Service

The service resource represents a web service or application tab that can be displayed in the lab UI. It proxies HTTP/HTTPS traffic from the participant’s browser to a service running inside a container or VM.

HCL Syntax

Basic Syntax

resource "service" "name" {
  target = resource.container.webapp
  port   = 8080
}

Full Syntax

resource "service" "name" {
  target = resource.container.webapp
  scheme = "http"
  port   = 8080
  path   = "/app"
}

Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
target	reference	✓	Reference to the container or VM hosting the service
scheme	string		Protocol scheme: “http” or “https” (default: “http”)
port	int	✓	Port number the service is listening on
path	string		URL path to append to service requests

Deprecated Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
title	string	-	DEPRECATED: Use the title field on the tab in your layout instead

Validation Rules

• Target limitation: The target can only reference resources of type:

  • container
  • vm

  Note: Service resources cannot currently target kubernetes_cluster or ingress resources. This is a known limitation that requires workarounds for Kubernetes-based labs.

• Scheme validation: Must be either “http” or “https”

• Port validation: Must be a valid port number (1-65535)

Examples

Basic HTTP Service

resource "service" "webapp" {
  target = resource.container.app
  port   = 3000
}

HTTPS Service with Path

resource "service" "dashboard" {
  target = resource.container.grafana
  scheme = "https"
  port   = 3000
  path   = "/dashboard"
}

Multiple Services from One Container

resource "container" "multiservice" {
  image {
    name = "myapp:latest"
  }

  port {
    local = 8080
  }

  port {
    local = 8081
  }
}

resource "service" "app_ui" {
  target = resource.container.multiservice
  port   = 8080
}

resource "service" "app_api" {
  target = resource.container.multiservice
  port   = 8081
  path   = "/reference/v1"
}

Service in Layout

resource "layout" "default" {
  column {
    width = "50%"
    instructions {}
  }

  column {
    width = "50%"

    tab "webapp" {
      target = resource.service.webapp
      title  = "Web Application"
    }
  }
}

Kubernetes Workaround

Since service resources cannot directly target kubernetes_cluster resources, you need to create a proxy container:

# Proxy container for Kubernetes dashboard
resource "container" "k8s_proxy" {
  image {
    name = "bitnami/kubectl:latest"
  }

  command = ["kubectl", "proxy", "--address=0.0.0.0", "--port=8001", "--accept-hosts=.*"]

  network {
    id = resource.network.main
  }

  volume {
    source      = resource.kubernetes_cluster.k8s.kubeconfig_path
    destination = "/root/.kube/config"
    type        = "bind"
  }

  port {
    local = 8001
  }
}

# Service pointing to the proxy
resource "service" "k8s_dashboard" {
  target = resource.container.k8s_proxy
  port   = 8001
  path   = "/reference/v1/namespaces/kubernetes-dashboard/services/https:kubernetes-dashboard:/proxy/"
}

Best Practices

1. Use Meaningful Names: Name your service resources based on their function (e.g., webapp, api, dashboard)
2. Consistent Schemes: Use HTTPS for production services when certificates are properly configured
3. Path Configuration: Use the path field to route to specific application paths
4. Port Documentation: Document which ports your services use in comments
5. Health Checks: Ensure the target container has health checks configured for service availability

Common Issues

1. Target Type Error: “target can only be of the following types: container, vm”

   • Solution: Use a proxy container for Kubernetes services
   • Solution: Ensure you’re referencing a container or vm resource

2. Service Not Accessible: Service loads but shows connection errors

   • Check that the container is running and healthy
   • Verify the port number matches the service’s actual listening port
   • Ensure the container exposes the port in its configuration

3. HTTPS Certificate Issues: When using scheme “https”

   • The service must have valid SSL certificates configured
   • Consider using “http” for development/testing scenarios