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Convert Docker Compose to Kubernetes

Dhiraj Patra
7 min readNov 9, 2024

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If you already have a Docker Compose based application. And you may want to orchestrate the containers with Kubernetes. If you are new to Kubernetes then you can search various articles in this blog or Kubernetes website.

Here’s a step-by-step plan to migrate your Docker Compose application to Kubernetes:

Step 1: Create Kubernetes Configuration Files

Create a directory for your Kubernetes configuration files (e.g., k8s-config).

Create separate YAML files for each service (e.g., api.yaml, pgsql.yaml, mongodb.yaml, rabbitmq.yaml).

Define Kubernetes resources (Deployments, Services, Persistent Volumes) for each service.

Step 2: Define Kubernetes Resources

Deployment YAML Example (api.yaml)

YAML

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: api-deployment
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: api
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: api
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: api
        image: <your-docker-image-name>
        ports:
        - containerPort: 8000

Service YAML Example (api.yaml)

YAML

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: api-service
spec:
  selector:
    app: api
  ports:
  - name: http
    port: 8000
    targetPort: 8000
  type: ClusterIP

Repeat this process for other services (pgsql, mongodb, rabbitmq).

Step 3: Configure Persistent Storage

Create Persistent Volume Claims (PVCs) for databases.

Define StorageClass for dynamic provisioning.

Persistent Volume Claim YAML Example (pgsql-pvc.yaml)

YAML

apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
  name: pgsql-pvc
spec:
  accessModes:
    - ReadWriteOnce
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 5Gi

StorageClass YAML Example (storage-class.yaml)

YAML

apiVersion: storage.k8s.io/v1
kind: StorageClass
metadata:
  name: local-storage
provisioner: kubernetes.io/no-provisioner
volumeBindingMode: WaitForFirstConsumer

Step 4: Deploy to Kubernetes

Create namespace: kubectl create namespace <namespace-name>

Apply configuration files: kubectl apply -f <config-file>.yaml

Verify deployments: kubectl get deployments -n <namespace-name>

Verify pods: kubectl get pods -n <namespace-name>

Verify services: kubectl get svc -n <namespace-name>

Step 5: Expose Services

Create Ingress resources for external access.

Configure Ingress Controller (e.g., NGINX).

Ingress YAML Example (ingress.yaml)

YAML

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: api-ingress
spec:
  rules:
  - host: <your-domain>
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: api-service
          servicePort: 8000

Step 6: Monitor and Maintain

Set up monitoring tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana).

Implement logging solutions (e.g., Fluentd, Elasticsearch).

Regularly update images and configurations.

Implementation Tools

kubectl: Kubernetes command-line tool.

kustomize: Configuration management tool.

Helm: Package manager for Kubernetes.

Additional Tips

Test locally with Minikube or Kind before deploying to production.

Use environment variables for configuration.

Implement rolling updates for zero-downtime deployments.

This migration plan provides a solid foundation. Adjust configurations according to your specific requirements.

Say I have a Docker Compose yaml file eg.

# version: '3.8'

services:
  pgsql:
    container_name: pgsql
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    volumes:
      - postgres-data-volume:/var/lib/postgresql/data/
      - ./app/init.sql:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/init.sql
    ports:
      - 5433:5432
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=postgres
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=password123
      - POSTGRES_DB=lcnc_db_dev
    networks:
      - app-network
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U postgres"]
      interval: 5s
      retries: 5

  # adminer:
  #   image: adminer
  #   container_name: pgsql-adminer
  #   ports:
  #     - 8080:8080
  #   depends_on:
  #     - pgsql
  #   networks:
  #     - app-network

  app:
    build:
      context: ./app  # Change context to the app folder
      dockerfile: Dockerfile  # Dockerfile name remains the same
    container_name: app
    env_file:
      - ./.env.dev
    environment:
      - PYTHONPATH=/app
    volumes:
      - ./app:/app
      - ./app/generated_files:/app/generated_files  # Mount for generated backend files 
      - ./app/dart_files:/app/dart_files
    ports:
      - "8001:8001"
    depends_on:
      pgsql:
        condition: service_healthy
      redis:
        condition: service_healthy
    networks:
      - app-network
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          cpus: '2.00'
          memory: 4G

  redis:
    image: redis:alpine
    container_name: redis
    ports:
      - "6379:6379"
    networks:
      - app-network
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 3s
      retries: 3
    deploy:
      resources:
        limits:
          cpus: '1.00'
          memory: 2G
    restart: always

  redis_insight:
    image: redis/redisinsight:latest
    container_name: redis_insight
    ports:
      - "5540:5540"
    networks:
      - app-network
    depends_on:
      redis:
        condition: service_healthy

  celery_worker:
    build:
      context: ./app
      dockerfile: Dockerfile.celery-worker
    container_name: celery_worker
    environment:
      - PYTHONPATH=/app
      - BROKER_URL=redis://redis:6379/0
      - RESULT_BACKEND=redis://redis:6379/0
      - PREFETCH_MULTIPLIER=1
      - MAX_MEMORY_PER_CHILD=512
    depends_on:
      - app
      - redis
      - pgsql
    volumes:
      - ./app:/app
      - ./app/generated_files:/app/generated_files
      - ./app/dart_files:/app/dart_files
    networks:
      - app-network
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  postgres-data-volume:  # Named volume for PostgreSQL data

networks:
  app-network:
    driver: bridge

Here’s the equivalent Kubernetes configuration for the provided Docker Compose file:

Step 1: Create Namespace

Bash

kubectl create namespace dev-namespace

Step 2: PostgreSQL Deployment and Service

YAML

# pgsql-deployment.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: pgsql-deployment
  namespace: dev-namespace
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: pgsql
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: pgsql
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: pgsql
        image: postgres:15-alpine
        ports:
        - containerPort: 5432
        volumeMounts:
        - name: postgres-data-volume
          mountPath: /var/lib/postgresql/data/
        - name: init-sql-volume
          mountPath: /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/
        env:
        - name: POSTGRES_USER
          value: "postgres"
        - name: POSTGRES_PASSWORD
          value: "password123"
        - name: POSTGRES_DB
          value: "lcnc_db_dev"
      volumes:
      - name: postgres-data-volume
        persistentVolumeClaim:
          claimName: postgres-pvc
      - name: init-sql-volume
        configMap:
          name: init-sql-cm
  strategy:
    type: Recreate

# pgsql-service.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: pgsql-service
  namespace: dev-namespace
spec:
  selector:
    app: pgsql
  ports:
  - name: pgsql
    port: 5432
    targetPort: 5432
  type: ClusterIP

# Create ConfigMap for init.sql
kubectl create configmap init-sql-cm --from-file=init.sql -n dev-namespace

# Create Persistent Volume Claim
# postgres-pvc.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
  name: postgres-pvc
  namespace: dev-namespace
spec:
  accessModes:
    - ReadWriteOnce
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 5Gi

Step 3: Redis Deployment and Service

YAML

# redis-deployment.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: redis-deployment
  namespace: dev-namespace
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: redis
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: redis
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: redis
        image: redis:alpine
        ports:
        - containerPort: 6379
  strategy:
    type: Recreate

# redis-service.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: redis-service
  namespace: dev-namespace
spec:
  selector:
    app: redis
  ports:
  - name: redis
    port: 6379
    targetPort: 6379
  type: ClusterIP

Step 4: App Deployment and Service

YAML

# app-deployment.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: app-deployment
  namespace: dev-namespace
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: app
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: app
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: app
        image: <your-docker-image-name>
        ports:
        - containerPort: 8001
        volumeMounts:
        - name: app-volume
          mountPath: /app
        - name: generated-files-volume
          mountPath: /app/generated_files
        - name: dart-files-volume
          mountPath: /app/dart_files
        env:
        - name: PYTHONPATH
          value: "/app"
  strategy:
    type: Recreate
  volumes:
  - name: app-volume
    persistentVolumeClaim:
      claimName: app-pvc
  - name: generated-files-volume
    emptyDir: {}
  - name: dart-files-volume
    emptyDir: {}

# app-service.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: app-service
  namespace: dev-namespace
spec:
  selector:
    app: app
  ports:
  - name: app
    port: 8001
    targetPort: 8001
  type: ClusterIP

# Create Persistent Volume Claim
# app-pvc.yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
  name: app-pvc
  namespace: dev-namespace
spec:
  accessModes:
    - ReadWriteOnce
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 2Gi

Step 5: Celery Worker Deployment

YAML

# celery-worker-deployment.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: celery-worker-deployment
  namespace: dev-namespace
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: celery-worker
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: celery-worker
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: celery-worker
        image: <your-docker-image-name>
        volumeMounts:
        - name: app-volume
          mountPath: /app
        - name: generated-files-volume
          mountPath: /app/generated_files
        - name: dart-files-volume
          mountPath: /app/dart_files
        env:
        - name: PYTHONPATH
          value: "/app"
        - name: BROKER_URL
          value: "redis://redis-service:6379/0"
        - name: RESULT_BACKEND
          value: "redis://redis-service:6379/0"
  strategy:
    type: Recreate
  volumes:
  - name: app-volume
    persistentVolumeClaim:
      claimName: app-pvc
  - name: generated-files-volume
    emptyDir: {}
  - name: dart-files-volume
    emptyDir: {}

Step 6: Apply Kubernetes Configuration

Bash

kubectl apply -f pgsql-deployment.yaml
kubectl apply -f pgsql-service.yaml
kubectl apply -f redis-deployment.yaml
kubectl apply -f redis-service.yaml
kubectl apply -f app-deployment.yaml
kubectl apply -f app-service.yaml
kubectl apply -f celery-worker-deployment.yaml

Step 7: Verify Deployments

Bash

kubectl get deployments -n dev-namespace
kubectl get pods -n dev-namespace
kubectl get svc -n dev-namespace

This Kubernetes configuration mirrors the Docker Compose file. Adjust image names, resource requests and other parameters as necessary.

Additional Tips

Use Secret resources for sensitive data (e.g., passwords).

Implement Horizontal Pod Autoscaling (HPA) for dynamic scaling.

Monitor cluster performance with Prometheus and Grafana.

Here are examples of applying Kubernetes in Google Cloud and Azure:

Google Cloud (GKE)

Step 1: Create a GKE Cluster

Create a new project: gcloud projects create <project-name>

Enable Kubernetes Engine API: gcloud services enable container.googleapis.com

Create a cluster: gcloud container clusters create <cluster-name> — zone <zone> — num-nodes 3

Step 2: Deploy Application

Create Deployment YAML file (e.g., deployment.yaml)

Apply Deployment: kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

Expose Service: kubectl expose deployment <deployment-name> — type LoadBalancer — port 80

Step 3: Verify Deployment

Get Cluster credentials: gcloud container clusters get-credentials <cluster-name> — zone <zone>

Verify pods: kubectl get pods

Verify services: kubectl get svc

GKE Example Commands

Bash

# Create project and enable API

gcloud projects create my-project

gcloud services enable container.googleapis.com

# Create GKE cluster

gcloud container clusters create my-cluster — zone us-central1-a — num-nodes 3

# Deploy application

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

# Expose service

kubectl expose deployment my-app — type LoadBalancer — port 80

# Verify deployment

gcloud container clusters get-credentials my-cluster — zone us-central1-a

kubectl get pods

kubectl get svc

Azure (AKS)

Step 1: Create AKS Cluster

Create resource group: az group create — name <resource-group> — location <location>

Create AKS cluster: az aks create — resource-group <resource-group> — name <cluster-name> — node-count 3

Step 2: Deploy Application

Create Deployment YAML file (e.g., deployment.yaml)

Apply Deployment: kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

Expose Service: kubectl expose deployment <deployment-name> — type LoadBalancer — port 80

Step 3: Verify Deployment

Get Cluster credentials: az aks get-credentials — resource-group <resource-group> — name <cluster-name>

Verify pods: kubectl get pods

Verify services: kubectl get svc

AKS Example Commands

Bash

# Create resource group and AKS cluster

az group create — name my-resource-group — location eastus

az aks create — resource-group my-resource-group — name my-aks-cluster — node-count 3

# Deploy application

kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

# Expose service

kubectl expose deployment my-app — type LoadBalancer — port 80

# Verify deployment

az aks get-credentials — resource-group my-resource-group — name my-aks-cluster

kubectl get pods

kubectl get svc

Additional Tips

Use managed identities for authentication.

Implement network policies for security.

Monitor cluster performance with Azure Monitor or Google Cloud Monitoring.

Kubernetes Deployment YAML Example

YAML

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: my-app
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: my-app
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: my-app
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: my-app
        image: <your-docker-image-name>
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80
Kubernetes
Kubernetes Cluster
Docker
Docker Compose
Orchestra

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Dhiraj Patra
Dhiraj Patra

Written by Dhiraj Patra

253 Followers
305 Following

AI Strategy, Generative AI, AI & ML Consulting, Product Development, Startup Advisory, Data Architecture, Data Analytics, Executive Mentorship, Value Creation

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