.. _getting_started: Getting Started =============== The classes in this module are intended to provide easy access to common infrastructural patterns in use at Thunderbird. This should... * help you set up a Pulumi project, * reduce most infrastructure configuration to values in a YAML file, * simplify the process of building complete infrastructural patterns. As such, it is somewhat opinionated, requires certain usage patterns, and strongly suggests some usage conventions. Prerequisites ------------- To use this module, you'll need to get through this checklist first: * Ensure Python 3.12 or greater is installed on your system. * `Install Pulumi `_. * Understand the `basic concepts of Pulumi `_, particularly `Resources `_ and `Component Resources `_. * Provide an `awscli configuration `_ with your credentials and default region. (You do not have to install awscli, though you can `read how to here `_. Some of these docs refer to helpful awscli commands.) The Pulumi AWS provider relies on the same configuration, though, so you must create the config file. * Optionally, set up an `S3 bucket`_ to store your Pulumi state in. The `Troubleshooting`_ section has some details on how to work through some issues related to setup. .. _quickstart: Quickstart ---------- After ensuring you meet the above prerequisites, run the ``quickstart.sh`` script, adjusting the following command to refer to your particular project details: .. code-block:: bash ./quickstart.sh \ /path/to/project/root \ # The root of your code project where you want to set up a pulumi project pulumi_login_url \ # URL to use with `pulumi login`; use "https://api.pulumi.com" for Pulumi Cloud project_name, \ # Name of your project as it will be known to pulumi stack_name, \ # Name of the first stack you want to create [code_version] # Code version (git branch) that you want to pin. Optional; defaults to "main" This will... * run you through some prompts where you can enter further project details, * install a simple Pulumi program intended to set up a basic networking landscape, * run a ``pulumi preview`` command to finish setting up the environment and confirm the project is working. If you are using an S3 bucket to privately store your state, you'll need to make sure you have configured your AWSCLI tool with an account that has permission to manipulate that bucket. Prefix your bucket name with `s3://` to use as your `pulumi_login_url` value (e.g.,: `s3://acme-awesomeapi-pulumi`). If you will use Pulumi Cloud, use `https://api.pulumi.com`. If you have a `self-hosted Pulumi Cloud API `_, you may specify your custom URL here. The output should look something like this: :: Previewing update (mystack): Type Name Plan + pulumi:pulumi:Stack myproject-mystack create + ├─ tb:network:MultiCidrVpc myproject-mystack-vpc create + │ ├─ aws:ec2:Vpc myproject-mystack-vpc create + │ ├─ aws:ec2:Subnet myproject-mystack-vpc-subnet-0 create + │ ├─ aws:ec2:Subnet myproject-mystack-vpc-subnet-1 create + │ └─ aws:ec2:Subnet myproject-mystack-vpc-subnet-2 create + ├─ aws:ec2:RouteTableAssociation myproject-mystack-vpc-subnetassoc-0 create + ├─ aws:ec2:RouteTableAssociation myproject-mystack-vpc-subnetassoc-1 create + └─ aws:ec2:RouteTableAssociation myproject-mystack-vpc-subnetassoc-2 create Resources: + 9 to create Manual Setup ------------ If you want to do everything the Quickstart script does manually (or just understand this project framework better), follow this guide. S3 bucket ^^^^^^^^^ .. note:: This step is optional. If you do not set up an S3 bucket, you can use Pulumi Cloud instead by specifying ``https://api.pulumi.com`` or a custom self-hosted URL when you run ``pulumi login`` in the next step. Create an S3 bucket in which to store state for the project. You must have one bucket devoted to your project, but you can store multiple stacks' state files in that one bucket. The bucket should not be public (treat these files as sensitive), and it's usually a good idea to turn on versioning. The name of an S3 bucket is used as part of a global domain, and so your bucket name must be globally unique. A good way to handle this is to include an organization name in your bucket name. As a template, you may use: :: $ORG-$PROJECT_NAME-pulumi Repo setup ^^^^^^^^^^ You probably already have a repository with your application code in it. If not, create one now. Create a subdirectory called ``pulumi`` and create a new project and stack in it. You'll need the name of the S3 bucket or cloud host from the previous step here. If you are operating in an AWS region other than what is set as your default for AWSCLI, be sure to ``export AWS_REGION=us-east-1`` or whatever else you may need to do to override that. .. code-block:: bash cd /path/to/pulumi/code pulumi login s3://s3-bucket-name pulumi new aws-python Follow the prompts to get everything named. Set up this module ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ensure your pulumi code directory contains a ``requirements.txt`` file with at least this repo listed: .. code-block:: text tb_pulumi @ git+https://github.com/thunderbird/pulumi.git You can pin your code to a specific version of this module by appending ``@branch_name`` to that. For example: .. code-block:: text tb_pulumi @ git+https://github.com/thunderbird/pulumi.git@v0.0.13 Pulumi will need these requirements installed. On your first run of a ``pulumi preview`` command (or some others), Pulumi will attempt to set up its working environment. If this fails, or you need to make adjustments later, you can activate Pulumi's virtual environment to perform pip changes. Assuming Pulumi's virtual environment lives at ``venv``, run: .. code-block:: bash source ./venv/bin/activate pip install -U -r requirements.txt You can now develop Python Pulumi code in that directory, as shown in the following section. Use this module ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ When you issue ``pulumi`` commands (like "up" and "preview" and so on), it looks for a ``__main__.py`` file in your current directory and executes the code in that file. ``__main__.py`` imports and uses the ``tb_pulumi`` library: .. code-block:: python import tb_pulumi # ...or you can import specific modules... from tb_pulumi import (ec2, fargate, secrets) Create a config file """""""""""""""""""" Create a config file for each stack, i.e., ``config.$STACK.yaml`` (where ``$STACK`` maps to a Pulumi stack/application environment). This file maps parameters for tb_pulumi resources to their desired values. Currently, only the ``resources`` setting is formally recognized. .. note:: When you run ``pulumi stack select $STACK`` on a tb_pulumi project, these two files become active in the Pulumi run: ``Pulumi.$STACK.yaml`` and ``config.$STACK.yaml``. The former configures Pulumi for your stack (in addition to ``Pulumi.yaml``) while the latter configures your tb_pulumi project. Let's look at an example tb_pulumi configuration file. .. code-block:: yaml resources: tb:network:MultiCidrVpc: vpc: cidr_block: 10.0.0.0/16 egress_via_internet_gateway: True enable_dns_hostnames: True enable_internet_gateway: True endpoint_interfaces: - ecr.api - ecr.dkr - logs - secretsmanager subnets: us-east-2a: - 10.0.101.0/24 us-east-2b: - 10.0.102.0/24 us-east-2c: - 10.0.103.0/24 At the top-level is the ``resources`` key. Nested inside are configurations for kinds of resources. This resource uses the ``tb_pulumi.network.MultiCidrVpc`` class. .. note:: We recommend using resource key names that are named after the Pulumi Types for each resource. These are documented alongside each class in the :py:mod:`tb_pulumi` module. This is, however, completely optional convention. The Pulumi Type for a ``MultiCidrVpc`` is ``tb:network:MultiCidrVpc``, so we have chosen that as a name under which we define our MultiCidrVpc configs. We call this one particular config ``vpc`` (you normally need only one, though this convention allows for as many as you like). These resources must still be defined in code (more on that later), but that code will largely just establish relationships between resource patterns (like using the ID of a VPC built by a MultiCidrVpc pattern as an input to a SecurityGroupWithRules pattern) and pass the YAML configuration through to those patterns. This simple relationship between the ``__main__.py`` code and the tb_pulumi YAML config is one core function of this project's conventions. The full listing of values supported by each pattern can be found by browsing the detailed :py:mod:`tb_pulumi` documentation. The barebones config example used in the quickstart can be found in our `sample config `_. Define a ThunderbirdPulumiProject """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" In your ``__main__.py`` file, start with a simple skeleton (or use our `__main__.py example `_ to start): .. code-block:: python import tb_pulumi project = tb_pulumi.ThunderbirdPulumiProject() If you have followed the conventions outlined above, ``project.config`` is now a dict representation of the YAML file (see :py:data:`tb_pulumi.ThunderbirdPulumiProject.config`). You can use this in the next step to feed parameters into resource declarations. Moreover, as you create resources with this library, the ``project`` will track them, making them available to you later to act on as a group. This is explained in more detail on the :ref:`monitoring_resources` page. Declare ThunderbirdComponentResources """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" A `Pulumi ComponentResource `_ is a collection of related resources. In an effort to follow consistent patterns across infrastructure projects, the patterns available in this module all extend a custom class called a :py:class:`tb_pulumi.ThunderbirdComponentResource`. If you have followed the conventions outlined so far, it should be easy to stamp out infrastructure with them by passing ``project.config`` config options into the constructors for these classes. To start, for convenience, let's pull the ``resources`` dict into a variable: .. code-block:: python # Pull the "resources" config mapping resources = project.config.get('resources') Continuing the ``MultiCidrVpc`` example, let's now pull the config for our ``vpc`` resource: .. code-block:: python vpc_opts = resources['tb:network:MultiCidrVpc']['vpc'] And then define the ``MultiCidrVpc``: .. code-block:: python vpc = tb_pulumi.network.MultiCidrVpc( name=f'{project.name_prefix}-vpc', project=project, **vpc_opts) The :py:data:`tb_pulumi.ThunderbirdPulumiProject.name_prefix` value combines the project and stack name to form a convenient identifier to give your resources useful names. Here, we add ``-vpc`` to it, giving us something like ``myproject-stage-vpc``. Passing in the ``project`` created beforehand ensures the resources created by the MultiCidrVpc get tracked and become accessible to later aggregate functions. Skipping this will still result in the creation of these resources, but things like the :py:class:`tb_pulumi.monitoring.MonitoringGroup` will not be able to detect it. In Python, the double-star (``**variable``) notation unpacks a dict's top level keys and values into named function parameters (called "keyword arguments" and often referred to as "kwargs"). In this case, all of the key/value pairs in the YAML configuration for the MultiCidrVpc called "vpc" get passed in as arguments to the function. As a demonstration of this (and as a demonstration of code you *should not write* when using tb_pulumi), here is the equivalent function call without the YAML conversion: .. code-block:: python vpc = tb_pulumi.network.MultiCidrVpc( name=f'{project.name_prefix}-vpc', project=project, cidr_block='10.0.0.0/16', subnets={ 'us-east-1a': '10.0.101.0/24', 'us-east-1b': '10.0.102.0/24', 'us-east-1c': '10.0.103.0/24', }, ) You may note some disadvantages to this: - Making configuration changes to an environment means editing code as opposed to adjusting YAML. We find the YAML to be more legible, and we find that after an environment is initially built, the infrastructural patterns do not often change. Rather, we adjust the details; we scale out new servers or use a larger instance type or allow a new IP address access to a system. These are easier to adjust when we can just find an entry in a sensibly organized config file and tweak it. - Reusing the same broad infrastructural definitions becomes much harder here. Suppose we want our staging environment to use different IP space than our production environment. If code is written this explicitly, we must introduce conditionals and break Pulumi's comprehension of stacks to accomodate each environment's distinguishing characteristics. Instead, we can apply different YAML configs to the same code to achieve environments that work the same way, but at different scales, against different sets of resources, etc. .. seealso:: Additional detail on our conventions can be found in :ref:`patterns_of_use`. Implementing ThunderbirdComponentResources """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" So you want to develop a new pattern to stamp out? Here's what you'll need to do: * Determine the best place to put the code. Is there an existing module that fits the bill? * Determine the Pulumi type string for it. This goes: ``org:module:class``. The ``org`` should be unique to your organization. For Thunderbird projects, it should be ``tb``. The ``module`` will be the Python submodule you're placing the new class in (e.g., classes in ``network.py`` should use ``network`` here). The ``class`` is whatever you've called the class. * Design the class following these guidelines: * The constructor should always accept, before any other arguments, the following positional options: * ``name``: The internal name of the resource as Pulumi tracks it. * ``project``: The ThunderbirdPulumiProject these resources belong to. * The constructor should always accept the following keyword arguments: * ``opts``: A ``pulumi.ResourceOptions`` object which will get merged into the default set of arguments managed by the project. * The constructor should explicitly define only those arguments that you intend to have default values which differ from the default values the provider will set, or which imply larger patterns. * The constructor may accept a final ``**kwargs`` argument with arbitrary meaning. Because the nature of a component resource is to compile many other resources into one class, it is not implicitly clear what "everything else" should apply to. If this is implemented, its function should be clearly documented in the class. If this isn't passed into the superconstructor, you will need to implement all superconstructor arguments into your constructor. * The class should extend :py:class:`tb_pulumi.ThunderbirdComponentResource`. * The class should make an appropriate call to its superconstructor, which ensures the resources can be properly tracked in the project (among other things). * Any resources you create must have the ``parent=self`` ``pulumi.ResourceOption`` set. Set an appropriate ``depends_on`` value when necessary. * At the end of the ``__init__`` function, you must call ``self.finish()``, passing in a dictionary of ``resources`` (see :py:meth:`tb_pulumi.ThunderbirdComponentResource.finish`). For :py:class:`tb_pulumi.monitoring.MonitoringGroup` derivatives, call this at the end of the :py:meth:`tb_pulumi.monitoring.MonitoringGroup.monitor` function instead. Troubleshooting --------------- Pythonic problems ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This Pulumi code is developed against Python 3.12 or later. If this is not your default version, you'll need to manage your own virtual environment. Check your default version: :: $ python -V Python 3.12.6 If you need a newer Python, `download and install it `_. Then you'll have to set up the virtual environment yourself with something like this: .. code-block:: bash virtualenv -p /path/to/python3.12 venv ./venv/bin/pip install . After this, ``pulumi`` commands should work. If 3.12 is your default version of Python, Pulumi should set up its own virtual environment, and you should not have to do this. Shells other than Bash ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Setup instructions in these docs are designed for use with the Bourne Again SHell (Bash). The Pulumi installer places the ``pulumi`` executable in a hidden folder in your home directory: ``~/.pulumi/bin``. The installer will add this to your default ``$PATH`` for you, but only on certain supported shells. If you use an alternative shell, you may need to do this step manually to avoid having to make an explicit path reference for every ``pulumi`` command.