Guide: Installing and Using Simple Container

This guide is for both DevOps teams and developers who want to install and start using Simple Container for cloud-native microservices deployment.

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1️⃣ What is Simple Container?

Simple Container is a cloud-agnostic CI/CD tool that simplifies the deployment of microservices and static websites across platforms like Kubernetes, AWS ECS, and Google Cloud.

✅ Supports multiple cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Kubernetes).

✅ Easy configuration using client.yaml and server.yaml.

✅ Secure secrets management with SSH-based encryption.

✅ Automated infrastructure provisioning and deployments.

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2️⃣ Installing sc

🔹 Install sc on Linux/macOS

To install sc, run:

curl -s "https://dist.simple-container.com/sc.sh" | bash

✅ This automatically downloads and installs sc in /usr/local/bin.

Verify the installation:

sc --version

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3️⃣ Initializing sc

After installing sc, you need to set up SSH authentication for secrets management.

🔹 Step 3: Set Up SSH Key for Secrets

If you already have an SSH key, initialize sc:

sc secrets init

If you need to generate a new SSH key, use:

sc secrets init -g

✅ This ensures that secrets can be securely encrypted and managed.

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4️⃣ Setting Up the Parent Stack (For DevOps)

The DevOps team must configure a parent stack (server.yaml) to define infrastructure and cloud resources.

🔹 Step 4: Create secrets.yaml

mkdir -p .sc/stacks/devops
touch .sc/stacks/devops/secrets.yaml

Define cloud authentication and secrets in secrets.yaml:

---
schemaVersion: 1.0

auth:
  aws:
    type: aws-token
    config:
      accessKey: "AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE"
      secretAccessKey: "wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY"
      region: "us-west-2"

values:
  CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN: "abcdefgh123456789"
  MONGODB_ATLAS_PUBLIC_KEY: "public-key-123"
  MONGODB_ATLAS_PRIVATE_KEY: "private-key-456"

✅ This securely stores AWS credentials and API tokens.

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🔹 Step 5: Define the Infrastructure in server.yaml

Now, define infrastructure resources inside .sc/stacks/devops/server.yaml:

---
schemaVersion: 1.0

provisioner:
  type: pulumi
  config:
    state-storage:
      type: s3-bucket
      config:
        credentials: "${auth:aws}"
        bucketName: myproject-sc-state
    secrets-provider:
      type: aws-kms
      config:
        credentials: "${auth:aws}"
        keyName: myproject-sc-kms-key

templates:
  stack-per-app:
    type: ecs-fargate
    config:
      credentials: "${auth:aws}"
      account: "${auth:aws.projectId}"

resources:
  staging:
    template: stack-per-app
    resources:
      mongodb:
        type: mongodb-atlas
        config:
          admins: [ "admin" ]
          developers: [ "developer1" ]
          instanceSize: "M10"
          region: "US_WEST_2"
          cloudProvider: AWS
          privateKey: "${secret:MONGODB_ATLAS_PRIVATE_KEY}"
          publicKey: "${secret:MONGODB_ATLAS_PUBLIC_KEY}"

🔹 Step 6: Provision the Parent Stack

Once server.yaml is configured, provision the infrastructure:

sc provision -s devops

✅ This creates AWS infrastructure and configures MongoDB Atlas.

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5️⃣ Setting Up Services (For Developers)

Once the parent stack is ready, developers can configure client.yaml to deploy services.

🔹 Step 7: Create client.yaml for a Microservice

mkdir -p .sc/stacks/myservice
touch .sc/stacks/myservice/client.yaml

Define the service configuration inside .sc/stacks/myservice/client.yaml:

---
schemaVersion: 1.0

stacks:
  staging:
    type: cloud-compose
    parent: myproject/devops
    config:
      domain: staging-myservice.myproject.com
      dockerComposeFile: ./docker-compose.yaml
      uses:
        - mongodb
      runs:
        - myservice
      env:
        DATABASE_HOST: "${resource:mongodb.host}"
        DATABASE_NAME: "${resource:mongodb.database}"
        DATABASE_USER: "${resource:mongodb.user}"
      secrets:
        DATABASE_PASSWORD: "${resource:mongodb.password}"

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6️⃣ Deploying a Microservice

Once client.yaml is defined, deploy the service.

🔹 Step 8: Deploy the Service to Staging

sc deploy -s myservice -e staging

✅ This builds, pushes, and deploys the service to AWS ECS Fargate.

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7️⃣ Managing Secrets with sc

🔹 Add a Secret File

sc secrets add .env

✅ Encrypts .env before committing to Git.

🔹 Hide Secrets Before Committing

sc secrets hide

✅ Ensures no secrets are leaked in Git.

🔹 Reveal Secrets After Pulling Changes

sc secrets reveal

✅ Decrypts and restores secret files locally.

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8️⃣ Summary

Step	For	Command	Purpose
Install sc	DevOps & Developers	curl -s "https://dist.simple-container.com/sc.sh" | bash	Installs Simple Container CLI
Initialize Secrets	DevOps & Developers	sc secrets init -g	Generates SSH keys for secrets
Define Infrastructure	DevOps	server.yaml	Configures cloud resources
Provision Infra	DevOps	sc provision -s devops	Deploys AWS/GCP/Kubernetes resources
Define a Service	Developers	client.yaml	Configures microservice deployment
Deploy a Service	Developers	sc deploy -s myservice -e staging	Deploys microservice to the cloud
Manage Secrets	DevOps	sc secrets add .env	Encrypts a secret file