Skip to content

Getting started

You need one of the following:

  • A GitHub account. The free allowance for personal accounts covers a full-day workshop on a 4-core machine.
  • A modern browser. Nothing is installed on your computer.

➡ Start in Codespaces

  • 16 GB RAM or more (Docker needs 8 GB of it; 10 GB is more comfortable)
  • 4 CPU cores and ~20 GB free disk
  • Docker Desktop (Windows/macOS) or Docker Engine (Linux)
  • VS Code with the Dev Containers extension
  • Free TCP port 80, or pick another one (see the local guide)

➡ Run it locally

Fork or clone?

Argo CD, the GitOps engine, deploys the TRE from GitHub, not from files on your disk.

  • Fork the repository if you want to do the GitOps parts of the labs (adding a project by pushing a commit). The bootstrap script notices your fork and branch and tells Argo CD to follow them.
  • Clone the upstream repository if you only want to run things. Everything works, but changes you make under gitops/ won't reach the cluster unless you apply them by hand. The labs show both ways.

What happens when the container starts

sequenceDiagram
  participant VS as VS Code / Codespaces
  participant DC as dev container
  participant K as k3s-server container
  participant GH as GitHub (your fork)
  VS->>K: start k3s (single-node Kubernetes)
  VS->>DC: build tools image, run bootstrap.sh
  DC->>K: install Cilium + Hubble
  DC->>K: install Argo CD
  DC->>K: write PUBLIC_URL config
  DC->>K: apply root Application (repo + branch)
  K->>GH: Argo CD pulls gitops/
  K->>K: Argo CD deploys Keycloak, JupyterHub, Kyverno, projects...

The bootstrap takes 3–5 minutes; Argo CD then needs another 5–10 minutes to pull images and start everything. Continue with First steps while it works.