Fritata backend serves API to the Fritata platform. It consists of 3 Dockerized microservices:

• Auth microservice: handling account creation and authentication processes
• Users microservice: handling user account data
• Posts microservice: handling user-generated content

Documentation

Azure setup

Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server

Create SQL server resource in Azure Portal

In my implementation, I used these settings:

• Size: B1ms - 1 vCores, 2 GiB RAM, 32 GiB storage

Create an Administrator acount and save username & password

Perspective API (Moderation API)

Follow instructions for setting up GCP API

Save the generated API key for later

Virtual Machine

Create a VM resource in Azure Portal

In my implementation, I used these settings:

• Region: (Europe) Germany West Central
• Avaliability zone: Zone 1
• Image: Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS - x64 Gen2
• Size: Standard_B2s - 2 vcpus, 4GiB memory ($35.04/month)
• OS disk type: Standard SSD
• Public inbound ports: HHTPS (443), SSH (22)

Create an Administrator account and save the SSH key

Set up VM from terminal

SSH into the machine from your local computer:

ssh -i <PATH TO .pem FILE> <USERNAME>@<PUBLIC VM IP>

Update and reboot the machine:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo reboot

Install docker:

sudo apt install -y docker.io
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Install minikube and kubectl:

curl -LO https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/latest/minikube-linux-amd64
sudo install minikube-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/minikube && rm minikube-linux-amd64

curl -LO https://dl.k8s.io/release/v1.31.0/bin/linux/amd64/kubectl
sudo install -o root -g root -m 0755 kubectl /usr/local/bin/kubectl

minikube start --driver=docker

minikube addons enable ingress

Install Caddy:

sudo apt install -y caddy

Setup Caddy config file /etc/caddy/Caddyfile (replace PUBLIC VM IP with VM's public IP, KUBERNETES NODE IP with minikube's node IP):

<PUBLIC VM IP>.nip.io {
    # Auth API
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/auth <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30000
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/auth/* <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30000
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/swagger/auth/* <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30000
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/health/auth <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30000
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/health/auth/* <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30000

    # Users API
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/users <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30010
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/users/* <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30010
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/swagger/users/* <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30010
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/health/users <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30010
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/health/users/* <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30010

    # Posts API
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/posts <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30020
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/posts/* <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30020
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/swagger/posts/* <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30020
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/health/posts <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30020
    reverse_proxy /api/v1/health/posts/* <KUBERNETES NODE IP>:30020

    # Logging
    log {
        output file /var/log/caddy/access.log
        format json
    }
}

Start Caddy:

sudo systemctl enable caddy
sudo systemctl start caddy

Environment Variables

To run this project, you will need to create a .env file. It's structure should look like this:

DB_HOST=<POSTGRESQL HOSTNAME / IP>
DB_PORT=<POSTGRESQL ACCESS PORT>
DB_NAME=<POSTGRESQL DATABASE NAME>
DB_USER=<POSTGRESQL ACCESS USERNAME>
DB_PASSWORD=<POSTGRESQL ACCESS PASSWORD>

JWT_SECRET=<A RANDOM STRING FOR JWT VALIDATION>

API_MODERATION_KEY=<MODERATION API KEY>

Move .env file to whichever folder the backend will run on, as kubernetes will load this file into environment before running the microservice containers.

Run Locally

Clone the project (Prerequesite: git)

  git clone https://github.com/Project-Fritata/fritata-backend.git

Go to the project directory

  cd fritata-backend

Start the Docker containers (Prerequesite: Docker)

Build is necessary only for the first time, and after any code changes.

  docker compose -f .\docker-compose.dev.yml build --no-cache
  docker compose -f .\docker-compose.dev.yml up

Access the APIs

Access through cURL, Postman, Insomnia, ...

• Auth microservice:
  • Client API: http://localhost:8000/api/v1/auth
• Users microservice:
  • Client API: http://localhost:8010/api/v1/users
  • Service API: http://localhost:8011/api/v1/users
• Posts microservice:
  • Client API: http://localhost:8020/api/v1/posts

Deployment to GitHub pages

Setup respository settings

In GitHub Repository secrets for Actions, add the following secrets:

• AZURE_VM_PUBLIC_IP
• AZURE_VM_SSH_KEY
• AZURE_VM_USERNAME
• DOCKER_HUB_PASSWORD
• DOCKER_HUB_USER_NAME

Push local code to GitHub

When pushing code to main branch, the publish.yml GitHub Actions script will run and deploy the containerized microservices to Azure.

Access the APIs

Access through cURL, Postman, Insomnia, ...

• Auth microservice:
  • Client API: https://<HOST_IP>/api/v1/auth
• Users microservice:
  • Client API: http://<HOST_IP>/api/v1/users
  • Service API: http://<HOST_IP>/api/v1/users
• Posts microservice:
  • Client API: http://<HOST_IP>/api/v1/posts

License

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0