Set up a proxyless gRPC service mesh on GKE

This pages describes how to deploy an example proxyless gRPC client and server to a Cloud Service Mesh.

Prerequisites

As a starting point, this guide assumes that you have already:

• Created a GKE cluster and registered it to a fleet.
• Installed the custom resource definitions.

Requirements

This section lists the requirements for supported services:

• gRPC C++ - version 1.68.1 or later
• gRPC Java - version 1.68.2 or later
• gRPC Go - version 1.68.0 or later
• gRPC Python - version 1.68.1 or later

Set up the Proxyless gRPC Service

This guide outlines two methods for setting up a proxyless gRPC service within your service mesh:

Method 1: Manual Configuration

This method requires you to manually configure the necessary components for your proxyless gRPC service.

• InitContainer: Use an initContainer within your pod's specification to execute the Cloud Service Mesh gRPC Bootstrap generator. This generator produces the required configuration for your service.
• Volume Mount: Mount a volume that contains the generated configuration from the initContainer. This ensures your application can access the necessary settings.
• Environment Variables: Include the appropriate environment variables to enable CSM Observability metrics emission from your application. These metrics provide valuable insights into your service's performance.

Method 2: Automatic using Proxyless Bootstrap Injector

Instead of manually configuring your proxyless gRPC service, you can opt for a simplified approach using the Proxyless Bootstrap Injector.

This feature automates the setup process, making it easier to deploy your service. To enable it, add the label mesh.cloud.google.com/csm-injection=proxyless to your namespace.

By adding this label to your namespace, the injector takes care of all the necessary configurations, saving you valuable time and effort.

If you need more granular control you can also apply this label directly to individual pods. This lets you to override the namespace-level setting and customize the injection behavior on a per-pod basis.

Note: The Proxyless Bootstrap Injector simplifies the setup of your proxyless gRPC service. However, it does introduce a dependency on Google infrastructure for pod initialization. If you prefer to avoid this dependency for reliability or other reasons, you can maintain greater control by using the manual configuration method. This provides a more self-contained approach, though it requires additional steps.

By following either of these methods, you can successfully establish a proxyless gRPC service within your service mesh.

Manual

1. Apply the Namespace

   kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
   ---
   kind: Namespace
   apiVersion: v1
   metadata:
    name: proxyless-example
   EOF
   

2. Deploy a gRPC service:

C++

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: helloworld
  namespace: proxyless-example
spec:
  selector:
    app: psm-grpc-server
  ports:
  - port: 50051
    targetPort: 50051
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-server
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-server
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-server
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-server
        service.istio.io/canonical-name: deployment-psm-grpc-server
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-server
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-cpp-server:v1.68.1
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--port=50051"
        ports:
          - containerPort: 50051
        env:
          - name: GRPC_XDS_BOOTSTRAP
            value: "/tmp/grpc-xds/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
          - name: POD_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.name
          - name: CONTAINER_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-server
          - name: NAMESPACE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.namespace
          - name: CSM_WORKLOAD_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-server
          - name: CSM_CANONICAL_SERVICE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.labels['service.istio.io/canonical-name']
          - name: CSM_MESH_ID
            value: proj-PROJECT_NUMBER
          - name: OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES
            value: k8s.pod.name=\$(POD_NAME),k8s.namespace.name=\$(NAMESPACE_NAME),k8s.container.name=\$(CONTAINER_NAME)
        volumeMounts:
          - mountPath: /tmp/grpc-xds/
            name: grpc-td-conf
            readOnly: true
      initContainers:
        - name: grpc-td-init
          image: gcr.io/trafficdirector-prod/td-grpc-bootstrap:0.16.0
          imagePullPolicy: Always
          args:
            - "--output=/tmp/bootstrap/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
            - "--vpc-network-name=default"
            - "--xds-server-uri=trafficdirector.googleapis.com:443"
            - "--generate-mesh-id"
          volumeMounts:
            - mountPath: /tmp/bootstrap/
              name: grpc-td-conf
      volumes:
        - name: grpc-td-conf
          emptyDir:
            medium: Memory
EOF

Java

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: helloworld
  namespace: proxyless-example
spec:
  selector:
    app: psm-grpc-server
  ports:
  - port: 50051
    targetPort: 50051
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-server
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-server
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-server
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-server
        service.istio.io/canonical-name: deployment-psm-grpc-server
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-server
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-java-server:v1.68.2
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "50051"
          - "9464"
        ports:
          - containerPort: 50051
        env:
          - name: GRPC_XDS_BOOTSTRAP
            value: "/tmp/grpc-xds/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
          - name: POD_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.name
          - name: CONTAINER_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-server
          - name: NAMESPACE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.namespace
          - name: CSM_WORKLOAD_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-server
          - name: CSM_CANONICAL_SERVICE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.labels['service.istio.io/canonical-name']
          - name: CSM_MESH_ID
            value: proj-PROJECT_NUMBER
          - name: OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES
            value: k8s.pod.name=\$(POD_NAME),k8s.namespace.name=\$(NAMESPACE_NAME),k8s.container.name=\$(CONTAINER_NAME)
        volumeMounts:
          - mountPath: /tmp/grpc-xds/
            name: grpc-td-conf
            readOnly: true
      initContainers:
        - name: grpc-td-init
          image: gcr.io/trafficdirector-prod/td-grpc-bootstrap:0.16.0
          imagePullPolicy: Always
          args:
            - "--output=/tmp/bootstrap/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
            - "--vpc-network-name=default"
            - "--xds-server-uri=trafficdirector.googleapis.com:443"
            - "--generate-mesh-id"
          volumeMounts:
            - mountPath: /tmp/bootstrap/
              name: grpc-td-conf
      volumes:
        - name: grpc-td-conf
          emptyDir:
            medium: Memory
EOF

Go

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: helloworld
  namespace: proxyless-example
spec:
  selector:
    app: psm-grpc-server
  ports:
  - port: 50051
    targetPort: 50051
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-server
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-server
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-server
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-server
        service.istio.io/canonical-name: deployment-psm-grpc-server
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-server
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-go-server:v1.69.0
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--port=50051"
        ports:
          - containerPort: 50051
        env:
          - name: GRPC_XDS_BOOTSTRAP
            value: "/tmp/grpc-xds/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
          - name: POD_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.name
          - name: CONTAINER_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-server
          - name: NAMESPACE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.namespace
          - name: CSM_WORKLOAD_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-server
          - name: CSM_CANONICAL_SERVICE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.labels['service.istio.io/canonical-name']
          - name: CSM_MESH_ID
            value: proj-PROJECT_NUMBER
          - name: OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES
            value: k8s.pod.name=\$(POD_NAME),k8s.namespace.name=\$(NAMESPACE_NAME),k8s.container.name=\$(CONTAINER_NAME)
        volumeMounts:
          - mountPath: /tmp/grpc-xds/
            name: grpc-td-conf
            readOnly: true
      initContainers:
        - name: grpc-td-init
          image: gcr.io/trafficdirector-prod/td-grpc-bootstrap:0.16.0
          imagePullPolicy: Always
          args:
            - "--output=/tmp/bootstrap/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
            - "--vpc-network-name=default"
            - "--xds-server-uri=trafficdirector.googleapis.com:443"
            - "--generate-mesh-id"
          volumeMounts:
            - mountPath: /tmp/bootstrap/
              name: grpc-td-conf
      volumes:
        - name: grpc-td-conf
          emptyDir:
            medium: Memory
EOF

Python

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: helloworld
  namespace: proxyless-example
spec:
  selector:
    app: psm-grpc-server
  ports:
  - port: 50051
    targetPort: 50051
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-server
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-server
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-server
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-server
        service.istio.io/canonical-name: deployment-psm-grpc-server
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-server
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-python-server:v1.68.1
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--port=50051"
        ports:
          - containerPort: 50051
        env:
          - name: GRPC_XDS_BOOTSTRAP
            value: "/tmp/grpc-xds/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
          - name: POD_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.name
          - name: CONTAINER_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-server
          - name: NAMESPACE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.namespace
          - name: CSM_WORKLOAD_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-server
          - name: CSM_CANONICAL_SERVICE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.labels['service.istio.io/canonical-name']
          - name: CSM_MESH_ID
            value: proj-PROJECT_NUMBER
          - name: OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES
            value: k8s.pod.name=\$(POD_NAME),k8s.namespace.name=\$(NAMESPACE_NAME),k8s.container.name=\$(CONTAINER_NAME)
        volumeMounts:
          - mountPath: /tmp/grpc-xds/
            name: grpc-td-conf
            readOnly: true
      initContainers:
        - name: grpc-td-init
          image: gcr.io/trafficdirector-prod/td-grpc-bootstrap:0.16.0
          imagePullPolicy: Always
          args:
            - "--output=/tmp/bootstrap/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
            - "--vpc-network-name=default"
            - "--xds-server-uri=trafficdirector.googleapis.com:443"
            - "--generate-mesh-id"
          volumeMounts:
            - mountPath: /tmp/bootstrap/
              name: grpc-td-conf
      volumes:
        - name: grpc-td-conf
          emptyDir:
            medium: Memory
EOF

The output is similar to

namespace/proxyless-example created
service/helloworld created
deployment.apps/psm-grpc-server created

Automatic

1. Apply the Namespace

   kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
   ---
   kind: Namespace
   apiVersion: v1
   metadata:
    name: proxyless-example
   EOF
   

2. Run the following command to enable Proxyless Bootstrap Injector in the proxyless-example namespace:

   kubectl label namespace proxyless-example mesh.cloud.google.com/csm-injection=proxyless
   

3. Deploy a gRPC service:

C++

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: helloworld
  namespace: proxyless-example
spec:
  selector:
    app: psm-grpc-server
  ports:
  - port: 50051
    targetPort: 50051
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-server
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-server
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-server
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-server
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-server
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-cpp-server:v1.68.1
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--port=50051"
        ports:
          - containerPort: 50051
EOF

Java

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: helloworld
  namespace: proxyless-example
spec:
  selector:
    app: psm-grpc-server
  ports:
  - port: 50051
    targetPort: 50051
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-server
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-server
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-server
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-server
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-server
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-java-server:v1.68.2
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "50051"
          - "9464"
        ports:
          - containerPort: 50051
EOF

Go

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: helloworld
  namespace: proxyless-example
spec:
  selector:
    app: psm-grpc-server
  ports:
  - port: 50051
    targetPort: 50051
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-server
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-server
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-server
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-server
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-server
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-go-server:v1.69.0
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--port=50051"
        ports:
          - containerPort: 50051
EOF

Python

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: helloworld
  namespace: proxyless-example
spec:
  selector:
    app: psm-grpc-server
  ports:
  - port: 50051
    targetPort: 50051
---
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-server
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-server
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-server
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-server
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-server
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-python-server:v1.68.1
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--port=50051"
        ports:
          - containerPort: 50051
EOF

The output is similar to

namespace/proxyless-example created
service/helloworld created
deployment.apps/psm-grpc-server created

1. Verify that the Pods have been created:

   kubectl get pods -n proxyless-example
   

   The output is similar to

   NAME                               READY   STATUS    RESTARTS   AGE
   psm-grpc-server-65966bf76d-2wwxz   1/1     Running   0          13s
   psm-grpc-server-65966bf76d-nbxd2   1/1     Running   0          13s
   

   Wait for all Pods to be ready and have the Status Running before continuing.

2. Deploy a HTTPRoute:

   kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
   apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1beta1
   kind: HTTPRoute
   metadata:
     name: app1
     namespace: proxyless-example
   spec:
     parentRefs:
     - name: helloworld
       namespace: proxyless-example
       kind: Service
       group: ""
     rules:
     - backendRefs:
       - name: helloworld
         port: 50051
   EOF
   

   This command creates an HTTPRoute called app1 and sends all RPCs to the helloworld service.

   Note that the parentRef service is also helloworld which means our HTTPRoute is attached to this service and will process all RPCs addressed to this service. In case of proxyless gRPC it means any client sending RPCs on a gRPC channel for target xds:///helloworld.proxyless-example.svc.cluster.local:50051.

3. Verify that the new app1 HTTPRoute has been created:

   kubectl get httproute
   

   The output is similar to

   NAME   HOSTNAMES   AGE
   app1               72s
   

Set up the Proxyless gRPC Client

This sections describes how to use a gRPC client to verify that Cloud Service Mesh is routing traffic correctly in the mesh.

Just like configuring the service, you have two choices for setting up the client:

Method 1: Manual Configuration

This approach involves manually setting up the necessary components for your client, mirroring the manual service configuration.

Method 2: Automatic using Proxyless Bootstrap Injector

Alternatively, you can use the automatic injector to streamline the client setup process. This simplifies configuration and reduces manual intervention. This is achieved by applying the label on the namespace.

Both options provide the necessary capabilities for your client. Choose the method that best suits your needs and preferences.

Manual

Run a gRPC client and direct it to use the routing configuration specified by the HTTPRoute:

C++

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-client
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-client
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-client
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-client
        service.istio.io/canonical-name: deployment-psm-grpc-client
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-client
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-cpp-client:v1.68.1
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--target=xds:///helloworld.proxyless-example.svc.cluster.local:50051"
        env:
          - name: GRPC_XDS_BOOTSTRAP
            value: "/tmp/grpc-xds/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
          - name: CSM_WORKLOAD_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-client
          - name: CSM_CANONICAL_SERVICE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.labels['service.istio.io/canonical-name']
          - name: CSM_MESH_ID
            value: proj-PROJECT_NUMBER
          - name: POD_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.name
          - name: NAMESPACE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.namespace
          - name: CONTAINER_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-client
          - name: OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES
            value: k8s.pod.name=\$(POD_NAME),k8s.namespace.name=\$(NAMESPACE_NAME),k8s.container.name=\$(CONTAINER_NAME)
        volumeMounts:
          - mountPath: /tmp/grpc-xds/
            name: grpc-td-conf
            readOnly: true
      initContainers:
        - name: grpc-td-init
          image:  gcr.io/trafficdirector-prod/td-grpc-bootstrap:0.16.0
          imagePullPolicy: Always
          args:
            - "--output=/tmp/bootstrap/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
            - "--vpc-network-name=default"
            - "--xds-server-uri=trafficdirector.googleapis.com:443"
            - "--generate-mesh-id"
          volumeMounts:
            - mountPath: /tmp/bootstrap/
              name: grpc-td-conf
      volumes:
        - name: grpc-td-conf
          emptyDir:
            medium: Memory

EOF

Java

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-client
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-client
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-client
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-client
        service.istio.io/canonical-name: deployment-psm-grpc-client
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-client
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-java-client:v1.68.2
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "world"
          - "xds:///helloworld.proxyless-example.svc.cluster.local:50051"
          - "9464"
        env:
          - name: GRPC_XDS_BOOTSTRAP
            value: "/tmp/grpc-xds/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
          - name: CSM_WORKLOAD_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-client
          - name: CSM_CANONICAL_SERVICE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.labels['service.istio.io/canonical-name']
          - name: CSM_MESH_ID
            value: proj-PROJECT_NUMBER
          - name: POD_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.name
          - name: NAMESPACE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.namespace
          - name: CONTAINER_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-client
          - name: OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES
            value: k8s.pod.name=\$(POD_NAME),k8s.namespace.name=\$(NAMESPACE_NAME),k8s.container.name=\$(CONTAINER_NAME)
        volumeMounts:
          - mountPath: /tmp/grpc-xds/
            name: grpc-td-conf
            readOnly: true
      initContainers:
        - name: grpc-td-init
          image:  gcr.io/trafficdirector-prod/td-grpc-bootstrap:0.16.0
          imagePullPolicy: Always
          args:
            - "--output=/tmp/bootstrap/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
            - "--vpc-network-name=default"
            - "--xds-server-uri=trafficdirector.googleapis.com:443"
            - "--generate-mesh-id"
          volumeMounts:
            - mountPath: /tmp/bootstrap/
              name: grpc-td-conf
      volumes:
        - name: grpc-td-conf
          emptyDir:
            medium: Memory

EOF

Go

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-client
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-client
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-client
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-client
        service.istio.io/canonical-name: deployment-psm-grpc-client
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-client
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-go-client:v1.69.0
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--target=xds:///helloworld.proxyless-example.svc.cluster.local:50051"
        env:
          - name: GRPC_XDS_BOOTSTRAP
            value: "/tmp/grpc-xds/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
          - name: CSM_WORKLOAD_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-client
          - name: CSM_CANONICAL_SERVICE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.labels['service.istio.io/canonical-name']
          - name: CSM_MESH_ID
            value: proj-PROJECT_NUMBER
          - name: POD_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.name
          - name: NAMESPACE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.namespace
          - name: CONTAINER_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-client
          - name: OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES
            value: k8s.pod.name=\$(POD_NAME),k8s.namespace.name=\$(NAMESPACE_NAME),k8s.container.name=\$(CONTAINER_NAME)
        volumeMounts:
          - mountPath: /tmp/grpc-xds/
            name: grpc-td-conf
            readOnly: true
      initContainers:
        - name: grpc-td-init
          image:  gcr.io/trafficdirector-prod/td-grpc-bootstrap:0.16.0
          imagePullPolicy: Always
          args:
            - "--output=/tmp/bootstrap/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
            - "--vpc-network-name=default"
            - "--xds-server-uri=trafficdirector.googleapis.com:443"
            - "--generate-mesh-id"
          volumeMounts:
            - mountPath: /tmp/bootstrap/
              name: grpc-td-conf
      volumes:
        - name: grpc-td-conf
          emptyDir:
            medium: Memory

EOF

Python

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-client
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-client
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-client
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-client
        service.istio.io/canonical-name: deployment-psm-grpc-client
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-client
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-python-client:v1.68.1
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--target=xds:///helloworld.proxyless-example.svc.cluster.local:50051"
        env:
          - name: GRPC_XDS_BOOTSTRAP
            value: "/tmp/grpc-xds/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
          - name: CSM_WORKLOAD_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-client
          - name: CSM_CANONICAL_SERVICE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.labels['service.istio.io/canonical-name']
          - name: CSM_MESH_ID
            value: proj-PROJECT_NUMBER
          - name: POD_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.name
          - name: NAMESPACE_NAME
            valueFrom:
              fieldRef:
                fieldPath: metadata.namespace
          - name: CONTAINER_NAME
            value: psm-grpc-client
          - name: OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES
            value: k8s.pod.name=\$(POD_NAME),k8s.namespace.name=\$(NAMESPACE_NAME),k8s.container.name=\$(CONTAINER_NAME)
        volumeMounts:
          - mountPath: /tmp/grpc-xds/
            name: grpc-td-conf
            readOnly: true
      initContainers:
        - name: grpc-td-init
          image:  gcr.io/trafficdirector-prod/td-grpc-bootstrap:0.16.0
          imagePullPolicy: Always
          args:
            - "--output=/tmp/bootstrap/td-grpc-bootstrap.json"
            - "--vpc-network-name=default"
            - "--xds-server-uri=trafficdirector.googleapis.com:443"
            - "--generate-mesh-id"
          volumeMounts:
            - mountPath: /tmp/bootstrap/
              name: grpc-td-conf
      volumes:
        - name: grpc-td-conf
          emptyDir:
            medium: Memory

EOF

Automatic

Run a gRPC client and direct it to use the routing configuration specified by the HTTPRoute:

C++

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-client
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-client
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-client
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-client
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-client
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-cpp-client:v1.68.1
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--target=xds:///helloworld.proxyless-example.svc.cluster.local:50051"
EOF

Java

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-client
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-client
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-client
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-client
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-client
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-java-client:v1.68.2
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "world"
          - "xds:///helloworld.proxyless-example.svc.cluster.local:50051"
          - "9464"
EOF

Go

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-client
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-client
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-client
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-client
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-client
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-go-client:v1.69.0
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--target=xds:///helloworld.proxyless-example.svc.cluster.local:50051"
EOF

Python

kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: psm-grpc-client
  namespace: proxyless-example
  labels:
    app: psm-grpc-client
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: psm-grpc-client
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: psm-grpc-client
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: psm-grpc-client
        image: grpc/csm-o11y-example-python-client:v1.68.1
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        args:
          - "--target=xds:///helloworld.proxyless-example.svc.cluster.local:50051"
EOF

The output is similar to

deployment.apps/psm-grpc-client created

To verify if the client was able to reach the service, view the client's logs:

kubectl logs -n proxyless-example $(kubectl get po -n proxyless-example | grep psm-grpc-client | awk '{print $1;}') -f

The output is similar to:

Defaulted container "psm-grpc-client" out of: psm-grpc-client, grpc-td-init (init)
Greeter received: Hello from psm-grpc-server-xxxxxxx-xxxx world

Google Cloud Managed Service for Prometheus Setup (Optional)

You can deploy the Google Cloud Managed Service for Prometheus PodMonitoring resource to export the metrics to Cloud Monitoring.

• For servers, run the following command:

  kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
  apiVersion: monitoring.googleapis.com/v1
  kind: PodMonitoring
  metadata:
    name: psm-grpc-server-gmp
    namespace: proxyless-example
  spec:
    selector:
      matchLabels:
        app: psm-grpc-server
    endpoints:
    - port: 9464
      interval: 10s
  EOF
  

• For clients, , run the following command:

  kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
  apiVersion: monitoring.googleapis.com/v1
  kind: PodMonitoring
  metadata:
    name: psm-grpc-client-gmp
    namespace: proxyless-example
  spec:
    selector:
      matchLabels:
        app: psm-grpc-client
    endpoints:
    - port: 9464
      interval: 10s
  EOF
  

  After deploying the PodMonitoring resource, each matching pod's localhost:9464/metrics will be scraped every 10 seconds and will export the results to Cloud Monitoring.

To view the metrics in Cloud Monitoring, perform the following steps:

you can navigate to the "Metrics Explorer" section of your Google Cloud console, select Prometheus Target > Grpc to find the metrics.

Go to Metrics Explorer

You can observe the deployed workloads and services in the "Service Mesh" section of your Google Cloud console.

Go to Service Mesh

Troubleshoot Cloud Service Mesh observability

This section shows how to troubleshoot common issues.

Metrics are not exported / displayed

Make sure that all binaries involved (both client and server) are set up with Observability.

If you're using the Prometheus exporter, verify that the URL for the Prometheus exporter is set up as expected.

Make sure that the gRPC channels are Cloud Service Mesh enabled. The channels should have a target of the form xds:///. gRPC servers are always enabled for Cloud Service Mesh.

No metrics exported / An attribute value on a metric shows up as unknown

Cloud Service Mesh Observability determines the mesh topological information through environment labels. Make sure that the Pod or service spec for both the client and the service specify all the labels as described in the example.

1. Describe the psm-grpc-server deployment:

   kubectl describe Deployment psm-grpc-server | grep "psm-grpc-server:" -A 12
   

   The output is similar to:

   psm-grpc-server:
   Image:      grpc/csm-example-server:2024-02-13
   Port:       50051/TCP
   Host Port:  0/TCP
   Args:
     --port=50051
   Environment:
     GRPC_XDS_BOOTSTRAP:          /tmp/grpc-xds/td-grpc-bootstrap.json
     POD_NAME:                     (v1:metadata.name)
     NAMESPACE_NAME:               (v1:metadata.namespace)
     CSM_WORKLOAD_NAME:           psm-grpc-server
     OTEL_RESOURCE_ATTRIBUTES:    k8s.pod.name=$(POD_NAME),k8s.namespace.name=$(NAMESPACE_NAME),k8s.container.name=$(CONTAINER_NAME)
   

2. Describe the psm-grpc-client deployment:

   kubectl describe Deployment psm-grpc-client | grep "psm-grpc-client:" -A 12
   

   The output is similar to:

   psm-grpc-client:
   Image:      grpc/csm-example-client:2024-02-13
   Port:       <none>
   Host Port:  <none>
   Args:
     --target=xds:///helloworld.proxyless-example.svc.cluster.local:50051
   Environment:
     GRPC_XDS_BOOTSTRAP:          /tmp/grpc-xds/td-grpc-bootstrap.json
     CSM_WORKLOAD_NAME:           test-workload-name
     POD_NAME:                     (v1:metadata.name)
     NAMESPACE_NAME:               (v1:metadata.namespace)
     CONTAINER_NAME:              psm-grpc-client