DevOps CI/CD with Azure DevOps, Docker, AKS & Helm

This repository demonstrates an end-to-end DevOps CI/CD workflow using Azure DevOps YAML pipelines, Docker, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), and Helm.

The project reflects real-world enterprise DevOps practices, including containerization, registry management, and Kubernetes deployments managed through Infrastructure-as-Code style templates.

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What This Project Demonstrates

• CI/CD using Azure DevOps multi-stage YAML pipelines
• Docker image build and push to Azure Container Registry (ACR)
• Kubernetes deployment to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Application lifecycle management using Helm charts
• Health checks and readiness for production-style deployments

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Application Overview

The application is a lightweight Python Flask API designed for CI/CD and Kubernetes deployment demonstrations.

Endpoints:

• / – basic service response
• /health – health check for Kubernetes probes

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Architecture Overview

GitHub Repository
↓
Azure DevOps Pipeline (YAML)
↓
Docker Build
↓
Azure Container Registry (ACR)
↓
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
↓
Helm (Deployment + Service)

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Tech Stack

DevOps & Cloud:

• Azure DevOps (YAML pipelines)
• Azure Container Registry (ACR)
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Helm

Containers & Orchestration:

• Docker
• Kubernetes (Deployment, Service, probes)

Application:

• Python
• Flask

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Repository Structure

devops-ci-cd-docker-k8s/

• app/
  • main.py
  • requirements.txt
• azure-devops/
  • azure-pipelines.yml
• helm/
  • demo-api/
    • Chart.yaml
    • values.yaml
    • templates/
      • deployment.yaml
      • service.yaml
• k8s/
  • deployment.yaml
  • service.yaml
• .github/workflows/
  • ci.yaml
• Dockerfile
• .dockerignore
• README.md

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CI/CD Pipeline (Azure DevOps)

The Azure DevOps pipeline is defined in:

azure-devops/azure-pipelines.yml

Pipeline stages:

1. Build & Test

   • Install Python dependencies
   • Run basic application validation

2. Build & Push Docker Image

   • Build Docker image
   • Push image to Azure Container Registry
   • Tag images with build ID and latest

3. Deploy to AKS

   • Fetch AKS credentials
   • Create Kubernetes namespace if missing
   • Deploy application using Helm upgrade/install

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Helm Deployment

Kubernetes resources are managed using a Helm chart located at:

helm/demo-api/

The Helm chart includes:

• Kubernetes Deployment (replicas, container image, health probes)
• Kubernetes Service (LoadBalancer by default)

Helm enables:

• Versioned deployments
• Simplified upgrades and rollbacks
• Parameterized configuration

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Azure DevOps Configuration (Required)

To run this pipeline in Azure DevOps, configure the following outside this repository.

Service Connections:

• ACR_SERVICE_CONNECTION
  (Docker Registry → Azure Container Registry)
• AZURE_RM_SERVICE_CONNECTION
  (Azure Resource Manager → Subscription or Resource Group)

Pipeline Variables:

• ACR_LOGIN_SERVER (example: myacr.azurecr.io)
• AKS_RESOURCE_GROUP
• AKS_CLUSTER_NAME

No secrets are stored in this repository.

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Run Locally (Optional)

Docker: docker build -t demo-api:local . docker run -p 8080:8080 demo-api:local

Access:

• http://localhost:8080
• http://localhost:8080/health

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Why This Repository Matters

This project demonstrates how DevOps pipelines are implemented in production environments, showcasing:

• CI/CD automation using Azure DevOps
• Kubernetes deployment best practices
• Secure handling of credentials and secrets
• Enterprise-ready cloud-native workflows

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Author
Fathima Gousiya
DevOps / Systems Engineer
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/Fathima-gousiya