Kubernetes

Let's connect a nodejs app in one kubernetes cluster with a postgres database in another private kubernetes cluster.

Each company’s network is private, isolated, and doesn't expose ports. To learn how end-to-end trust is established, please read: “How does Ockam work?

Run

This example requires Bash, Git, Curl, Kind, and Kubectl. Please set up these tools for your operating system, then run the following commands:

# Clone the Ockam repo from Github.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/build-trust/ockam && cd ockam

# Navigate to this example’s directory.
cd examples/command/portals/databases/postgres/kubernetes

# Run the example, use Ctrl-C to exit at any point.
./run.sh

If everything runs as expected, you'll see the message: The example run was successful 🥳

Walkthrough

The run.sh script, that you ran above, and its accompanying files are full of comments and meant to be read. The example setup is only a few simple steps, so please take some time to read and explore.

Administrator

  • The run.sh script calls the run function which invokes the enroll command to create an new identity, sign into Ockam Orchestrator, set up a new Ockam project, make you the administrator of this project, and get a project membership credential.

  • The run function then generates two new enrollment tickets. The tickets are valid for 10 minutes. Each ticket can be redeemed only once and assigns attributes to its redeemer. The first ticket is meant for the Ockam node that will run in Bank Corp.’s kubernetes cluster. The second ticket is for the Ockam node that will run in Analysis Corp.’s kubernetes cluster.

  • In a typical production setup an administrator or provisioning pipeline generates enrollment tickets and gives them to nodes that are being provisioned. In our example, the run function is acting on your behalf as the administrator of the Ockam project. It uses kubernetes secrets to give tickets to Ockam nodes that are being provisioned in Bank Corp.’s and Analysis Corp.’s kubernetes clusters.

  • The run function takes the enrollment tickets, sets them as kubernetes secrets, and uses kind with kubectl to create Bank Corp.’s and Analysis Corp.’s kubernetes clusters.

Bank Corp

Analysis Corp

Recap

We connected a nodejs app in one kubernetes cluster with a postgres database in another kubernetes cluster over an end-to-end encrypted portal.

Sensitive business data in the postgres database is only accessible to Bank Corp. and Analysis Corp. All data is encrypted with strong forward secrecy as it moves through the Internet. The communication channel is mutually authenticated and authorized. Keys and credentials are automatically rotated. Access to connect with postgres can be easily revoked.

Analysis Corp. does not get unfettered access to Bank Corp.’s cluster. It gets access only to run queries on the postgres server. Bank Corp. does not get unfettered access to Analysis Corp.’s cluster. It gets access only to respond to queries over a tcp connection. Bank Corp. cannot initiate connections.

All access controls are secure-by-default. Only project members, with valid credentials, can connect with each other. NAT’s are traversed using a relay and outgoing tcp connections. Bank Corp. or Analysis Corp. don’t expose any listening endpoints on the Internet. Their kubernetes clusters are completely closed and protected from any attacks from the Internet.

Cleanup

To delete all containers and images:

./run.sh cleanup

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