freundcloud

Using devenv to Build, Test, and Deploy Node.js Pods (Local & AWS)

devenv makes it easy to create reproducible development environments for Node.js applications, including Kubernetes pod deployment and local testing before pushing to AWS (EKS).

Why devenv for Node.js + Kubernetes?

  • Reproducibility: Same environment for all developers and CI.
  • Easy onboarding: devenv up and you’re ready to code.
  • Kubernetes ready: Includes kubectl, minikube, and other tools.
  • Portable: Works on Linux, macOS, and WSL.

Example Project Structure

nodejs-k8s-demo/
├── devenv.nix
├── justfile
├── k8s/
│   ├── deployment.yaml
│   └── service.yaml
├── src/
│   └── index.js
├── package.json
└── Dockerfile

Example devenv.nix

{ pkgs, ... }:
{
  packages = [ pkgs.nodejs pkgs.kubectl pkgs.minikube pkgs.just pkgs.docker ];
  enterShell = ''
    echo "Welcome to your Node.js + Kubernetes dev shell!"
    just --list
  '';
}

Example justfile

# justfile
start-minikube:
    minikube start

build-image:
    docker build -t nodejs-k8s-demo:latest .

load-image:
    minikube image load nodejs-k8s-demo:latest

deploy-local:
    kubectl apply -f k8s/
    kubectl get pods
    minikube service nodejs-k8s-demo

deploy-aws:
    aws eks update-kubeconfig --region <region> --name <cluster>
    kubectl apply -f k8s/
    kubectl get pods

Example Dockerfile

FROM node:20-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json .
RUN npm install
COPY . .
CMD ["node", "src/index.js"]

Example Kubernetes Deployment (k8s/deployment.yaml)

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: nodejs-k8s-demo
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: nodejs-k8s-demo
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: nodejs-k8s-demo
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: nodejs-k8s-demo
        image: nodejs-k8s-demo:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 3000

Example Kubernetes Service (k8s/service.yaml)

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: nodejs-k8s-demo
spec:
  type: NodePort
  selector:
    app: nodejs-k8s-demo
  ports:
    - protocol: TCP
      port: 3000
      targetPort: 3000

Local Development & Testing

  1. Enter the dev shell: 
    nix develop # or devenv up
  2. Start Minikube: 
    just start-minikube
  3. Build and load the Docker image: 
    just build-image
just load-image
  4. Deploy to local Minikube: 
    just deploy-local
  5. Access your app: 
    minikube service nodejs-k8s-demo

Deploy to AWS (EKS)

  1. Authenticate to EKS: 
    aws eks update-kubeconfig --region <region> --name <cluster>
  2. Push your image to ECR or another registry, update the image reference in deployment.yaml.
  3. Deploy to EKS: 
    just deploy-aws

References

With devenv, you can build, test, and deploy Node.js Kubernetes pods locally and to AWS with a single, reproducible environment.