Deploying a TypeScript Express App to GKE Using Docker and Artifact Registry

This guide walks you through the steps to create a TypeScript Express app, containerize it with Docker, and deploy it to Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) using Google Artifact Registry.

---

1. Create a TypeScript Express App

1. Initialize the Project:

   mkdir ts_express_server
   cd ts_express_server
   npm init -y

1. Install Required Packages:

   npm install express cors
   npm install --save-dev typescript @types/node @types/express @types/cors

1. Set Up TypeScript: Create a tsconfig.json file:

   {
     "compilerOptions": {
       "outDir": "./dist",
       "module": "commonjs",
       "target": "es6",
       "strict": true
     },
     "include": ["src/**/*"]
   }

1. Write the Server Code: Create src/server.ts:

   import express, { Request, Response } from "express";
   import Cors from "cors";

   const app = express();
   app.use(express.json());
   app.use(Cors());

   app.get("/api", (req: Request, res: Response) => {
     res.status(200).json({ message: "Server up " + new Date().toISOString() });
   });

   app.listen(8090, () => {
     console.log("Server listening on port 8090");
   });

1. Build the App: Add build scripts to package.json:

   "scripts": {
     "build": "tsc",
     "start": "node dist/server.js"
   }

Build the app:

   npm run build

---

2. Create a Docker Image

1. Write a Dockerfile:

   FROM node:18-alpine
   WORKDIR /app
   COPY package*.json ./
   RUN npm install
   COPY . .
   RUN npm run build
   EXPOSE 8090
   CMD ["npm", "run", "start"]

1. Build the Docker Image:

   docker build -t emirob/emi-repo:my-express-app .

1. Push the Image to Docker Hub:

   docker tag emirob/emi-repo:my-express-app emirob/emi-repo:my-express-app
   docker push emirob/emi-repo:my-express-app

---

3. Set Up GCP for Artifact Registry and GKE

1. Enable Required APIs:

   • Go to the Google Cloud Console.
   • Enable the Artifact Registry API.
   • Enable the Kubernetes Engine API.

2. Set Your Project in Cloud Shell:
   

   export PROJECT_ID=gketest-448214
   gcloud config set project $PROJECT_ID

1. Create an Artifact Registry Repository:

   gcloud artifacts repositories create emi-repo --repository-format=docker --location=us-west1 --description="Docker repo"

1. Authenticate Docker with GCP:

   gcloud auth configure-docker us-west1-docker.pkg.dev

---

4. Push the Docker Image to Artifact Registry

1. Pull the Image from Docker Hub:

   docker pull emirob/emi-repo:my-express-app

1. Tag the Image for Artifact Registry:

   docker tag emirob/emi-repo:my-express-app        us-west1-docker.pkg.dev/gketest-448214/emi-repo/my-express-app:latest

1. Push the Image to Artifact Registry:

   docker push us-west1-docker.pkg.dev/gketest-448214/emi-repo/my-express-app:latest

1. Verify the Image:

   gcloud artifacts docker images list us-west1 docker.pkg.dev/gketest-448214/emi-repo

---

5. Deploy the App on GKE

1. Create a GKE Cluster:

   gcloud container clusters create my-cluster --num-nodes=3 --zone=us-west1-a

1. Connect to the Cluster:

   gcloud container clusters get-credentials my-cluster --zone us-west1-a

1. Create a Kubernetes Deployment: Save the following as deployment.yaml:

   apiVersion: apps/v1
   kind: Deployment
   metadata:
     name: my-express-app
   spec:
     replicas: 2
     selector:
       matchLabels:
         app: my-express-app
     template:
       metadata:
         labels:
           app: my-express-app
       spec:
         containers:
         - name: my-express-app
           image: us-west1-docker.pkg.dev/gketest-448214/emi-repo/my-express-app:latest
           ports:
           - containerPort: 8090

1. Apply the Deployment:

   kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml

1. Expose the Service:

   kubectl expose deployment my-express-app --type=LoadBalancer --port 80 --target-port 8090

1. Access the Application: Get the external IP of the LoadBalancer:

   kubectl get service my-express-app

Visit http://<EXTERNAL-IP>/api.

6. GitHub Repository

For the full project setup and Docker image creation, check the GitHub repository:

build_node_server_docker_images

Emi Roberti - Happy coding