Brian Grant

Kubernetes Strategic Merge Patch What is Kubernetes Strategic Merge Patch, and why does it exist?

Have you wondered why “strategic merge patch” is called that? Have you wondered why it exists?

This post covers its history.

itnext.io/kubernetes-s...

#kubernetes #gitops

Thanks for having me on! It was fun.

Abstraction is the wrong way to simplify configuration Abstraction of configuration through parameterization and encapsulation of configuration generators contribute to configuration complexity.

I believe that abstraction, as typically implemented, is not the right way to simplify configuration.

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

I expect most of you disagree. Have you used simple abstractions of configuration?

#Kubernetes #GitOps #InfrastructureAsCode #PlatformEngineering

Tech Veterans’ New Approach To Eliminate ‘Configuration Hell’ Startup ConfigHub treats configuration as data rather than relying on endless opaque files generated in CI/CD pipelines.

Overview of ConfigHub and the problems we are trying to solve on TNS: thenewstack.io/tech-veteran...

Configuration needs an API If configuration had an API, you could build and use tools to edit, inspect, and validate configuration.

Are you tired of writing the same kinds of configuration templates over and over again? Do you wish that configuration changes weren't so manual and error-prone?

Configuration as data could change that.

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#Kubernetes #GitOps #InfrastructureAsCode

If you'd like some tooling around that YAML, you may be interested in taking a look at ConfigHub.

itnext.io/introducing-...

What is Bidirectional GitOps? An explanation of bidirectional GitOps and why and when it can be useful.

If you've ever had to "break glass" and change the state in the cluster directly rather than through git, you probably had to update the values or templates in git by hand afterwards. What if you could do that automatically?

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#Kubernetes #GitOps

How are Variants managed in ConfigHub? Variants — similar but different related configurations — are very common. How does ConfigHub manage them using WET configuration?

Is maintaining multiple copies of fully rendered WET configuration feasible? How does ConfigHub do it without templates or patches? Is it even simpler?

Hopefully this post will answer those questions:
medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#Kubernetes #GitOps

CNCF-hosted Co-located Events North America 2025: Building the Next Gen GitOps-based Platf... View more about this event at CNCF-hosted Co-located Events North America 2025

colocatedeventsna2025.sched.com/event/28D6R/...

kccncna2025.sched.com/event/27FeG/...

Introducing ConfigHub Why ConfigHub manages configuration as data.

The past couple of weeks I've written about Configuration as Data.

This week I'm unveiling ConfigHub:
medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

If you're going to KubeCon and/or FluxCon in Atlanta, come see ConfigHub in action at our sessions. Links in a followup.

#Kubernetes #GitOps #InfrastructureAsCode

A concrete example of Configuration as Data A simple, concrete example of Configuration as Data.

Last week I defined "Configuration as Data". This week I sketched a real, if trivial, example of what that looks like in the context of Kubernetes, and compare it with Helm.

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#Kubernetes #GitOps #InfrastructureAsCode

KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2025: GitOps Without Variables - Brian Grant &... View more about this event at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2025

The talk:

kccncna2025.sched.com/event/27FeG/...

What is Configuration as Data? Explanation of “Configuration as Data” and its potential benefits.

What is Configuration as Data? Why would anyone want to use that approach to manage configuration?

I wrote a brief post to explain it:
medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

If you already use the rendered manifest pattern, you're partway there.

I'll bee talking about it at Kubecon.

#Kubernetes #GitOps

I shouldn’t have to read installer code every day I don’t want helm charts to be my interface to off-the-shelf components on a daily basis. Kubernetes resources are simpler.

Do you use the rendered manifest pattern? Or when a project has a plain YAML installation, do you choose that? Do you wish you could? In this post, I explain why I do, using a specific chart as an example.

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#kubernetes #helm #gitops #infrastructureascode

Coding agents have turned a corner Coding agents can now find and cherrypick the context they need, and plan and perform multi-step tasks.

I've been trying AI coding assistants and agents for the past year. They finally seem good enough to use. WDYT?

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

What coding agents have you had success with?

Kubernetes Configuration and Infrastructure as Code Taxonomy A glossary of Kubernetes Configuration and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) terminology.

I've used quite a few terms in my posts, and sometimes they are misunderstood. So I created a glossary. Let me know what you think.

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

Is this useful? Not useful? Do you agree with my definitions?

#kubernetes #infrastructureascode #gitops

Managing Applications across Fleets of Kubernetes Clusters What tools are available to manage applications across a fleet of Kubernetes clusters?

What tools are available for managing applications across fleets of Kubernetes clusters? I took a look at what's out there. This is what I found.

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

Did I miss your favorite tool?

#Kubernetes

A couple posts from our other investors:
pear.vc/confighub-ra...

encoded.vc/investment-i...

We finally have a website! And a few more clues regarding what we're up to.

www.confighub.com/news/configh...
crane.vc/announcing-c...
techcrunch.com/2025/03/26/c...

Benefits and Challenges of Infrastructure From Code What is Infrastructure From Code, how does it differ from IaC, and what are its benefits and challenges?

What is Infrastructure From Code, and what are its benefits and challenges?

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#infrastructureascode #infrastructurefromcode

Abandoned Kubernetes Configuration Ideas From the beginning of the Kubernetes project, I had ideas and opinions about how declarative configuration should be supported. That led to…

I thought would be fun to revisit configuration-related proposals that didn't make it into Kubernetes.

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Do you think we should have merged any of those proposals? What do you think is missing from the K8s resource configuration toolbox?

#kubernetes

Non-Infrastructure-as-Code-based Cloud and Kubernetes management and automation tools There is an another world of automation tools outside Infrastructure as Code (IaC) that can achieve many of the same objectives, and even…

What are your favorite non-Infrastructure-as-Code automation tools for operations? Have you used notebook-based runbooks? If you also use IaC, how do you deal with drift?

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#infrastructureascode #kubernetes

Can Configuration Languages (DSLs) solve configuration complexity? Can configuration languages dramatically reduce configuration complexity?

What are configuration languages (aka DSLs)? Why would someone use one? Why would someone create a new one? Do they significantly reduce configuration complexity?

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#infrastructureascode #kubernetes

Should all developers learn Infrastructure as Code? Should all developers deploying to the cloud and/or Kubernetes learn how to use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools?

Should all developers deploying to the cloud and/or Kubernetes learn how to use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools? Can they use IaC tools without understanding how they work and/or without understanding the underlying cloud APIs?

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#infrastructureascode #kubernetes

Infrastructure as Code is too generic Infrastructure as Code tools currently have no awareness of the purposes of configured resources or of the operations being performed.

'IaC tools do not “understand” the operational semantics of the infra.'

What does that mean? What are the consequences? Does it have to be that way? Are there tools that do understand more of the semantics?

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#infrastructureascode #infrastructurefromcode #kubernetes

How Infrastructure as Code tool implementations differ from imperative tools’ How Infrastructure as Code is different from imperative user interface surfaces from an implementation point of view.

I'm working on a post about imperative management and automation tools. First I thought it would be useful to discuss how implementations of Infrastructure as Code tools differ from imperative user interface surfaces.

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#infrastructureascode

Packages in Infrastructure as Code If you’ve used Infrastructure as Code (IaC), you’ve almost certainly used IaC packages. This post digs deeper into their uses and pitfalls.

Following up my previous couple posts about the mechanisms and capabilities of Infrastructure as Code and as background for upcoming posts, I wrote an overview of a primary construct of most IaC tools: packages.

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#infrastructureascode #kubernetes #gitops

Variant generation is the primary capability of Infrastructure as Code Variant generation, i.e. the generation of multiple distinct configurations from the same IaC code, is the primary capability of IaC.

The purpose of IaC depends on the use case, but I claim that the primary capability of IaC is the generation of multiple distinct configurations, variants, from the same IaC source code.

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

Do you agree?

#infrastructureascode #gitops

Evaluating and applying Infrastructure as Code is not like compiling and deploying application code Practices for building and deploying applications are not ideal for provisioning via Infrastructure as Code, due to critical differences.

A response to my post about the unidirectional nature of IaC pointed out “compilers have this one-way code-in, object-code-out paradigm” and asked whether this was appropriate for expressing the desired state.

My answer:

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#infrastructureascode #terraform #kubernetes

The 12 Anti-factors of Infrastructure as Code I discuss twelve “anti-factors” that make Infrastructure as Code suboptimal. This recaps my IaC posts from 2024.

I identified twelve anti-factors that make Infrastructure as Code suboptimal. Do any of these anti-factors of IaC resonate with you? Have you encountered challenges I don't discuss? Have you tried an alternative to IaC?

medium.com/@bgrant0607/...

#infrastructureascode #kubernetes #terraform