Author: Gianluca Mardente

Projectsveltos, Crossplane, and ClusterAPI are three open-source projects that can be used together to simplify the management of Kubernetes clusters.

• ClusterAPI is a Kubernetes subproject that provides declarative APIs and tooling to simplify provisioning, upgrading, and operating multiple Kubernetes clusters. ClusterAPI runs in a management cluster and can be used to manage clusters hosted on various infrastructure providers, including on-premises, public clouds, and edge computing platforms.
• Projectsveltos is a Kubernetes add-on controller that makes deploying and managing add-ons and applications in Kubernetes clusters easy. Add-ons and applications that need to be deployed by Projectsveltos can be expressed as templates. Projectsveltos will instantiate these templates before deploying them in the matching managed clusters. The values used to instantiate the templates can be fetched by Projectsveltos at runtime from resources in the management Kubernetes cluster. This allows Projectsveltos to dynamically customize the deployment of add-ons and applications based on the specific needs of each managed cluster. 
• Crossplane is an open-source Kubernetes-native control plane that facilitates the management of cloud infrastructure and services across various cloud providers and on-premises environments. Crossplane is designed to be declarative and API-driven, making it easy to manage infrastructure using familiar Kubernetes tools and workflows.

In this article, we will show how to use Projectsveltos, Crossplane, and ClusterAPI to create a Google Cloud Storage bucket and a simple application that uploads a file to the bucket. By the end of this article, you will have a basic understanding of how to use Projectsveltos, Crossplane, and ClusterAPI to manage Kubernetes clusters.

When deploying Kubernetes resources in a cluster, it is sometimes necessary to deploy them in a specific order. For example, a Custom Resource Definition (CRD) must exist before any custom resources of that type can be created.

Sveltos can help you solve this problem by allowing you to specify the order in which Kubernetes resources are deployed.

ConfigMaps and Secrets are Kubernetes resources designed to decouple configuration details from application code, fostering a clear separation between configuration data and the application logic. This separation yields several compelling advantages, making the practice of mounting ConfigMaps and Secrets a crucial component of Kubernetes deployments.

1. Configuration Flexibility: Applications often require various configuration settings to function optimally across different environments. By mounting ConfigMaps, developers can modify configuration parameters without altering the application code. This not only streamlines the development process but also allows for on-the-fly adjustments, facilitating smooth transitions between development, testing, and production environments.
2. Enhanced Security: Secrets, such as sensitive authentication tokens, passwords, and API keys, contain critical information that must be safeguarded. Instead of hardcoding these sensitive details directly into the application code, they can be stored as Secrets and mounted into pods only when necessary. This mitigates the risk of inadvertent exposure and helps maintain a higher level of security.

React to Configmap/Secret Changes

Sveltos is an open-source Kubernetes project to deploy add-ons in a multitude of Kubernetes cluster. Sveltos can also be instructed to watch for changes in ConfigMaps and Secrets and triggers rolling upgrades for the associated resources, ensuring that applications stay up-to-date.
To enable this functionality, simply set the reloader field to true in the ClusterProfile, as demonstrated in the following example YAML configuration:

A secret is any piece of information that you want to keep confidential, such as API keys, passwords, certificates, and SSH keys. Secret Manager systems store your secrets in a secure, encrypted format, and provide you with a simple, secure way to access them.

Here are some of the benefits of using Secret Manager:

Sveltos, an open-source project, enables the deployment of Kubernetes add-ons across multiple clusters. It provides support for various deployment mechanisms such as Helm charts, customize resources, and resource YAMLs. With Sveltos, add-ons can be fetched from diverse sources for enhanced flexibility.

When managing add-ons across numerous clusters, it becomes crucial to validate and enforce constraints before their deployment. In this article, we will delve into how Sveltos simplifies this process. With Sveltos, add-ons undergo rigorous validation to ensure they meet the specified criteria and adhere to the defined constraints. By enforcing these constraints, Sveltos guarantees the maintenance of consistency and reliability in add-on management across all clusters.

Managing Kubernetes add-ons can be a challenging task, especially when dealing with complex deployments and frequent configuration changes. In this article, we will explore how Sveltos and Carvel ytt can work together to simplify Kubernetes resource management. Sveltos is a powerful Kubernetes add-on management tool, while Carvel ytt is a templating and patching tool for YAML files. We will delve into the integration of Carvel ytt with Sveltos using the ytt controller, enabling seamless deployment and configuration management.

Introducing Sveltos

Sveltos is an open-source project tool that simplifies the process of managing and deploying add-ons to Kubernetes clusters. It provides a comprehensive solution for installing, configuring, and managing add-ons, making it easier to enhance the functionality and capabilities of Kubernetes.
Sveltos provides support for Helm charts, Kustomize, and resource YAMLs.

Event-driven architectures are becoming increasingly popular as a way to build scalable, decoupled, and resilient systems. Sveltos is an open-source to deploy add-ons in tens of #Kubernetes clusters. Sveltos also has a built-in event-driven framework that makes it easy to deploy add-ons on Kubernetes clusters as a result of events.

What Is Sveltos?

Sveltos is a powerful open-source project that makes managing Kubernetes add-ons a breeze. It automatically discovers ClusterAPI-powered clusters and allows you to easily register any other cluster (like GKE). Then, it seamlessly manages Kubernetes add-ons across all your clusters.

Kubernetes itself is not a complete solution. To build a production cluster, you need various additional add-ons. If you are managing multiple clusters, that is not an easy task.

Sveltos is an open-source project that provides declarative APIs allowing the deployment of Kubernetes add-ons across multiple Kubernetes clusters. Both Helm charts and resource YAMLs can be passed to Sveltos.