Architecture¶

Deis Workflow is built using a service oriented architecture. All components are published as a set of container images which can be deployed to any compliant Kubernetes cluster.

Overview¶

System Overview

Operators use Helm to configure and install the Workflow components which interface directly with the underlying Kubernetes cluster. Service discovery, container availability and networking are all delegated to Kubernetes, while Workflow provides a clean and simple developer experience.

Platform Services¶

Workflow Overview

Deis Workflow provides additional functionality to your Kubernetes cluster, including:

Source to Image Builder which compiles your Application code via Buildpacks or Dockerfiles
Cross-Pod Log Aggregation which gathers logs from all of your Application processes
Simple REST API which powers the CLI and any external integrations
Application release and rollback
Authentication and Authorization to Application resources
HTTP/HTTPS edge routing for your Applications

Kubernetes-Native¶

All platform components and applications deployed via Workflow expect to be running on an existing Kubernetes cluster. This means that you can happily run your Kubernetes-native workloads next to applications that are managed through Deis Workflow.

Workflow and Kubernetes

Application Layout and Edge Routing¶

By default Workflow creates per-application Namespaces and Services so you can easily connect your applications to other on-cluster services through standard Kubernetes mechanisms.

Application Configuration

The router component is responsible for routing HTTP/s traffic to your Applications as well as proxying git push and platform API traffic.

By default, the router component is deployed as a Kubernetes service with type LoadBalancer; which, depending on your configuration, will provision a cloud-native load balancer automatically.

The router automatically discovers routable Applications, SSL/TLS certificates and application-specific configurations through the use of Kubernetes annotations. Any changes to router configuration or certificates are applied within seconds.

Topologies¶

Deis Workflow no longer dictates a specific topology or server count for your deployment. The platform components will happily run on single-server configurations as well as multi-server production clusters.