Stan’s Robot Shop is an e-commerce-style sample application you can deploy to Kubernetes to explore how multiple services work together. Steve Waterworth’s 2018 tutorial describes running it on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) or locally with Minikube, then installing the Instana agent to observe the application. Treat its setup as a learning workflow, not a current production recipe: verify today’s cluster, image, and agent requirements before using it.
What Robot Shop demonstrates
Robot Shop is an educational microservices application, not a production workload. Its purpose is to give you a functioning, multi-service application to deploy and observe. IBM’s 2024 description of the expanded sample lists NodeJS/Express, Java/Spring Boot, Python/Flask, Go, PHP/Apache, MongoDB, Redis, MySQL using Maxmind data, RabbitMQ, Nginx, and AngularJS 1.x.
The Kubernetes files are in the project’s K8s directory. They define Deployments and Services: a Deployment manages Pods, while a Service provides a stable network endpoint for reaching Pods. The Instana deployment descriptor is separate, in the instana directory.
Choose GKE or Minikube
| Factor | GKE | Minikube |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Managed Kubernetes cluster in Google Cloud | Local Kubernetes environment on your computer |
| Web-service exposure in the tutorial | Change the web Service type to LoadBalancer; use its external endpoint |
Keep the web Service as NodePort; open the Minikube IP on port 30080 |
| Tools required | kubectl and Google Cloud CLI (gcloud) |
kubectl and Minikube |
| Operational and cost considerations | Requires cloud cluster setup and cloud resources; the tutorial’s three-node basic cluster is an example from 2018, not current sizing advice | Uses local machine resources and avoids setting up a managed cloud cluster |
Use Minikube when the goal is to learn the manifests and service flow on a local machine. Choose GKE when you specifically need to practice against a managed cloud cluster. The 2018 tutorial’s instructions may not match current Kubernetes, GKE, or Minikube releases, so check present-day tool and cluster requirements before deployment.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors#1 Best Overall
Prepare the cluster and project
- Install the cluster tools. Have
kubectlavailable. For GKE, also install and configuregcloud; for a local run, prepare Minikube. - Create or select a cluster. Follow the current setup flow for your chosen environment. The tutorial uses a three-node basic GKE cluster as its example only; it does not establish that size as suitable today.
- Check Kubernetes connectivity. Run
kubectl cluster-info. Continue when it reports the cluster endpoints rather than a connection error. - Get the Robot Shop project. Clone the project repository using its current published location. The tutorial’s Kubernetes manifests are under
K8s; its Instana descriptor is underinstana.
Deploy Robot Shop
- Set the web Service for your environment. In the web Service manifest, use
LoadBalancerfor GKE. For Minikube, leave the tutorial’sNodePortconfiguration in place; its documented app port is30080. - Create the namespace. Create a Kubernetes namespace named
robot-shop. - Apply the manifests. From the project checkout, apply the Kubernetes definitions in
K8sto the cluster and namespace. Confirm that the resulting Pods start; initial startup can take time while container images are retrieved. - Open the application. On GKE, use the external endpoint assigned to the web Service. On Minikube, retrieve the Minikube IP and browse to that address on port
30080.
If Pods do not start, inspect their Kubernetes status and events before changing the manifests. A pending Pod, an image retrieval problem, and an application error are different failure cases; the older tutorial does not establish current image tags or compatibility for every cluster release.
Install Instana and generate traffic
- Configure the agent deployment. Use the Instana descriptor in
instanaand provide the account key as required by the Instana setup instructions applicable to your account and agent version. - Create the agent resources and label eligible nodes. Follow the tutorial’s agent setup flow to create the resources and label nodes where the agent can run. Exact agent packaging and setup requirements can change, so use the current Instana instructions for those details.
- Wait for discovery, then exercise the shop. Browse the application or use the repository’s load-generation utility to create requests. With traffic, the tutorial demonstrates Instana discovering containers and technologies, tracing requests end to end, and building a service map.
What the observability view is for
Robot Shop makes dependencies visible because a user request crosses multiple application services and supporting technologies. Instana’s agent runs in Kubernetes; the tutorial uses it to explore infrastructure and container visibility, technology discovery, request traces, service dependencies, and dashboards. IBM’s 2024 description characterizes Instana as a real-time observability platform with monitoring, alerting, and remediation capabilities. That product description is not a guarantee that every feature is configured automatically in this sample or available in every edition.
A service map is most useful after the app has received requests: without generated traffic, there may be little request-path evidence to display. Traces help follow an individual request across services, while infrastructure and container views provide context about where those services run.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #3
What to verify before following the older walkthrough
- Confirm that the repository’s current manifests and image references are maintained and compatible with the Kubernetes version you plan to use.
- Check current GKE setup and billing details before creating a cloud cluster; the tutorial does not provide a current cost estimate.
- Use current Instana agent installation guidance for account-key handling, supported cluster configuration, and available features.
- Keep this sample isolated as a learning environment rather than treating it as a production deployment design.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
