Technology · Ebook

kpt: Configuration as Data for Kubernetes

by Shriira Press

kpt is a CNCF Sandbox project that rethinks how teams manage Kubernetes configuration. Instead of hiding YAML behind templates or overlays, kpt keeps the configuration itself as the source of truth — plain KRM resources bundled into versioned packages in Git — and lets reusable, containerized functions transform and validate those resources in place. This book covers the configuration problem kpt solves, the 'configuration as data' principle, packages and the Kptfile, fetching and three-way-merge updates, KRM functions both declarative and imperative, the function catalog, deploying with kpt live and ResourceGroup inventories, and Package Orchestration with Porch and Nephio. It closes with placement against Helm and Kustomize and practical adoption.

Contents

1. 1Preface
2. 2Chapter 1 — The Configuration Problem
3. 3Chapter 2 — Configuration as Data
4. 4Chapter 3 — Packages and the Kptfile
5. 5Chapter 4 — Getting and Updating Packages
6. 6Chapter 5 — KRM Functions
7. 7Chapter 6 — The Function Catalog
8. 8Chapter 7 — Deploying with kpt live
9. 9Chapter 8 — Package Orchestration with Porch
10. 10Chapter 9 — kpt in Practice