port-vcluster-idp-gitops

An Internal Developer Platform (IDP) proof-of-concept for self-service vCluster provisioning using Port, GitHub Actions, and ArgoCD powered by GitOps.

Overview

This project demonstrates how platform teams can enable developers to provision virtual Kubernetes clusters (vClusters) through a self-service portal (Port) while using GitHub as the single source of truth, automated through GitHub Actions and deployed via ArgoCD and ApplicationSet.

Flow Diagram

1. Developer triggers a Port action to request a new vCluster.
2. The action initiates a GitHub Action workflow which:
   • Generates a vCluster manifest.
   • Commits it to the GitHub repo under clusters/dev/.
3. ArgoCD ApplicationSet watches this directory and automatically:
   • Detects the new manifest.
   • Deploys the vCluster to the target Kubernetes cluster.
4. Optionally, developers can manage their workloads inside vClusters.

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⚙️ Tech Stack

Component	Purpose
Port	IDP portal to trigger provisioning
GitHub	Source of truth for manifests
GitHub Actions	Automation pipeline for manifest creation
ArgoCD	GitOps-based deployment controller
ApplicationSet	Dynamic app discovery for ArgoCD
vCluster	Lightweight virtual Kubernetes clusters
Kubernetes	Hosting the ArgoCD and vClusters

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Prerequisites

• A Kubernetes cluster (e.g., AKS, GKE, EKS, or local dev)
• ArgoCD installed and accessible
• ApplicationSet controller installed
• vCluster CLI (optional for testing)
• GitHub repository with workflows enabled
• Port environment with GitHub integration

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GitHub Workflow Example

name: Port vCluster Deployment
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      clusterName:
        description: 'Cluster name'
        required: true
      namespace:
        description: 'Target namespace'
        default: 'vcluster-ns'

jobs:
  generate-manifest:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout repo
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Create vCluster manifest
        run: |
          mkdir -p clusters/dev/
          cat <<EOF > clusters/dev/${{ github.event.inputs.clusterName }}.yaml
          apiVersion: cluster.x-k8s.io/v1beta1
          kind: Cluster
          metadata:
            name: ${{ github.event.inputs.clusterName }}
            namespace: ${{ github.event.inputs.namespace }}
          spec:
            infrastructureRef:
              apiVersion: infrastructure.cluster.x-k8s.io/v1alpha1
              kind: VCluster
              name: ${{ github.event.inputs.clusterName }}
          EOF

      - name: Commit changes
        uses: stefanzweifel/git-auto-commit-action@v5
        with:
          commit_message: "Deploy vCluster ${{ github.event.inputs.clusterName }}"
          branch: main