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Infrastructure Setup

In this step, you will configure the local infrastructure that will run DevPortal and its dependencies, emulating a real cloud scenario.

Steps Overview​

In this section, you will:

  1. Start a local cluster to provide the runtime environment.
  2. Create host entries to make DevPortal and services accessible via friendly domains.

By the end, you will have a fully running local cluster ready to host DevPortal.

Step 1: Start a Local Cluster​

Running vkdr infra up starts a lightweight Kubernetes cluster using k3d, a tool that simplifies the process of creating and managing "fake" Kubernetes clusters in Docker. The cluster will be used to run DevPortal and its dependencies.

Run the following command:

vkdr infra up

Expected output (example):

VKDR Local Infra Start Routine
Ports Used: 8000/http :8001/https
Kubernetes API port: random
Local Docker Hub Registry Mirror: 6001
INFO: Creating Kubernetes nodes and registries...
INFO: Starting LoadBalancer and tools node...
INFO: Cluster 'vkdr-local' created successfully!
INFO: You can now interact with the cluster using kubectl.
Script executed successfully.

After this step, the following will be available:

  • A local Kubernetes cluster running under Docker.
  • Ports 8000 and 8001 bound to HTTP and HTTPS of the first LoadBalancer in the cluster (DevPortal will configure this automatically).
  • Local registry mirrors (starting from port 6001) to speed up Docker image downloads, even when recycling the cluster.

Check Cluster Status​

Verify that the local Kubernetes cluster is running by listing the k3d containers.

Run the following command:

docker ps --filter "name=vkdr"

Expected output (example):

CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                            COMMAND                  CREATED       STATUS       PORTS                                                                  NAMES
f91279d084f1   ghcr.io/k3d-io/k3d-proxy:5.8.3   "/bin/sh -c nginx-pr…"   5m ago        Up 2m        0.0.0.0:8000->80/tcp, 0.0.0.0:8001->443/tcp, 0.0.0.0:60068->6443/tcp   k3d-vkdr-local-serverlb
5b93055b88cf   rancher/k3s:v1.31.5-k3s1         "/bin/k3d-entrypoint…"   5m ago        Up 2m                                                                               k3d-vkdr-local-server-0

  • Output may vary depending on your environment (container IDs, ports, or node names).
  • You should see at least one container named k3d-vkdr-local-server-0 (or similar) — this is the master node, and it must be running.
  • Other containers, like the load balancer (k3d-vkdr-local-serverlb), may also appear. The total number of containers can vary.
  • The key thing to check: all cluster containers have STATUS as Up. This confirms your local Kubernetes cluster is running correctly.
  • At this point, the DevPortal itself is not running yet; this step only verifies the infrastructure is ready for deployment.

Step 2: Create Host Entries​

To access DevPortal and other services in your local cluster, you need friendly domain names instead of raw IPs. This is done by adding entries to your /etc/hosts file.

Run the following command (or edit your hosts file manually):

echo "127.0.0.1 devportal.localhost manager.localhost" | sudo tee -a /etc/hosts

Expected result (example):

127.0.0.1 devportal.localhost manager.localhost

This maps devportal.localhost and manager.localhost to your local machine, so you can open DevPortal in a browser as usual.

Check Host Entries​

Run the following command:

ping -c 1 devportal.localhost

Expected output (example):

PING devportal.localhost (127.0.0.1): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 127.0.0.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.141 ms
...

Check the manager entry:

ping -c 1 manager.localhost

Expected output (example):

PING devportal.localhost (127.0.0.1): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 127.0.0.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.093 ms
...

Note: Response times and details may vary depending on your system. The important part is receiving replies from 127.0.0.1, which confirms that host entries are correctly configured and DevPortal will be accessible via the friendly domains.

After creating the host entries, your infrastructure is ready. Next, you’ll configure GitHub access by generating a personal token so DevPortal can securely connect to your repositories.

How to Stop the Local Cluster

When you’re finished with development or need to free up system resources, you can stop the local Kubernetes cluster using vkdr infra down. This safely shuts down the cluster and removes temporary resources, while keeping your ~/.vkdr environment and configuration intact.

Do not run this command now — the cluster must stay running for the next step, DevPortal Deployment. If, for any reason, you have already stopped the cluster, run vkdr infra up to start it again before proceeding.