Spinnaker Operator

Spinnaker Operator is a Kubernetes operator for Spinnaker that makes it easy to install, deploy, and upgrade any version of Spinnaker.

Using Armory Operator, you can:

Manage Spinnaker with kubectl like other applications.
Expose Spinnaker via LoadBalancer or Ingress (optional)
Keep secrets separate from your config. Store your config in git and have an easy Gitops workflow.
Validate your configuration before applying it (with webhook validation).
Store Spinnaker secrets in Kubernetes secrets.
Gain total control over Spinnaker manifests with kustomize style patching
Define Kubernetes accounts in SpinnakerAccount objects and store kubeconfig inline, in Kubernetes secrets, in s3, or GCS (Experimental).
Deploy Spinnaker in an Istio controlled cluster (Experimental)

We refer here to the Armory Operator, which installs Armory Spinnaker. The open source operator installs open source Spinnaker and can be found here.

Requirements

Before you start, ensure the following requirements are met:

Your Kubernetes cluster runs version 1.13 or later.
You have admission controllers enabled in Kubernetes (-enable-admission-plugins).
You have ValidatingAdmissionWebhook enabled in the kube-apiserver. Alternatively, you can pass the --disable-admission-controller parameter to the to the deployment.yaml file that deploys the operator.
You have admin rights to install the Custom Resource Definition (CRD) for Operator.

Operator Install

Operator has two distinct modes:

Basic: Installs Spinnaker into a single namespace. This mode does not perform pre-flight checks before applying a manifest.
Cluster: Installs Spinnaker across namespaces with pre-flight checks to prevent common misconfigurations. This mode requires a ClusterRole.

Pick a release from https://github.com/armory-io/spinnaker-operator/releases:

mkdir -p spinnaker-operator && cd spinnaker-operator
bash -c 'curl -L https://github.com/armory-io/spinnaker-operator/releases/latest/download/manifests.tgz | tar -xz'

# Install or update CRDs cluster wide
kubectl apply -f deploy/crds/

# We'll install in the spinnaker-operator namespace
kubectl create ns spinnaker-operator

Next, install Operator in either cluster or basic mode:

# Install Operator cluster mode
kubectl -n spinnaker-operator apply -f deploy/operator/cluster

# OR install Operator in basic mode
# kubectl -n spinnaker-operator apply -f deploy/operator/basic

After installation, you can verify that the Operator is running with the following command:

kubectl -n spinnaker-operator get pods

The command returns output similar to the following if the pod for the Operator is running:

NAMESPACE                             READY         STATUS       RESTARTS      AGE
spinnaker-operator-7cd659654b-4vktl   2/2           Running      0             6s

If you want to use a namespace other than spinnaker-operator in cluster mode, you’ll also need to edit the namespace in deploy/operator/cluster/role_binding.yaml.

Install Spinnaker

Update the values such as version and persistentStorage in deploy/spinnaker/<operator-installation-mode>/SpinnakerService.yml before you install Spinnaker.

If you installed Operator in basic mode, you must use the spinnaker-operator namespace. The permissions in basic mode are scoped to a single namespace so it doesn’t see anything in other namespaces. Run the following command:

kubectl -n spinnaker-operator apply -f deploy/spinnaker/basic/SpinnakerService.yml

If you installed Operator in cluster mode, run this command:

kubectl -n spinnaker-operator apply -f deploy/spinnaker/cluster/SpinnakerService.yml

Watch the install progress and check out the pods being created:

kubectl -n spinnaker get spinsvc spinnaker -w

How it works

Spinnaker’s configuration can be found in a spinnakerservices.spinnaker.armory.io Custom Resource Definition (CRD) that can be stored in version control. After you install Spinnaker Operator, you can use kubectl to manage the lifecycle of your deployment.

apiVersion: spinnaker.armory.io/v1alpha2
kind: SpinnakerService
metadata:
  name: spinnaker
spec:
  spinnakerConfig:
    config:
      version: 2.21.0

See the full format.

Upgrading Spinnaker

To upgrade an existing Spinnaker deployment, perform the following steps:

Change the version field in deploy/spinnaker/basic/SpinnakerService.yml file to the target version for the upgrade.

Apply the updated manifest:

kubectl -n spinnaker apply -f deploy/spinnaker/basic/SpinnakerService.yml

You can view the upgraded services starting up with the following command:

kubectl -n spinnaker describe spinsvc spinnaker

Verify the upgraded version of Spinnaker:
```
kubectl -n spinnaker get spinsvc
```
The command returns information similar to the following:
```
NAME         VERSION
spinnaker    2.20.2
```
VERSION should reflect the target version for your upgrade.

Managing Spinnaker Instances

Operator allows you to use kubectl to manager you Spinnaker deployment.

Listing Spinnaker Instances

kubectl get spinnakerservice --all-namespaces

The short name spinsvc is also available.

Describing Spinnaker Instances

kubectl -n <namespace> describe spinnakerservice spinnaker

Deleting Spinnaker Instances

kubectl -n <namespace> delete spinnakerservice spinnaker

Managing Configuration

Kustomize

Because Spinnaker’s configuration is now a Kubernetes manifests, you can manage SpinnakerService and related manifests in a consistent and repeatable way with kustomize.

See the example here.

kubectl create ns spinnaker
kustomize build deploy/spinnaker/kustomize | kubectl -n spinnaker apply -f -

There are many more possibilities:

managing manifests of MySQL instances
ensuring the same configuration is used between Staging and Production Spinnaker
splitting accounts in their own kustomization for an easy to maintain configuration

See this repo for examples of common setups that you can adapt to your needs.

Secret Management

You can store secrets in one of the supported secret engine.

Kubernetes Secret

With the Operator, you can also reference secrets stored in existing Kubernetes secrets in the same namespace as Spinnaker.

The format is:

encrypted:k8s!n:<secret name>!k:<secret key> for string values. These are added as environment variable to the Spinnaker deployment.
encryptedFile:k8s!n:<secret name>!k:<secret key> for file references. Files come from a volume mount in the Spinnaker deployment.

Custom Halyard Configuration

To override Halyard’s configuration, create a ConfigMap with the configuration changes you need. For example, if using secrets management with Vault, Halyard and Operator containers need your Vault configuration:

apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: halyard-custom-config
data:
  halyard-local.yml: |
    secrets:
      vault:
        enabled: true
        url: <URL of vault server>
        path: <cluster path>
        role: <k8s role>
        authMethod: KUBERNETES

Then, you can mount it in the Operator deployment and make it available to the Halyard and Operator containers:

apiVersion: extensions/v1beta1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: spinnaker-operator
  ...
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: spinnaker-operator
        ...
        volumeMounts:
        - mountPath: /opt/spinnaker/config/halyard.yml
          name: halconfig-volume
          subPath: halyard-local.yml
      - name: halyard
        ...
        volumeMounts:
        - mountPath: /opt/spinnaker/config/halyard-local.yml
          name: halconfig-volume
          subPath: halyard-local.yml
      volumes:
      - configMap:
          defaultMode: 420
          name: halyard-custom-config
        name: halconfig-volume

GitOps

Spinnaker can deploy manifests or kustomize packages. You can configure Spinnaker to redeploy itself (or use a separate Spinnaker) with a trigger on the git repository containing its configuration.

A change to Spinnaker’s configuration follows:

Pull Request –> Approval –> Configuration Merged –> Pipeline Trigger in Spinnaker –> Deploy Updated SpinnakerService

This process is auditable and reversible.

Accounts CRD (Experimental)

Operator has a CRD for Spinnaker accounts. SpinnakerAccount is defined in an object - separate from the main Spinnaker config - so its creation and maintenance can be automated.

To read more about this CRD, see SpinnakerAccount.

Migrating from Halyard to Operator

If you have a current Spinnaker instance installed with Halyard, use this guide to migrate existing configuration to Operator.

The migration process from Halyard to Operator can be completed in 7 steps:

To get started, install Spinnaker Operator.
Export Spinnaker configuration.

Copy the desired profile’s content from the config file

For example, if you want to migrate the default hal profile, use the following SpinnakerService manifest structure:
```
currentDeployment: default
deploymentConfigurations:
- name: default
  <CONTENT>
```
Add <CONTENT> in the spec.spinnakerConfig.config section in the SpinnakerService manifest as follows:
```
spec:
  spinnakerConfig:
    config:
      <<CONTENT>>
```
Note: config is under ~/.hal

More details on SpinnakerService Options on .spec.spinnakerConfig.config section
Export Spinnaker profiles.

If you have configured Spinnaker profiles, you will need to migrate these profiles to the SpinnakerService manifest.

First, identify the current profiles under ~/.hal/default/profiles

For each file, create an entry under spec.spinnakerConfig.profiles

For example, you have the following profile:
```
$ ls -a ~/.hal/default/profiles | sort
echo-local.yml
```
Create a new entry with the name of the file without -local.yaml as follows:
```
spec:
  spinnakerConfig:
    profiles:
      echo:
        <CONTENT>
```
More details on SpinnakerService Options in the .spec.spinnakerConfig.profiles section
Export Spinnaker settings.

If you configured Spinnaker settings, you need to migrate these settings to the SpinnakerService manifest also.

First, identify the current settings under ~/.hal/default/service-settings

For each file, create an entry under spec.spinnakerConfig.service-settings

For example, you have the following settings:
```
$ ls -a ~/.hal/default/service-settings | sort
echo.yml
```
Create a new entry with the name of the file without .yaml as follows:
```
spec:
  spinnakerConfig:
    service-settings:
      echo:
        <CONTENT>
```
More details on SpinnakerService Options on .spec.spinnakerConfig.service-settings section

Export local file references.

If you have references to local files in any part of the config, like kubeconfigFile, service account json files or others, you need to migrate these files to the SpinnakerService manifest.

For each file, create an entry under spec.spinnakerConfig.files

For example, you have a Kubernetes account configured like this:

kubernetes:
  enabled: true
  accounts:
  - name: prod
    requiredGroupMembership: []
    providerVersion: V2
    permissions: {}
    dockerRegistries: []
    configureImagePullSecrets: true
    cacheThreads: 1
    namespaces: []
    omitNamespaces: []
    kinds: []
    omitKinds: []
    customResources: []
    cachingPolicies: []
    oAuthScopes: []
    onlySpinnakerManaged: false
    kubeconfigFile: /home/spinnaker/.hal/secrets/kubeconfig-prod
  primaryAccount: prod

The kubeconfigFile field is a reference to a physical file on the machine running Halyard. You need to create a new entry in files section like this:

spec:
  spinnakerConfig:
    files:
      kubeconfig-prod: |
        <CONTENT>

Then replace the file path in the config to match the key in the files section:

kubernetes:
  enabled: true
  accounts:
  - name: prod
    requiredGroupMembership: []
    providerVersion: V2
    permissions: {}
    dockerRegistries: []
    configureImagePullSecrets: true
    cacheThreads: 1
    namespaces: []
    omitNamespaces: []
    kinds: []
    omitKinds: []
    customResources: []
    cachingPolicies: []
    oAuthScopes: []
    onlySpinnakerManaged: false
    kubeconfigFile: kubeconfig-prod  # File name must match "files" key
  primaryAccount: prod

More details on SpinnakerService Options on .spec.spinnakerConfig.files section

Export Packer template files (if used).

If you are using custom Packer templates for baking images, you need to migrate these files to the SpinnakerService manifest.

First, identify the current templates under ~/.hal/default/profiles/rosco/packer

For each file, reate an entry under spec.spinnakerConfig.files

For example, you have the following example-packer-config file:
```
$ tree -v ~/.hal/default/profiles
├── echo-local.yml
└── rosco
    └── packer
        └── example-packer-config.json

2 directories, 2 files
```
You need to create a new entry with the name of the file following these instructions:
- For each file, list the folder name starting with profiles, followed by double underscores (__) and at the very end the name of the file.
```
spec:
  spinnakerConfig:
    files:
      profiles__rosco__packer__example-packer-config.json: |
        <CONTENT>
```
More details on SpinnakerService Options on .spec.spinnakerConfig.files section
Validate your Spinnaker configuration if you plan to run the Operator in cluster mode.
```
kubectl -n <namespace> apply -f <spinnaker service manifest> --dry-run=server
```
The validation service throws an error when something is wrong with your manifest.

Apply your SpinnakerService:

kubectl -n <namespace> apply -f <spinnaker service>

Uninstalling Operator

Uninstalling the Operator involves deleting its deployment and SpinnakerService CRD. When you delete the CRD, any Spinnaker installation created by Operator gets deleted. This occurs because the CRD is set as the owner of the Spinnaker resources, so they get garbage collected.

There are two ways in which you can remove this ownership relationship so that Spinnaker is not deleted when deleting the Operator: replacing Operator with Halyard or removing Operator ownership of Spinnaker resources.

Replacing Operator with Halyard

First, export Spinnaker configuration settings to a format that Halyard understands:

From the SpinnakerService manifest, copy the contents of spec.spinnakerConfig.config to its own file named config, and save it with the following structure:
```
currentDeployment: default
deploymentConfigurations:
- name: default
  <<CONTENT HERE>>
```
For each entry in spec.spinnakerConfig.profiles, copy it to its own file inside a profiles folder with a <entry-name>-local.yml name.
For each entry in spec.spinnakerConfig.service-settings, copy it to its own file inside a service-settings folder with a <entry-name>.yml name.
For each entry in spec.spinnakerConfig.files, copy it to its own file inside a directory structure following the name of the entry with double underscores (__) replaced by a path separator. For example, an entry named profiles__rosco__packer__example-packer-config.json results inthe file profiles/rosco/packer/example-packer-config.json.

When finished, you have the following directory tree:

config
default/
  profiles/
  service-settings/

After that, move these files to your Halyard home directory and deploy Spinnaker with the hal deploy apply command.

Finally, delete Operator and their CRDs from the Kubernetes cluster.

kubectl delete -n <namespace> -f deploy/operator/<installation type>
kubectl delete -f deploy/crds/

Removing Operator Ownership from Spinnaker Resources

Run the following script to remove ownership of Spinnaker resources, where NAMESPACE is the namespace where Spinnaker is installed:

NAMESPACE=
for rtype in deployment service
do
    for r in $(kubectl -n $NAMESPACE get $rtype --selector=app=spin -o jsonpath='{.items[*].metadata.name}')
    do
        kubectl -n $NAMESPACE patch $rtype $r --type json -p='[{"op": "remove", "path": "/metadata/ownerReferences"}]'
    done
done

After the script completes, delete the operator and their CRDs from the Kubernetes cluster:

kubectl delete -n <namespace> -f deploy/operator/<installation type>
kubectl delete -f deploy/crds/

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Last modified August 26, 2020: docs(operator): clarify basic vs cluster in quick start install (#176) (ad0d245)