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https://github.com/carv-ics-forth/knot

Knot provides a complete environment for unleashing your productivity on Kubernetes
https://github.com/carv-ics-forth/knot

helm k8s kubernetes

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Knot provides a complete environment for unleashing your productivity on Kubernetes

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README 

        


  Knot logo




Knot is a complete environment for doing actual work on [Kubernetes](https://kubernetes.io). It includes a complete set of web-based tools to help you unleash your productivity, without ever needing to use the command line. At its core, the Knot dashboard supplies the landing page for users, allowing them to launch notebooks and other services, design workflows, and specify parameters related to execution through a user-friendly interface. The dashboard manages users, wires up relevant storage to the appropriate paths inside running containers, securely provisions multiple services under one externally-accessible HTTPS endpoint, while keeping them isolated in per-user namespaces at the Kubernetes level, and provides an identity service for OAuth 2.0/OIDC-compatible applications.



![Knot services screen](https://github.com/CARV-ICS-FORTH/knot/raw/master/docs/images/services-screen.png)



The Knot installation includes [JupyterHub](https://jupyter.org/hub), [Argo Workflows](https://argoproj.github.io/workflows), [Harbor](https://goharbor.io), and [Grafana](https://grafana.com)/[Prometheus](https://prometheus.io), all accessible through the dashboard. Behind the scenes, other popular tools are automatically installed to help with the integration, such as [cert-manager](https://cert-manager.io), the [NGINX Ingress Controller](https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx/), [Vouch Proxy](https://github.com/vouch/vouch-proxy), and the [NFS CSI Driver](https://github.com/kubernetes-csi/csi-driver-nfs). Knot also uses [Helm](https://helm.sh) charts internally for implementing service templates.



Check out the [documentation](https://carv-ics-forth.github.io/knot/docs/) (also available in the Knot dashboard under "Documentation" at the user menu), which includes installation instructions, a user guide, and technical notes on how Knot works internally. The Knot dashboard is written in [Python](https://www.python.org) using [Django](https://www.djangoproject.com).



## Deployment



To deploy Knot you need a typical Kubernetes installation, [Helm](https://helm.sh), the [Helm diff plugin](https://github.com/databus23/helm-diff), and [Helmfile](https://github.com/roboll/helmfile) installed. We develop, test, and run Knot on Kubernetes 1.27.x.



For quickly trying out Knot, apply the the latest Knot `helmfile.yaml` with:

```bash

export KNOT_HOST=example.com

helmfile -f git::https://github.com/CARV-ICS-FORTH/[email protected] sync

```



The variable `KNOT_HOST` is necessary. By default, we use [cert-manager](https://cert-manager.io) to self-sign a wildcard certificate for the given host. You need to make sure that at the DNS level, both the domain name and its wildcard point to your server (i.e., both `example.com` and `*.example.com`). If you already know your external IP address, you can use a [nip.io](http://nip.io) name (i.e., set `KNOT_HOST` to `.nip.io`).



For storage, Knot uses two persistent volume claims: one for internal state (shared by all services) and one for user files. You can use helmfile variables to setup Knot on top of existing PVCs, or skip the storage controller and directly use local storage (useful for single-server, bare metal setups).



Deployment options are discussed in the [deployment chapter](https://carv-ics-forth.github.io/knot/docs/deployment.html) of the [documentation](https://carv-ics-forth.github.io/knot/docs/). To customize deployment values like volume sizes and OAuth secrets, you can create easily create a custom helmfile that [extends the default](https://helmfile.readthedocs.io/en/latest/#configuration).



## Development



To develop Knot in a local Kubernetes environment, like the one provided by [Docker Desktop](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop) for macOS (tested with [versions >= 4.21.x](https://docs.docker.com/docker-for-mac/release-notes/) which use Kubernetes 1.27.x), first create and populate the Python virtual environment with:

```bash

make prepare-develop

```



Then install Knot in a special configuration, where all requests to the dashboard are forwarded locally:

```bash

make deploy-sync

```



Start the local server and async task worker with:

```bash

make develop

```



When done, point your browser to `https://.nip.io` and login as "admin".



## Building images



Container images for the Knot dashboard are [available](https://hub.docker.com/r/carvicsforth/knot).



To build your own locally, run:

```bash

make container

```



To change the version, edit `VERSION`. Other variables, like the `kubectl` version and the container registry name are set in the `Makefile`.



To test the container in a local Kubernetes environment, run:

```bash

make test-sync

```



Then point your browser to `https://.nip.io` and login.



To build and push the container image, run:

```bash

make container-push

```



We use `buildx` to build the Knot container for multiple architectures (`linux/amd64` and `linux/arm64`) automatically when a new version tag is pushed. This also triggers publishing the corresponding [Knot dashboard Helm chart](https://github.com/CARV-ICS-FORTH/knot/blob/master/chart/knot/README.md).



## Acknowledgements



Knot (previously known as Karvdash) was realized in the context of project EVOLVE, which received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 825061. This work is also partly supported by project EUPEX, which is funded from the European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 101033975. The JU receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and France, Germany, Italy, Greece, United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, and Croatia.