> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Workflow Create Secret and Deploy to Kubernetes Dev Environment > This article explains how to create a MongoDB secret and deploy it to a Kubernetes development environment using GitHub Actions. Extend your GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline to securely generate a MongoDB secret and deploy your Kubernetes manifests into a `development` namespace. This ensures automated, secure credential management and consistent application delivery. ## 1. Configuring the Dev-Deploy Job Under `jobs:` in your workflow YAML, add a `dev-deploy` job that: * Replaces placeholders in your manifest files * Creates a Kubernetes secret for MongoDB credentials * Applies all manifests to your development namespace ```yaml theme={null} name: Solar System Workflow on: workflow_dispatch: push: branches: - main - 'feature/*' env: MONGO_URI: 'mongodb+srv://supercluster.d83jj.mongodb.net/superData' MONGO_USERNAME: ${{ vars.MONGO_USERNAME }} MONGO_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MONGO_PASSWORD }} jobs: unit-testing: … code-coverage: … docker: … dev-deploy: name: Deploy to Dev Env runs-on: ubuntu-latest steps: - name: Checkout repository uses: actions/checkout@v3 - name: Replace tokens in manifests uses: cschlieden/replace-tokens@v1 with: tokenPrefix: '_{' tokenSuffix: '}' files: - kubernetes/development/*.yaml env: NAMESPACE: ${{ vars.NAMESPACE }} REPLICAS: ${{ vars.REPLICAS }} IMAGE: ${{ vars.DOCKERHUB_USERNAME }}/solar-system:${{ github.sha }} INGRESS_IP: ${{ env.INGRESS_IP }} - name: Show processed manifests run: cat kubernetes/development/*.yaml - name: Create MongoDB secret run: | kubectl -n ${{ vars.NAMESPACE }} create secret generic mongo-db-creds \ --from-literal=MONGO_URI=${{ env.MONGO_URI }} \ --from-literal=MONGO_USERNAME=${{ env.MONGO_USERNAME }} \ --from-literal=MONGO_PASSWORD=${{ secrets.MONGO_PASSWORD }} \ --save-config \ --dry-run=client \ -o yaml | kubectl apply -f - - name: Deploy manifests run: kubectl apply -f kubernetes/development ``` Ensure that `vars.NAMESPACE`, `vars.REPLICAS`, and your Docker Hub credentials are configured in your GitHub repository settings. ### Workflow Steps at a Glance | Step | Action | Description | | ----------------- | ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | Checkout | `actions/checkout@v3` | Clones your repository | | Token Replacement | `replace-tokens@v1` | Injects variables into Kubernetes YAML files | | Secret Creation | `kubectl create secret` | Generates or updates `mongo-db-creds` in namespace | | Deployment | `kubectl apply` | Applies all manifests in `kubernetes/development` | ## 2. Kubernetes Deployment Manifest In `kubernetes/development/deployment.yaml`, reference the `mongo-db-creds` secret to populate environment variables for your container: ```yaml theme={null} apiVersion: apps/v1 kind: Deployment metadata: name: solar-system namespace: _{NAMESPACE} labels: app: solar-system spec: replicas: _{REPLICAS} selector: matchLabels: app: solar-system template: metadata: labels: app: solar-system spec: containers: - name: solar-system image: _{IMAGE} imagePullPolicy: Always ports: - containerPort: 3000 name: http protocol: TCP envFrom: - secretRef: name: mongo-db-creds ``` For more on Kubernetes secrets, see [Kubernetes Secrets](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/configuration/secret/). ## 3. Why Use a Secret? Your Dockerfile includes placeholder environment variables: ```dockerfile theme={null} FROM node:18-alpine3.17 WORKDIR /usr/app COPY package.json /usr/app/ RUN npm install COPY . . ENV MONGODB_URI=uriPlaceholder ENV MONGO_USERNAME=usernamePlaceholder ENV MONGO_PASSWORD=passwordPlaceholder EXPOSE 3000 CMD ["npm", "start"] ``` By leveraging a Kubernetes secret: * You avoid hard-coding sensitive data * Credentials are injected at runtime * Configuration is decoupled from your application image Never commit real credentials into source control. Use GitHub Secrets and Kubernetes Secrets to manage sensitive data. ## 4. Verify a Fresh `development` Namespace Before deployment, confirm that the namespace is empty: ```bash theme={null} kubectl -n development get all kubectl -n development get secrets # NAME TYPE DATA AGE # default-token-xxxxx kubernetes.io/service-account-token 3 47h ``` ## 5. Watching GitHub Actions in Motion When you push changes, the `dev-deploy` job runs alongside other CI tasks: ![The image shows a GitHub Actions workflow in progress, displaying a series of jobs including unit testing, code coverage, containerization, and deployment.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752876470/notes-assets/images/GitHub-Actions-Workflow-Create-Secret-and-Deploy-to-Kubernetes-Dev-Environment/github-actions-workflow-jobs-diagram.jpg) ### 5.1 Secret Creation Logs ```bash theme={null} kubectl -n development create secret generic mongo-db-creds \ --from-literal=MONGO_URI=... \ --from-literal=MONGO_USERNAME=... \ --from-literal=MONGO_PASSWORD=... # Output: secret/mongo-db-creds created ``` ### 5.2 Applying Manifests ```bash theme={null} kubectl apply -f kubernetes/development # Output: deployment.apps/solar-system created ingress.networking.k8s.io/solar-system created service/solar-system created ``` ## 6. Validate Resources in the Cluster Check that your secret and resources are live: ```bash theme={null} kubectl -n development get secrets # NAME TYPE DATA AGE # default-token-xxxxx kubernetes.io/service-account-token 3 47h kubectl -n development get all # NAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE # pod/solar-system-xxxxx 1/1 Running 0 30s # NAME TYPE CLUSTER-IP EXTERNAL-IP PORT(S) AGE # NAME READY UP-TO-DATE AVAILABLE AGE # NAME DESIRED CURRENT READY AGE # replicaset.apps/solar-system-xxxxx 2 2 2 1m ``` Retrieve your ingress host: ```bash theme={null} kubectl -n development get ing # NAME HOSTS ADDRESS PORTS AGE # solar-system solar-system-development.172.232.87.200.nip.io 80 1m ``` ## 7. Access the Application Open the ingress hostname in your browser. You may see a self-signed TLS warning—proceed to view your live Solar System app: ![The image shows a stylized representation of the solar system with planets orbiting the sun, alongside a web interface with options to view and search for planets.](https://kodekloud.com/kk-media/image/upload/v1752876471/notes-assets/images/GitHub-Actions-Workflow-Create-Secret-and-Deploy-to-Kubernetes-Dev-Environment/solar-system-planets-web-interface.jpg) Your Solar System application is now running in the development environment, ready for integration testing! ## References * [GitHub Actions: Workflow Syntax](https://docs.github.com/en/actions/using-workflows/workflow-syntax-for-github-actions) * [Kubernetes Secrets Documentation](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/configuration/secret/) * [Kubectl Cheat Sheet](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/cheatsheet/)