Flask Cloud-Native Application

Overview

This project is a Flask-based REST API designed to showcase cloud-native development principles. The application is containerized using Docker, orchestrated with Kubernetes, and deployed on Google Cloud. Anaconda is used to create and manage the development environment.

Features

• A simple REST API with a health check endpoint (/health).
• Containerized application for consistent deployment across environments.
• Deployment on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) for scalability.
• Integrated with Prometheus for monitoring and observability.

Technologies Used

• Flask: A lightweight Python web framework for building the API.
• Docker: Used to create a container image of the application.
• Kubernetes: Manages the deployment and scaling of the Docker containers.
• Google Cloud: Hosts the application and provides cloud services.
• Anaconda: Manages the project’s Python environment and dependencies.

App.py

• Flask Initialization: The Flask object is created to manage the web application.
• Root Route (/): This route responds with a greeting message when accessed.
• Health Check Route (/health): This route returns the health status of the API, allowing for monitoring.
• App Execution: The application runs on all interfaces (host='0.0.0.0') and listens on port 5000.

Setup Instructions

Clone the Repository:

git clone https://github.com/aleixbadia/flask-app.git
cd flask-app

Create and Activate Conda Environment:

conda env create -f environment.yml
conda activate cloud_native_project

Install Required Packages:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Deployment Instructions

Build the Docker image:

docker build -t gcr.io/YOUR_PROJECT_ID/flask-app:v1 .

Push the Docker image to Google Container Registry:

docker push gcr.io/YOUR_PROJECT_ID/flask-app:v1

Apply the Kubernetes deployment:

kubectl apply -f service.yaml

Testing the Application

After deployment, you can test the application by accessing the external IP provided by the LoadBalancer. The health check endpoint can be accessed at http://EXTERNAL_IP/health.

Observability

• Prometheus: Integrate with Prometheus for monitoring the application metrics.
• Logging: Ensure logs are properly configured to capture application behavior.

Future Improvements

• Implement a Front-end to display data from the API calls.
• Enhance the API with more complex routes and functionalities.
• Connect the app to a database.
• Implement authentication and authorization mechanisms.
• Implement automatic image generation to automatise the deployment process further.