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rootnode-academy/README.md
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docs(phase5a): student identity and remote classroom documentation
- PHASE5A_STUDENT_IDENTITY_REMOTE_CLASSROOM.md: the full design doc.
- RUNBOOK_STUDENT_ACCOUNT_LIFECYCLE.md, RUNBOOK_REMOTE_CLASSROOM.md: operational runbooks.
- REMOTE_AND_SELF_PACED_ARCHITECTURE.md: closes the 'no real student authentication' gap this
  doc previously flagged as the one item blocking self-paced delivery.
- ENGINEERING_SOP.md §5 rewritten (was describing a pre-Phase-2A state no longer true of any
  deployed version of this codebase) plus a new §14; roadmap item 3 updated.
- LAB_ARCHITECTURE.md, PRODUCTION_VALIDATION_CHECKLIST.md, README.md, platform/README.md:
  cross-references and a Phase 5A production-validation section.
2026-08-25 01:20:13 -05:00

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<div align="center">
<img src="frontend/public/logo.svg" alt="KubeKosh" height="96" />
# KubeKosh — RootNode Academy Edition
**A browser-based Kubernetes lab for hands-on learners.**
Real K3s. Real `kubectl`. Instant validation. No cloud account, no local cluster.
[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache%202.0-blue?style=flat-square)](LICENSE)
[![Platforms](https://img.shields.io/badge/platforms-amd64%20%7C%20arm64-lightgrey?style=flat-square)](#)
[![Kubernetes](https://img.shields.io/badge/Kubernetes-K3s-326CE5?style=flat-square&logo=kubernetes&logoColor=white)](https://k3s.io)
[![Docker](https://img.shields.io/badge/Docker-required-2496ED?style=flat-square&logo=docker&logoColor=white)](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/)
[![Maintained by ced4568](https://img.shields.io/badge/maintained%20by-ced4568-181717?style=flat-square&logo=github)](https://github.com/ced4568)
</div>
---
> **Attribution.** This is a branded, modified fork of the excellent
> [`zeborg/kubekosh`](https://github.com/zeborg/kubekosh), licensed under Apache 2.0.
> RootNode Academy adds custom scenarios, branding, and multi-student deployment tooling on
> top of the upstream project. Original copyright and license notices are preserved in
> [`LICENSE`](LICENSE). Modified files are marked per Apache 2.0 §4. Full credit to
> the original author for the core platform.
---
## What It Is
KubeKosh runs a real single-node [K3s](https://k3s.io) cluster inside one Docker
container and pairs it with a browser terminal and automated scenario validation.
A learner opens a tab, gets a live cluster, runs real `kubectl`, and clicks **Validate**
to check their work against actual cluster state.
In the RootNode Academy curriculum this is the **capstone rung** — the Kubernetes & DevOps
track that sits on top of the Linux / Git / Docker foundations. It is aimed at the
advanced learner (roughly 14+), not the absolute beginner.
---
## Quick Start
**Prerequisite:** [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/)
```bash
docker run -itd --name kubekosh --privileged -p 7554:80 ced4568/kubekosh:latest
```
Open **http://localhost:7554** and wait ~30s for the *Cluster Ready* indicator to turn green.
> `--privileged` is required — K3s needs kernel namespaces and cgroups.
> **Do not expose this container directly to the public internet.** It is a teaching
> sandbox. Multi-student exposure is handled by the deployment layer below, not by
> publishing the raw container.
### Persist Progress
```bash
docker run -itd --name kubekosh --privileged -p 7554:80 \
-v <host_dir>:/data ced4568/kubekosh:latest
```
Progress is stored in SQLite at `/data/progress.db`. Mount a host directory to `/data`
to keep progress across restarts — one volume per student.
### Build From Source
```bash
docker build -t kubekosh .
# multi-platform
docker buildx build --platform linux/amd64,linux/arm64 -t kubekosh .
```
---
## What's Inside
| Bundle | Focus | Exam Mode |
| ------ | ----- | --------- |
| 🌱 Kubernetes Basics | Core concepts | 60 min |
| 🧑‍✈️ Kubernetes Administrator | CKA | 120 min |
| 🛠️ Kubernetes Developer | CKAD | 120 min |
| 🛡️ Kubernetes Security | CKS | 120 min |
**Scenario types**
- **Task** — hands-on challenge in the live terminal; **Validate** auto-checks cluster state.
- **MCQ** — multiple choice with a detailed explanation on submission.
Custom RootNode Academy scenarios live alongside upstream ones in `scenarios/data/` and are
grouped into bundles in `scenarios/bundles/`. See [`scenarios/SCHEMA.md`](scenarios/SCHEMA.md).
---
## Architecture
```mermaid
flowchart TD
subgraph Container["Single Docker Image (--privileged)"]
NGINX["nginx :80 — reverse proxy"]
FE["Frontend<br/>React + Vite + xterm.js"]
BE["Backend<br/>Node / Express + node-pty (WebSocket PTY)"]
K3S["K3s<br/>single-node in-container cluster"]
DB[("SQLite<br/>/data/progress.db")]
NGINX --> FE
NGINX --> BE
BE -->|kubectl / PTY| K3S
BE --> DB
end
Student["Learner browser"] -->|:7554| NGINX
```
| Component | Technology |
| --------- | ---------- |
| Frontend | React + Vite, `xterm.js` |
| Backend | Node.js / Express, `node-pty` WebSocket PTY |
| Cluster | K3s (single-node, in-container) |
| Proxy | nginx on port `80`, mapped to host `7554` |
| Storage | SQLite (`better-sqlite3`) at `/data/progress.db` |
Everything runs inside one image managed by `scripts/entrypoint.sh`.
---
## Multi-Student Deployment (RootNode Academy addition)
The upstream project assumes one learner, one container — this image is still exactly that.
Its backend/entrypoint/Dockerfile are unmodified except for a node-pty build fix (see
`docs/PHASE2A_GATEWAY_AND_STUDENT_FLOW.md` §1); its frontend bundle gained progressive-hint
controls and an assessment-mode indicator in Phase 3B (`docs/PHASE3B_LEARNING_AND_ASSESSMENT.md`
§10–11) — additive UI, not a rewrite of the Lab experience. RootNode Academy multiplies the
image into a real platform via separate provisioning and gateway layers rather than changing
its core:
- `platform/provisioner/` — Postgres-backed environment registry, per-student Docker
networking, firewall-enforced egress, idle reaper (`docs/PHASE1_PLATFORM_FOUNDATION.md`).
- `platform/api/` — lightweight Platform API: students, cohorts, curriculum, progress, detailed
scenario attempt telemetry, progressive hints, assessment/capstone engine, achievements,
persistent student/instructor sessions, per-instructor accounts (RBAC: owner/admin/
instructor), audit log, instructor/admin control plane. No k3s, no `--privileged`
(`docs/PHASE2B_ADMIN_AND_PLATFORM_DATA.md`, `docs/PHASE3A_IDENTITY_AND_INSTRUCTOR_ACCESS.md`,
`docs/PHASE3B_LEARNING_AND_ASSESSMENT.md`).
- `platform/gateway/` — the only student-facing path to a Lab: resolves identity from a
server-controlled, persistent session cookie (not a client-suppliable header/param), proxies
HTTP/WebSocket into that one student's container, never a raw container IP/port, and
server-gates progressive hint reveal by stripping the Lab's own hint payload before it reaches
the browser (`docs/PHASE2A_GATEWAY_AND_STUDENT_FLOW.md`, session model in
`docs/PHASE3A_IDENTITY_AND_INSTRUCTOR_ACCESS.md` §3, hint gating in
`docs/PHASE3B_LEARNING_AND_ASSESSMENT.md` §3).
- The student flow (real login (email or instructor-assigned login ID) or legacy pilot roster
entry → curriculum dashboard → Launch Lab → practice/assessments/capstone → achievements →
live classroom → profile) lives in `frontend/src/platform/`; the instructor/admin portal
(per-instructor login, cohorts, students with credential/CSV-import management, a remote
classroom control center, instructor accounts, audit log, environment controls, learning
analytics, assessment/capstone management) lives in `frontend/src/admin/` at the `/admin`
route — both additions alongside the existing Lab UI, not a rewrite of it.
- Students authenticate with real credentials as of Phase 5A (email+password or
login-identifier+password, first-login/reset via a single-use token an instructor relays) —
see `docs/PHASE5A_STUDENT_IDENTITY_REMOTE_CLASSROOM.md`. Instructors run live, remote-capable
classes from `/admin` (presence, Lab/learning status, help-request queue, announcements,
guidance-only current-activity) — RootNode owns identity/coordination, an external service
(Meet/Zoom/Teams/etc.) owns the actual video/voice.
**Never publish the raw privileged container** — front it with isolation (that's what the
Gateway is). The one-container `docker run --privileged -p 7554:80 ...` command above stays
supported for local development and scenario authoring; it is not how this gets deployed to
real students.
Key properties of the platform (not this image):
- One container **per student**, its own Docker network, its own firewall chain — never a
shared cluster between learners. Verified with two simultaneous students: separate clusters,
separate progress, no cross-access.
- Progress/identity live outside the disposable container, in the Platform API's own
PostgreSQL (authoritative as of Phase 2B) — destroying or recreating a student's Lab never
loses their academic record. Verified with a full class-sized (3-student) cohort workflow:
provision, complete different scenarios, reset one student's Lab, destroy all Labs after
class — progress survives every step.
- Instructors sign in with their own account (no shared password) and manage cohorts, students,
curriculum assignment, and classroom Lab prep (provision an entire cohort before class, verify
readiness, destroy Labs after) from `/admin` — no manual database, Docker, or Kubernetes
access needed. Owners manage instructor accounts and roles; every instructor/admin action is
recorded in an audit log.
- Sessions (student and instructor) are Postgres-backed and survive a Platform API restart —
verified by actually restarting it mid-session and confirming access still works.
- Every validation attempt, hint reveal, curriculum stage completion, exam, and Capstone
attempt is recorded in Postgres, not the disposable Lab — a Lab reset or recreate never loses
attempt telemetry, hint progress, or an in-progress assessment's timer. Verified live:
reset a Lab mid-assessment, timer and drawn scenario set were unchanged afterward.
- Exams and the RootNode Capstone use a server-authoritative timer and a server-drawn,
server-stored scenario set — nothing the browser sends can change either.
- CPU/memory/PID/storage limits are enforced per container, config-driven.
- Egress is restricted to an allowlisted proxy at the firewall layer, not left open.
- Idle/abandoned environments are automatically cleaned up, and a student can launch a fresh
one and keep going without losing progress.
Production topology and what's built vs. not yet: `docs/LAB_ARCHITECTURE.md`,
`docs/PHASE1_PLATFORM_FOUNDATION.md`, `docs/PHASE2A_GATEWAY_AND_STUDENT_FLOW.md`,
`docs/PHASE3A_IDENTITY_AND_INSTRUCTOR_ACCESS.md`, `docs/PHASE3B_LEARNING_AND_ASSESSMENT.md`,
`docs/PHASE5A_STUDENT_IDENTITY_REMOTE_CLASSROOM.md`.
The production infrastructure package (Proxmox/Ansible/Terraform/firewall/monitoring/backup/CI)
that runs all of this on real hardware lives in `infra/` — see
`docs/PHASE4_PRODUCTION_INFRASTRUCTURE.md` and `docs/PHASE4_1_PREPRODUCTION_HARDENING.md` (the
Gateway-to-Lab cross-VM routing fix, plus application hardening — real pagination, abandonment
handling, a Postgres-backed rate limiter, a structured assessment editor, admission control).
Built and locally validated now; deployment is pending purchase of the target Hetzner dedicated
server.
---
## Repository Layout
```
scenarios/
├── data/ # one JSON file per scenario -> <scenario-id>.json
├── bundles/ # one JSON file per bundle -> <bundle-id>.json
└── SCHEMA.md # full schema reference
backend/ server.js # Express API + WebSocket PTY
frontend/ src/ # React + Vite SPA
scripts/ entrypoint.sh # container startup (k3s -> API -> nginx)
nginx.conf # reverse-proxy config
```
---
## Authoring Scenarios
Each scenario is one JSON file in `scenarios/data/`; each bundle is one JSON file in
`scenarios/bundles/`. See [`scenarios/SCHEMA.md`](scenarios/SCHEMA.md) for the full schema.
**Task checklist**
- `validation.commands` — idempotent `kubectl` only
- `setup_commands` / `teardown_commands` — `kubectl` or native Ubuntu only
**MCQ checklist**
- `correct_option` must match an `options[].id`
- always include an `explanation`
Hot-reload while authoring (no rebuild):
```bash
docker run --rm -itd --privileged -p 7554:80 --name kubekosh \
-v $PWD/scenarios:/app/scenarios ced4568/kubekosh:latest
curl -X POST http://localhost:7554/api/cache/reload
```
---
## License
Apache 2.0 — see [`LICENSE`](LICENSE). Original work © the `zeborg/kubekosh` authors.
Modifications © RootNode Academy / Chase Dumphord (ced4568).