Frodo CLI for CI/CD: Automating Journey Export Import in GitHub Actions

Frodo CLI is a powerful command-line tool designed to manage ForgeRock Identity Cloud configurations efficiently. It allows you to export and import journeys, policies, and other configurations, making it an essential part of any CI/CD pipeline for Identity Management. In this post, I’ll walk you through setting up Frodo CLI in GitHub Actions to automate the export and import of journeys.

What is Frodo CLI?

Frodo CLI is a Node.js-based command-line interface that provides a suite of tools for interacting with ForgeRock Identity Cloud. It supports operations such as exporting and importing journeys, managing policies, and handling various configuration tasks. By integrating Frodo CLI into your CI/CD pipeline, you can automate these processes, ensuring consistency and reducing manual errors.

How do you install Frodo CLI?

Before you can use Frodo CLI in your GitHub Actions workflows, you need to install it. The easiest way to do this is via npm:

npm install -g @rockcarver/frodo-cli

Alternatively, you can include Frodo CLI as a dependency in your project’s package.json file:

{
  "devDependencies": {
    "@rockcarver/frodo-cli": "^1.0.0"
  }
}

Then, run npm install to install the dependencies.

Setting Up GitHub Actions

To automate journey export and import using Frodo CLI in GitHub Actions, you need to create a workflow file. This file will define the steps required to run Frodo CLI commands. Let’s start by creating a basic workflow.

Step-by-Step Guide

Configure the Workflow File

Create a new file named .github/workflows/frodo-cli.yml in your repository. This file will contain the configuration for your GitHub Actions workflow.

Define the Workflow

Here’s a basic example of a GitHub Actions workflow that uses Frodo CLI to export and import journeys:

name: Frodo CLI CI/CD Pipeline

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  frodo-cli-job:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - name: Checkout repository
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Set up Node.js
      uses: actions/setup-node@v3
      with:
        node-version: '16'

    - name: Install Frodo CLI
      run: npm install -g @rockcarver/frodo-cli

    - name: Export Journeys
      env:
        FORGEROCK_URL: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_URL }}
        FORGEROCK_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_USERNAME }}
        FORGEROCK_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_PASSWORD }}
      run: frodo journey export --file journeys.zip

    - name: Upload Artifacts
      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
      with:
        name: journeys
        path: journeys.zip

    - name: Import Journeys
      if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
      env:
        FORGEROCK_URL: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_URL }}
        FORGEROCK_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_USERNAME }}
        FORGEROCK_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_PASSWORD }}
      run: frodo journey import --file journeys.zip

Explanation of the Workflow

• Checkout repository: This step checks out your repository so that the workflow can access the files.
• Set up Node.js: This step sets up Node.js on the runner, which is required to run Frodo CLI.
• Install Frodo CLI: This step installs Frodo CLI globally on the runner.
• Export Journeys: This step exports all journeys from ForgeRock Identity Cloud and saves them to a ZIP file named journeys.zip. The environment variables FORGEROCK_URL, FORGEROCK_USERNAME, and FORGEROCK_PASSWORD are used to authenticate with ForgeRock Identity Cloud. These variables should be stored as secrets in your GitHub repository settings.
• Upload Artifacts: This step uploads the exported journeys ZIP file as a build artifact, which can be downloaded later if needed.
• Import Journeys: This step imports the journeys back into ForgeRock Identity Cloud. It only runs when a push event occurs on the main branch.

Security Considerations

When using Frodo CLI in GitHub Actions, it’s crucial to handle sensitive information securely. Here are some best practices:

• Use Secrets: Store sensitive information such as ForgeRock URL, username, and password as GitHub secrets. This prevents them from being exposed in your workflow logs.
• Limit Permissions: Ensure that the GitHub Actions runner has the minimum necessary permissions to perform the required tasks.
• Encrypt Data: If you need to store or transfer sensitive data, consider encrypting it.

Handling Errors

When working with Frodo CLI in GitHub Actions, you may encounter errors. Here are some common issues and their solutions:

Error: Authentication Failed

If you encounter an authentication error, double-check the following:

• Ensure that the FORGEROCK_URL, FORGEROCK_USERNAME, and FORGEROCK_PASSWORD secrets are correctly configured in your GitHub repository settings.
• Verify that the provided credentials have the necessary permissions to export and import journeys.

Error: Command Not Found

If you encounter a “command not found” error, ensure that Frodo CLI is installed correctly. You can add a step to verify the installation:

- name: Verify Frodo CLI Installation
  run: frodo --version

Advanced Usage

Conditional Imports

You can modify the workflow to conditionally import journeys based on specific criteria. For example, you might want to import journeys only when certain files are modified:

- name: Import Journeys
  if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && contains(github.event.commits[0].modified, 'path/to/journey.json')
  env:
    FORGEROCK_URL: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_URL }}
    FORGEROCK_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_USERNAME }}
    FORGEROCK_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_PASSWORD }}
  run: frodo journey import --file journeys.zip

Parallel Execution

If you have multiple journeys to export or import, you can run the commands in parallel to speed up the process:

- name: Export Journeys
  env:
    FORGEROCK_URL: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_URL }}
    FORGEROCK_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_USERNAME }}
    FORGEROCK_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_PASSWORD }}
  run: |
    frodo journey export --file journey1.zip --id journey1
    frodo journey export --file journey2.zip --id journey2

- name: Import Journeys
  if: github.event_name == 'push' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
  env:
    FORGEROCK_URL: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_URL }}
    FORGEROCK_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_USERNAME }}
    FORGEROCK_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_PASSWORD }}
  run: |
    frodo journey import --file journey1.zip
    frodo journey import --file journey2.zip

Monitoring and Logging

To monitor and log the execution of your GitHub Actions workflow, you can use the following features:

• Workflow Runs: View the status and logs of each workflow run in the “Actions” tab of your GitHub repository.
• Annotations: Use annotations to highlight important information or errors in the workflow logs. For example:

- name: Export Journeys
  env:
    FORGEROCK_URL: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_URL }}
    FORGEROCK_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_USERNAME }}
    FORGEROCK_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.FORGEROCK_PASSWORD }}
  run: |
    echo "Starting journey export..."
    frodo journey export --file journeys.zip
    echo "::notice::Journey export completed successfully"

Version Control

When using Frodo CLI in your CI/CD pipeline, it’s important to maintain version control for your configurations. Here are some best practices:

• Branching Strategy: Use a branching strategy to manage different environments (e.g., development, staging, production).
• Commit Messages: Use descriptive commit messages to track changes to your configurations.
• Code Reviews: Perform code reviews for configuration changes to ensure consistency and quality.

Comparison Table

Quick Reference

Expanding the Workflow

You can expand the GitHub Actions workflow to include additional steps, such as:

• Testing: Run tests to verify the integrity of the exported and imported journeys.
• Notifications: Send notifications to stakeholders when the workflow completes successfully or fails.
• Rollback: Implement a rollback mechanism in case of issues during the import process.

Final Thoughts

Automating journey export and import using Frodo CLI in GitHub Actions can significantly streamline your CI/CD process for ForgeRock Identity Cloud configurations. By following the steps outlined in this post, you can set up a robust and efficient pipeline that ensures consistency and reduces manual errors.

Go ahead and set up Frodo CLI in your GitHub Actions workflows today. This saved me 3 hours last week, and I’m confident it will save you time too. Happy automating!