installation

Ensure Dapr is installed in your cluster:

kubectl get pods -n dapr-system

You should see output similar to:

NAME                                     READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
dapr-dashboard-5cc65d985f-qzqbg          1/1     Running   0          10m
dapr-operator-5d98f57c86-kspwk           1/1     Running   0          10m
dapr-placement-server-0                  1/1     Running   0          10m
dapr-sentry-697bdc6cc4-xprww             1/1     Running   0          10m
dapr-sidecar-injector-56c4c4b485-n48bg   1/1     Running   0          10m

If Dapr is not installed, follow the Dapr installation guide.

Step 2: Apply the Infrastructure Manifest

Apply the Kubernetes infrastructure manifest first:

kubectl apply -f kubernetes-resources.yaml

This will create:

• The Drasi namespace (if it doesn’t exist)
• Infrastructure components
• Required ConfigMaps and Secrets
• RBAC resources
• Drasi control plane

Wait for the infrastructure components to be ready:

kubectl wait --for=condition=available --timeout=300s deployment/drasi-api -n drasi-system

Step 3: Configure Drasi CLI Environment

Configure the Drasi CLI to point to your current Kubernetes context:

drasi env kube

This command will:

• Add your current Kubernetes context as a Drasi environment
• Set it as the active environment for Drasi CLI commands

Step 4: Apply the Drasi Resources Manifest

Apply the Drasi-specific resources:

drasi apply -f drasi-resources.yaml

This will create:

• Control plane components (API server, resource provider)
• Default query container
• Source providers (PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Cosmos Gremlin, etc.)
• Reaction providers (Debug, SignalR, EventGrid, etc.)

Step 5: Verify the Installation

Check that all Drasi components are running:

drasi list querycontainer

You should see output similar to:

    ID    | AVAILABLE
----------+------------
  default | true

Example: Complete Installation Workflow

Here’s a complete example of installing Drasi using manifests:

# 1. Generate manifests in a specific directory
mkdir drasi-manifests
drasi init --manifest ./drasi-manifests

# 2. Review the generated manifests (optional)
ls drasi-manifests/
# kubernetes-resources.yaml
# drasi-resources.yaml

# 3. Apply infrastructure manifest
kubectl apply -f drasi-manifests/kubernetes-resources.yaml

# 4. Wait for infrastructure to be ready
kubectl wait --for=condition=available --timeout=300s deployment/drasi-api -n drasi-system

# 5. Configure Drasi CLI
drasi env kube

# 6. Apply Drasi resources
drasi apply -f drasi-manifests/drasi-resources.yaml

# 7. Verify installation
drasi list querycontainer -n drasi-production

Benefits of Using Manifests

Installing Drasi using generated manifests provides several advantages:

• Review and Approval: You can inspect all resources before applying them
• Version Control: Manifests can be stored in Git for tracking changes
• CI/CD Integration: Manifests can be applied through automated pipelines
• Offline Installation: Generate manifests in one environment and apply in another
• Customization: Modify manifests before applying if needed
• Compliance: Meet organizational requirements for reviewing infrastructure changes

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Infrastructure pods not starting:

• Verify sufficient cluster resources (CPU, memory, storage)
• Check that the namespace exists and has proper permissions
• Review pod logs: kubectl logs <pod-name> -n drasi-system

Drasi API not available:

• Ensure infrastructure components are fully ready before applying Drasi resources
• Verify Dapr is properly installed and running
• Check that drasi env kube was executed successfully

Resource application failures:

• Ensure you’re using the correct namespace with -n flag
• Verify the Drasi CLI is pointing to the correct Kubernetes context
• Check cluster connectivity and permissions

Getting Help

For additional troubleshooting and support:

• Review the Drasi CLI Command Reference
• Check the Drasi GitHub Issues
• Consult the Drasi documentation for specific components

Deleting Drasi

To remove a Drasi installation deployed via manifests:

# Delete Drasi resources first
drasi delete -f drasi-manifests/drasi-resources.yaml

# Then delete infrastructure
kubectl delete -f drasi-manifests/drasi-infrastructure.yaml