1. What is Kapitan?

Kapitan is a tool for managing Kubernetes manifests, Terraform configurations, and other configuration files using a single templating language.

2. How does Kapitan differ from other configuration management tools?

Kapitan is designed to handle complex Kubernetes deployments and uses a flexible Jinja2 templating language for configuration.

3. What is the role of the inventory in Kapitan?

The inventory in Kapitan is a directory structure that contains targets and their configurations, helping organize and manage resources.

4. How does Kapitan handle secrets?

Kapitan supports encrypting and decrypting secrets using the gkms (Google Cloud Key Management Service) or sops (Secrets OPerationS) tool.

5. What templating language does Kapitan use?

Kapitan uses the Jinja2 templating language for defining configurations.

6. How to install Kapitan?

Kapitan can be installed using pip: pip install kapitan.

7. What is a Kapitan target?

A Kapitan target is a specific configuration or set of resources generated by Kapitan.

8. How does Kapitan handle dependencies between targets?

Kapitan allows expressing dependencies between targets using the references field in the inventory.

9. What is the purpose of the kapitan refs command?

The kapitan refs command is used to list or visualize the dependency graph of Kapitan targets.

10. How to use Kapitan with Git?

Kapitan integrates with Git for managing configurations and can use Git repositories as its inventory source.

11. What is Kapitan’s integration with Helm charts?

Kapitan supports generating Helm charts and can include Helm charts as part of its inventory.

12. How to include external data in Kapitan?

External data, such as JSON or YAML files, can be included in Kapitan using the ext function in Jinja2 templates.

13. How to use Kapitan with multiple environments?

Kapitan supports environments through the –refs option, allowing you to target specific environments during rendering.

14. What is Kapitan’s use in multi-cloud environments?

Kapitan is cloud-agnostic and can be used to manage configurations across different cloud providers or on-premises environments.

15. How to render Kapitan targets?

Kapitan targets can be rendered using the kapitan compile command.

16. How to handle configuration drift with Kapitan?

Kapitan can be used to detect and reconcile configuration drift by reapplying configurations and comparing the results.

17. Can Kapitan be integrated with CI/CD pipelines?

Yes, Kapitan can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines to manage configurations and deployments.

18. What is Kapitan’s role in managing Kubernetes Helm charts?

Kapitan can be used to manage Helm charts by templating Helm values.yaml files and incorporating them into the Kapitan inventory.

19. How to use Kapitan with Kubernetes manifests?

Kapitan can be used to manage and template Kubernetes manifests, allowing for easier configuration management.

20. How to manage versioning of configurations with Kapitan?

Kapitan supports versioning through Git tags or branches, allowing you to manage different versions of configurations.

21. How to encrypt and decrypt secrets with Kapitan?

Secrets in Kapitan can be encrypted and decrypted using the kapitan secrets –write and kapitan secrets –read commands.

22. What is Kapitan’s support for Helmfile?

Kapitan has built-in support for Helmfile, allowing you to include Helmfile charts in your Kapitan inventory.

23. How to use Kapitan with Terraform?

Kapitan can manage Terraform configurations by templating Terraform HCL files.

24. What is Kapitan’s role in handling configuration variables?

Kapitan allows you to define variables in inventory files and use them in templates, providing flexibility in configuration management.

25. How to generate documentation for Kapitan configurations?

Documentation for Kapitan configurations can be generated using the kapitan doc command.

26. How does Kapitan handle sensitive data?

Kapitan provides mechanisms for handling sensitive data, including encrypting secrets and managing access control.

27. What is Kapitan’s support for Helm3?

Kapitan has support for Helm3, enabling users to manage and template Helm3 charts.

28. How does Kapitan handle file inclusions and overlays?

Kapitan supports file inclusions and overlays, allowing you to include files and overlay them with additional data.

29. What is Kapitan’s integration with Kustomize?

Kapitan can use Kustomize for managing Kubernetes manifests, leveraging Kustomize features for customization.

30. How to handle dynamic configurations with Kapitan?

Kapitan allows dynamic configurations by using Jinja2 templating, enabling the generation of configurations based on variables.

31. What is Kapitan’s role in managing infrastructure as code (IaC)?

Kapitan supports managing infrastructure as code by handling configurations for various infrastructure components, including Kubernetes and Terraform.

32. How to use Kapitan with JSONnet?

Kapitan can integrate with JSONnet, a data templating language for generating JSON, through the use of Kapitan’s jsonnet function.

33. How to organize Kapitan’s file structure?

Kapitan follows a structure where configurations are organized into inventory directories, with targets, input files, and templates.

34. How to use Kapitan with AWS CloudFormation?

Kapitan can be used to manage AWS CloudFormation configurations by templating CloudFormation templates.

35. What is Kapitan’s support for OpenShift manifests?

Kapitan supports templating and managing OpenShift manifests similar to Kubernetes manifests.

36. How does Kapitan handle multi-environment deployments?

Kapitan can handle multi-environment deployments by using different references for each environment during rendering.

37. How to include external scripts in Kapitan?

External scripts can be included in Kapitan configurations using the kapitan refs command and the script reference type.

38. What is Kapitan’s approach to handling configuration secrets securely?

Kapitan provides secure handling of configuration secrets through encryption and integration with external tools like sops.

39. How to use Kapitan with Helm3 plugins?

Kapitan can utilize Helm3 plugins by referencing them in the inventory and using them in templates.

40. What is the role of Kapitan’s kapicd utility?

kapicd is a utility in Kapitan used for continuous deployment workflows, providing a convenient way to deploy configurations.

41. How to upgrade Kapitan to the latest version?

Kapitan can be upgraded to the latest version using the pip install –upgrade kapitan command.

42. Can Kapitan be used to manage configurations for non-containerized applications?

Yes, Kapitan is versatile and can be used to manage configurations for various types of applications beyond containerized ones.

43. How to handle dynamic inventory in Kapitan?

Dynamic inventory in Kapitan can be handled by utilizing the kapitan inventory –write command to generate inventory files dynamically.

44. What is Kapitan’s support for Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates?

Kapitan supports managing Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates by templating the ARM template files.

45. How to integrate Kapitan with version control systems (VCS)?

Kapitan integrates with version control systems like Git, allowing you to manage and version configurations using a VCS.

46. How does Kapitan handle dependency resolution?

Kapitan uses dependency references to resolve dependencies between targets, ensuring a proper order during rendering.

47. What is Kapitan’s support for Helmfile locking?

Kapitan supports Helmfile locking for managing versions and dependencies of Helm charts in your Kapitan inventory.

48. How to test Kapitan configurations?

Kapitan configurations can be tested using tools like kapitan test to validate that the rendered output meets expectations.

49. What is Kapitan’s support for Kubernetes CRDs (Custom Resource Definitions)?

Kapitan supports managing Kubernetes Custom Resource Definitions by templating CRD manifests.

50. How to contribute to the Kapitan project?

Contributions to the Kapitan project can be made by forking the repository, making changes, and submitting pull requests following the contribution guidelines.