Cloud Native

Exploring Addons in KubeVela

肖晟鹏, a bug engineer, shares insights on the use of addons in KubeVela, an open-source project for cloud-native applications. The article discusses the motive behind using addons, how to define them, and concludes with a simple example to illustrate the process.

#1 Why Addons are Needed

Addons in KubeVela are used for deploying common middleware which can be cumbersome to deploy using traditional yaml or cue files. These addons simplify the process and save developers time when extending KubeVela with complex module definitions. Cue is a superset of JSON that integrates with Go for more flexible configurations, and in KubeVela, cue definitions are transformed into yaml definitions. Addons become applications managed by KubeVela's controller and can introduce new functionalities and components to clusters.

#2 Defining Addons

Addons are defined through a specific directory structure containing yaml and cue files, where metadata.yaml and template.yaml are essential. These files provide basic descriptive information and act as the framework for the KubeVela Application, respectively. Other directories, such as resources, definitions, and schemas, are used for application deployment files, component definitions, and UI properties. The article gives a practical example by creating a simple addon for deploying a Redis application, demonstrating the necessary files and their functions.

#3 Final Thoughts

Addons are typically used for deploying applications that only need to be deployed once, such as user interfaces or common middleware. They enable custom module definitions, allowing for different component types and workflow nodes during application deployment. While the article hints at further uses of addons to extend KubeVela, it leaves a cliffhanger for the next installment.

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