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Publish to Test

Work in progress — 2026-04-17

The ArgoCD registration step (step 2) is being simplified. The commands shown below reflect the current workflow but may change as the UIS tooling evolves.

Once your app runs locally (see Developer Setup Guide), the next step is to deploy it to your local Kubernetes cluster so it runs the same way it would in production — inside a container, behind an ingress, automatically redeployed on every push.

Step by step​

1. Push to GitHub​

Commit your code and push to GitHub:

git add . && git commit -m "Initial template" && git push

GitHub Actions builds the container image from your Dockerfile and pushes it to the GitHub Container Registry (GHCR). Check the build status on the GitHub Actions page or with:

gh run list

2. Register with ArgoCD​

ArgoCD watches your GitHub repository and automatically deploys new versions to the local Kubernetes cluster whenever you push. You register your app once — after that, every push triggers a redeploy.

From the host machine (not inside the devcontainer):

./uis argocd register <app-name> <github-repo-url>

For example:

./uis argocd register my-app https://github.com/username/my-repo

This does three things:

  • Registers the repository with ArgoCD
  • Creates a Kubernetes namespace for your app
  • Sets up a Traefik IngressRoute so the app is accessible at http://<app-name>.localhost

No manual DNS or ingress configuration needed.

3. Verify​

Open http://<app-name>.localhost in your browser. You should see your app running inside the cluster.

4. Ongoing development​

The workflow is now fully automated:

  1. Write and test code locally inside the devcontainer
  2. Push to GitHub
  3. GitHub Actions builds a new container image
  4. ArgoCD detects the change and deploys the new version
  5. Your app is live at http://<app-name>.localhost

Every push lands a new version in the cluster within a couple of minutes.

What comes next​

When the solution is ready for sharing or evaluation by central IT, the code is already in a structured format that follows the organisation's standards. The adoption process is administrative, not technical — see Eir's Walkthrough for what that looks like.

For deploying to production environments (e.g. Azure Container Apps for Red Cross), see the deployment target documentation (coming soon).

Optional: GitHub CLI​

The GitHub CLI lets you check build status and manage repositories from the command line. Set it up inside the devcontainer:

gh auth login

Follow the prompts (GitHub.com → HTTPS → authenticate via browser). After authenticating:

gh repo list
gh run list

See GitHub CLI documentation for more.

Prerequisites​

GitHub Authentication​

Before pushing code and pulling container images, you need a GitHub Personal Access Token. ArgoCD uses it to pull images from GHCR.

  1. Go to GitHub's Personal Access Tokens page
  2. Click "Generate new token" > "Generate new token (classic)"
  3. Name your token: "Urbalurba Infrastructure"
  4. Expiration: select "No expiration" (or a suitable expiration date)
  5. Select scopes: repo and write:packages
  6. Click "Generate token" and copy it immediately (it will only be shown once)

For detailed instructions, see the official GitHub documentation.

Keep the token secure and do not share it with anyone.