Connect DigitalOcean Kubernetes to GitLab - Tutorial for Windows 10 Users

It requires many step and there is no complete guide available. Hence, this tutorial exist.

Step 1: Create DigitalOcean Kubernetes

It's fairly straight forward process. Once it done, click on Download config file button. It will download .yaml file.

Step 2: Install kubectl

• Download kubectl.exe

More information: https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/install-kubectl/#install-kubectl-on-windows

• Open C:\Users\<windows-user>\ and create kubectl folder
• Copy kubectl.exe in C:\Users\<windows-user>\kubectl
• Press Windows + R keys together, type the command "ysdm.cpl" in the Run dialog box and press Enter.
• Click on Advanced > Environment Variables > Under System Variables > Select Path > Click Edit > Click New > Enter C:\Users\<windows-user>\kubectl
• Open Command Prompt and type kubectl and press enter. If you get message instead error that mean kubectl is configured.

Step 3: Install awk

• Download and install awk

• Similary like previus example, add new path to Environment Variables and Path will be C:\Program Files (x86)\GnuWin32\bin

• Open Command Prompt and type awk and press enter. If you get message instead error that mean awk is configured.

Step 4: Install doctl

• Download and install windows version from doctl

• Create DigitalOcean (DO) Token. Login to DO > Click API > Generate New Token . Copy token.

• Open C:\Users\<windows-user>\kubectl in Command Prompt and run doctl auth init command. It will ask you the Token to enter.

• Run the command provided in DO Screenshot

Step 5: Create gitlab-setup.yml

• Open C:\Users\<windows-user>\kubectl and create gitlab-setup.yml file with following content:

apiVersion: v1
kind: ServiceAccount
metadata:
  name: gitlab
  namespace: default
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRoleBinding
metadata:
  name: gitlab-cluster-admin
subjects:
- kind: ServiceAccount
  name: gitlab
  namespace: default
roleRef:
  kind: ClusterRole
  name: cluster-admin
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io

• Open cmd and type cd C:\Users\<windows-user>\kubectl

• Type kubectl apply -f gitlab-setup.yml and press enter;

Step 6: Get Gitlab Kubernetes cluster details

Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ycuOLa5mtM

App URL:

• Run following command to get APP URL:

kubectl cluster-info | findstr "Kubernetes master" | awk "/http/ {print $NF}"

• Get secrete, run

kubectl get secrets --all-namespaces|awk "/gitlab-token/ {print $2}"

Note the text echo/printed on the screen. Let's call this text as $SECRETE

• Get CA Certificate, run following command:

kubectl get secret $SECRETE -o jsonpath="{['data']['ca\.crt']}"

Note: replace $SECRETE with the actual text which was printed.

This command will give you a string/text. Copy that text and paste at https://www.base64decode.org/ then click on decode, this give you the CERTIFICATE simloar to follow:

-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
MIIDJzCCAg+gAwIBAgICBnUwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQELBQAwMzEVMBMGA1UEChMMRGln
....
....
DD/JYjdMdAewoEXZlXPAJIS+eQjXi6AWbLYzBTRHc55GjJoxugWYF0xrTg==
-----END CERTIFICATE-----

• Get Service Token, run following command:

kubectl get secret $SECRETE -o jsonpath="{['data']['token']}"

Note: replace $SECRETE with the actual text which was printed.

This command will give you a string/text. Copy that text and paste at https://www.base64decode.org/ then click on decode, this give you the CERTIFICATE simloar to follow:

eyJhbGciOi......66GmIE4KH4OHr44Py-4HA

Step 4: Configure Gitlab Kubernetes

• Visit: <gitlab-url>/admin/clusters
• Enter the details that you collected in previous steps and Click on save
• In Helm Tiller, click Install
• Then, in Ingress, click Install. After install it will give an IP and an URL in Base domain, copy this URL and enter in Base domain input and click save.
• In Cert-Manager, click Install.
• In GitLab Runner, click Install.

Step 5: Test Project

• Visit <gitlab-url>/admin/runners, here you will see a new runner. You can edit the runner and remove tags so that it can pick all the CI jobs. You can also assign project to this runner.

• Create New Project.

• Auto DevOps will automatically kick and run the pipelines.