Deploying containers

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Containerized applications can be deployed and managed by using the provided REST API.

The Appliance provides a REST API for managing all aspects of containerized applications. Within the see REST API documentation, select Manage: System Settings > Container Management.

The high-level steps for deploying a containerized application are as follows.
  1. Install the container extension for the containerized application.
    1. Find and download the container extension from the IBM Security® App Exchange site (https://www.ibm.com/security/community/app-exchange).
    2. Install the container extension. See Installing an extension.
  2. Verify that the metadata for the containerized application is available.
    1. Use the REST API Metadata Management > Get Container Metadata List.
    2. The returned metadata document includes information about how the containerised application can be run. This document includes details of:
      1. Which ports can be mapped. These named ports refer to ports inside the container that can be mapped to ports on the host appliance.
      2. Which configuration volumes can be supplied. These named volumes are directories inside the container that can be mapped to volumes created by using the Volume Management REST API.
      3. Which extra runtime commands can be performed on running containers. These commands can be run after the container has been started by using the Container Deployment Management > Update Container Deployment REST API.
  3. Optional: if your image registry requires authentication, or connectivity requires a proxy server:
    1. Use the REST API Registry Management > Create Registry Authentication to create a new registry with authentication details, proxy details, or both. The data that can be specified includes:
      1. The username and password to use for authentication.
      2. Proxy server details, including the scheme, host, port, username, and password.
  4. Pull the container image.
    1. Use the REST API Image Management > Pull Container Image to pull the container image. Refer to the documentation for the containerized application to find the image reference.
  5. Create and populate the configuration volumes for the container.
    1. The metadata document in the previous steps lists the volumes that can be mapped. Refer to the documentation for the containerized application for more information about the data stored on each volume.
    2. Use the REST API Volume Management > Create a Volume to create volumes, and the REST API Volume Management > Import a zip file as a volume to populate them with the required data.
  6. Create the containerised application.
    1. The metadata document in the previous steps lists the ports and volumes that can be mapped.
    2. Use the REST API Container Deployment Management > Create Container Deployment, specifying:
      1. The name of the container
      2. The image reference of a previously pulled image
      3. The type of containerized application
      4. The port mapping for the container
      5. The volume mappings for the container