# Linkerd2 Development Guide :balloon: Welcome to the Linkerd2 development guide! :wave: This document will help you build and run Linkerd2 from source. More information about testing from source can be found in the [TEST.md](TEST.md) guide. ## Table of contents - [Repo Layout](#repo-layout) - [Control Plane (Go/React)](#control-plane-goreact) - [Data Plane (Rust)](#data-plane-rust) - [Components](#components) - [Development configurations](#development-configurations) - [Comprehensive](#comprehensive) - [Deploying Control Plane components with Tracing](#deploying-control-plane-components-with-tracing) - [Publishing Images](#publishing-images) - [Go](#go) - [A note about Go run](#a-note-about-go-run) - [Lint](#lint) - [Formatting](#formatting) - [Building the CLI for development](#building-the-cli-for-development) - [Running the control plane for development](#running-the-control-plane-for-development) - [Running the Tap APIService for development](#debugging-the-tap-apiservice-for-development) - [Generating CLI docs](#generating-cli-docs) - [Web](#web) - [First time setup](#first-time-setup) - [Run web standalone](#run-web-standalone) - [Webpack dev server](#webpack-dev-server) - [JavaScript dependencies](#javascript-dependencies) - [Translations](#translations) - [Rust](#rust) - [Docker](#docker) - [Dependencies](#dependencies) - [Updating protobuf dependencies](#updating-protobuf-dependencies) - [Updating ServiceProfile generated code](#updating-serviceprofile-generated-code) - [Linkerd Helm Chart](#linkerd-helm-chart) - [Extensions Helm charts](#extensions-helm-charts) - [Making changes to the chart templates](#making-changes-to-the-chart-templates) - [Generating Helm charts docs](#generating-helm-charts-docs) - [Using helm-docs](#using-helm-docs) - [Annotating values.yaml](#annotating-valuesyaml) - [Markdown templates](#markdown-templates) ## Repo layout Linkerd2 is primarily written in Rust, Go, and React. At its core is a high-performance data plane written in Rust. The control plane components and its extensions are written in Go. The dashboard UI is a React application. ### Control Plane (Go/React) - [`cli`](cli): Command-line `linkerd` utility, view and drive the control plane. - [`controller`](controller) - [`destination`](controller/api/destination): Accepts requests from `proxy` instances and serves service discovery information. - [`proxy-injector`](controller/proxy-injector): Mutating webhook triggered by pods creation, that injects the proxy container as a sidecar. - [`identity`](controller/identity): Provides a CA to distribute certificates to proxies for them to establish mTLS connections between them. - [`viz extension`](viz) - [`metrics-api`](viz/metrics-api): Accepts requests from API clients such as cli and web, serving metrics from the proxies in the cluster through Prometheus queries. - [`tap`](viz/tap/api): Provides a live pipeline of requests. - [`tap-injector`](viz/tap/injector): Mutating webhook triggered by pods creation, that injects metadata into the proxy container in order to enable tap. - [`web`](web): Provides a UI dashboard to view and drive the control plane. - [`multicluster extension`](multicluster) - [`linkerd-gateway`]: Accepts requests from other clusters and forwards them to the appropriate destination in the local cluster. - [`linkerd-service-mirror-xxx`](multicluster/service-mirror): Controller observing the labeling of exported services in the target cluster, each one for which it will create a mirrored service in the local cluster. - [`jaeger extension`](jaeger) - [`jaeger-injector`](jaeger/injector): Mutating webhook triggered by pods creation, that expands the proxy container for it to produce tracing spans. ### Data Plane (Rust) - [`linkerd2-proxy`](https://github.com/linkerd/linkerd2-proxy): Rust source code for the proxy lives in the linkerd2-proxy repo. - [`linkerd2-proxy-api`](https://github.com/linkerd/linkerd2-proxy-api): Protobuf definitions for the data plane APIs live in the linkerd2-proxy-api repo. ## Components 

linkerd2_components digraph G { rankdir=LR; node [style=filled, shape=rect]; "cli" [color=lightblue]; "destination" [color=lightblue]; "identity" [color=lightblue]; "metrics-api" [color=lightblue]; "tap" [color=lightblue]; "web" [color=lightblue]; "proxy" [color=orange]; "cli" -> "metrics-api"; "cli" -> "tap"; "web" -> "metrics-api"; "web" -> "tap"; "web" -> "grafana"; "metrics-api" -> "prometheus"; "tap" -> "proxy"; "proxy" -> "destination"; "proxy" -> "identity"; "identity" -> "kubernetes api" "destination" -> "kubernetes api"; "grafana" -> "prometheus"; "prometheus" -> "proxy"; } linkerd2_components

## Development configurations Depending on use case, there are several configurations with which to develop and run Linkerd2: - [Comprehensive](#comprehensive): Integrated configuration using k3d, most closely matches release. - [Web](#web): Development of the Linkerd2 Dashboard. ### Comprehensive This configuration builds all Linkerd2 components in Docker images, and deploys them onto a k3d cluster. This setup most closely parallels our recommended production installation, documented in [Getting Started](https://linkerd.io/2/getting-started/). Note that you need to have first installed docker buildx, as explained [here](https://github.com/docker/buildx). ```bash # create the k3d cluster bin/k3d cluster create # build all docker images bin/docker-build # load all the images into k3d bin/image-load --k3d # install linkerd bin/linkerd install --crds | kubectl apply -f - bin/linkerd install | kubectl apply -f - # wait for the core components to be ready, then install linkerd-viz bin/linkerd viz install | kubectl apply -f - # in order to use `linkerd viz tap` against control plane components, you need # to restart them (so that the tap-injector enables tap on their proxies) kubectl -n linkerd rollout restart deploy # verify cli and server versions bin/linkerd version # validate installation bin/linkerd check --expected-version $(bin/root-tag) # view linkerd dashboard bin/linkerd viz dashboard # install the demo app curl https://run.linkerd.io/emojivoto.yml | bin/linkerd inject - | kubectl apply -f - # port-forward the demo app's frontend to see it at http://localhost:8080 kubectl -n emojivoto port-forward svc/web-svc 8080:80 # view details per deployment bin/linkerd viz -n emojivoto stat deployments # view a live pipeline of requests bin/linkerd viz -n emojivoto tap deploy voting ``` #### Deploying Control Plane components with Tracing Control Plane components have the `trace-collector` flag used to enable [Distributed Tracing](https://opentracing.io/docs/overview/what-is-tracing/) for development purposes. It can be enabled globally i.e Control plane components and their proxies by using the `--set controlPlaneTracing=true` installation flag. This will configure all the components to send the traces at `collector.{{.Values.controlPlaneTracingNamespace}}.svc.{{.Values.ClusterDomain}}:55678` ```bash # install Linkerd with tracing linkerd install --set controlPlaneTracing=true | kubectl apply -f - # install the Jaeger extension linkerd jaeger install | kubectl apply -f - # restart the control plane components so that the jaeger-injector enables # tracing in their proxies kubectl -n linkerd rollout restart deploy ``` ### Publishing images The example above builds and loads the docker images into k3d. For testing your built images outside your local environment, you need to publish your images so they become accessible in those external environments. To signal `bin/docker-build` or any of the more specific scripts `bin/docker-build-*` what registry to use, just set the environment variable `DOCKER_REGISTRY` (which defaults to the official registry `cr.l5d.io/linkerd`). After having pushed those images through the usual means (`docker push`) you'll have to pass the `--registry` flag to `linkerd install` with a value matching your registry. Extensions don't have that flag and instead you need to use the equivalent Helm value; e.g. for Viz `linkerd viz install --set defaultRegistry=...`. ### Go #### A note about Go run Our instructions use a [`bin/go-run`](bin/go-run) script in lieu `go run`. This is a convenience script that leverages caching via `go build` to make your build/run/debug loop faster. In general, replace commands like this: ```bash go run cli/main.go check ``` with this: ```bash bin/go-run cli check ``` That is equivalent to running `linkerd check` using the code on your branch. #### Lint To analyze and lint the Go code using golangci-lint, run: ```bash golangci-lint run ``` #### Formatting All Go source code is formatted with `goimports`. The version of `goimports` used by this project is specified in `go.mod`. To ensure you have the same version installed, run `go install -mod=readonly golang.org/x/tools/cmd/goimports`. It's recommended that you set your IDE or other development tools to use `goimports`. Formatting is checked during CI by the `bin/fmt` script. #### Building the CLI for development The script for building the CLI binaries using docker is `bin/docker-build-cli-bin`. This will also be called indirectly when calling `bin/docker-build`. By default it creates binaries for your current host's OS/arch. To cross-build targeting a different OS or architecture, set the environment variable `DOCKER_TARGET` according to any of the final stages available in [cli/Dockerfile](cli/Dockerfile). For local development and a faster edit-build-test cycle you can build directly without going through a docker container by calling `bin/build-cli-bin`. If you set the environment variable `LINKERD_LOCAL_BUILD_CLI=1` then `bin/docker-build` will use this last method for the step that builds the CLI. #### Running the control plane for development Linkerd2's control plane is composed of several Go microservices. You can run these components in a Kubernetes cluster, or even locally. To run an individual component locally, you can use the `go-run` command, and pass in valid Kubernetes credentials via the `-kubeconfig` flag. For instance, to run the destination service locally, run: ```bash bin/go-run controller/cmd destination -kubeconfig ~/.kube/config -log-level debug ``` You can send test requests to the destination service using the `destination-client` in the `controller/script` directory. For instance: ```bash bin/go-run controller/script/destination-client -path hello.default.svc.cluster.local:80 ``` ##### Debugging the Tap APIService for development The Tap APIService is a Kubernetes extension API server, so it can be challenging to run outside the cluster. The most straightforward workflow is to simply test changes by building and loading the container image as explained in the [comprehensive configuration](#comprehensive) section above (in order to just build this component use `bin/docker-build-tap`). #### Generating CLI docs The [documentation](https://linkerd.io/2/cli/) for the CLI tool is partially generated from YAML. This can be generated by running the `linkerd doc` command. ### Web This is a React app fronting a Go process. It uses webpack to bundle assets, and postcss to transform css. These commands assume working [Go](https://golang.org) and [Yarn](https://yarnpkg.com) environments. #### First time setup 1. Install [Yarn](https://yarnpkg.com) and use it to install JS dependencies: ```bash brew install yarn bin/web setup ``` 2. Install Linkerd on a Kubernetes cluster. #### Run web standalone ```bash bin/web run ``` The web server will be running on `localhost:7777`. #### Webpack dev server To develop with a webpack dev server: 1. Start the development server. ```bash bin/web dev ``` Note: this will start up: - `web` on :7777. This is the golang process that serves the dashboard. - `webpack-dev-server` on :8080 to manage rebuilding/reloading of the javascript. - `metrics-api` is port-forwarded from the Kubernetes cluster via `kubectl` on :8085 2. Go to [http://localhost:7777](http://localhost:7777) to see everything running. #### JavaScript dependencies To add a JS dependency: ```bash cd web/app yarn add [dep] ``` #### Translations To add a locale: ```bash cd web/app yarn lingui add-locale [locales...] # will create a messages.json file for new locale(s) ``` To extract message keys from existing components: ```bash cd web/app yarn lingui extract ... yarn lingui compile # done automatically in bin/web run ``` Finally, make sure the new locale is also referred in the following places: - Under the `lingui` section in `package.json` - In the `make-plural/plurals` import in `index.js` - In the `langOptions` object in `index.js` ### Rust All Rust development happens in the [`linkerd2-proxy`](https://github.com/linkerd/linkerd2-proxy) repo. #### Docker The `bin/docker-build-proxy` script builds the proxy by pulling a pre-published proxy binary: ```bash bin/docker-build-proxy ``` #### Locally built proxy If you want to deploy a locally built proxy, you can build it in the [`linkerd2-proxy`](https://github.com/linkerd/linkerd2-proxy) repo by running: ```bash DOCKER_TAG=cr.l5d.io/linkerd/proxy:dev make docker ``` Then, in this repo, run: ```bash ./bin/k3d image import cr.l5d.io/linkerd/proxy:dev ``` Now, to make a pod use your image, add the following annotations to it: ```yaml config.linkerd.io/proxy-version: dev ``` ## Dependencies ### Updating protobuf dependencies If you make Protobuf changes, run: ```bash bin/protoc-go.sh ``` ### Updating ServiceProfile generated code The [ServiceProfile client code](./controller/gen/client) is generated by [`bin/update-codegen.sh`](bin/update-codegen.sh), which depends on [K8s code-generator](https://github.com/kubernetes/code-generator), which does not yet support Go Modules. To re-generate this code, check out this repo into your `GOPATH`: ```bash go get -u github.com/linkerd/linkerd2 cd $GOPATH/src/github.com/linkerd/linkerd2 bin/update-codegen.sh ``` ## Linkerd Helm chart The Linkerd control plane chart is located in the [`charts/linkerd2`](charts/linkerd2) folder. The [`charts/patch`](charts/patch) chart consists of the Linkerd proxy specification, which is used by the proxy injector to inject the proxy container. Both charts depend on the partials subchart which can be found in the [`charts/partials`](charts/partials) folder. Note that the `charts/linkerd2/values.yaml` file contains a placeholder `linkerdVersionValue` that you need to replace with an appropriate string (like `edge-20.2.2`) before proceeding. During development, please use the [`bin/helm`](bin/helm) wrapper script to invoke the Helm commands. For example, ```bash bin/helm install linkerd2 charts/linkerd2 ``` This ensures that you use the same Helm version as that of the Linkerd CI system. For general instructions on how to install the charts check out the [docs](https://linkerd.io/2/tasks/install-helm/). You also need to supply or generate your own certificates to use the chart, as explained [here](https://linkerd.io/2/tasks/generate-certificates/). ### Extensions Helm charts Extensions provide each their own chart: - Viz: [`viz/charts/linkerd-viz`](viz/charts/linkerd-viz) - Multicluster: [`multicluster/charts/linkerd-multicluster`](multicluster/charts/linkerd-multicluster) - Jaeger: [`jaeger/charts/linkerd-jaeger`](jaeger/charts/linkerd-jaeger) ### Making changes to the chart templates Whenever you make changes to the files under [`charts/linkerd2/templates`](charts/linkerd2/templates) or its dependency [`charts/partials`](charts/partials), make sure to run [`bin/helm-build`](bin/helm-build) which will refresh the dependencies and lint the templates. ### Generating Helm charts docs Whenever a new chart is created or updated a README should be generated from the chart's `values.yaml`. This can be done by utilizing the bundled [helm-docs](https://github.com/norwoodj/helm-docs) binary. For adding additional information, such as specific installation instructions a README template is required to be created. Check existing charts for examples. #### Using helm-docs Example usage: ```sh bin/helm-docs bin/helm-docs --dry-run #Prints to cli instead bin/helm-docs --chart-search-root=./charts #Sets search root for charts bin/helm-docs --template-files=README.md.gotmpl #Sets the template file used ``` Note: The tool searches through the current directory and sub-directories by default. For additional information checkout their repo above. #### Annotating values.yaml To allow helm-docs to properly document the values in `values.yaml` a descriptive comment is required. This can be done in two ways. Either comment the value directly above with `# -- This is a really nice value` where the double dashes automatically annotates the value. Another explicit usage is to type out the value name. `# global.MyNiceValue -- I really like this value` #### Markdown templates In order to accommodate for extra data that might not have a proper place in the ´values.yaml´ file the corresponding ´README.md.gotmpl´ can be modified for each chart. This template allows the standard markdown syntax as well as the go templating functions. Checkout [helm-docs](https://github.com/norwoodj/helm-docs) for more info.