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Overview

The cpln helm command streamlines the process of managing Control Plane resources by leveraging the output generated by the helm template command. This functionality proves invaluable for those preferring to define their Control Plane resources within a helm chart, facilitating regular updates to these resources with ease.

To ensure a seamless transition for users familiar with the original helm commands, we have intentionally designed our CLI helm subcommands to closely resemble their helm counterparts. This approach aims to minimize confusion and provide a familiar environment, as our CLI helm command adheres to the same foundational principles and workflows as the traditional helm commands.

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Prerequisites

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Definitions

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cpln release

The definition of a cpln release mirrors that of a helm release, essentially representing a deployed instance of a helm chart within Control Plane. Executing a cpln release involves the use of the cpln helm install command. Each upgrade ensures that the resources defined in the helm chart are appropriately applied. The upgrade also takes care of removing any resources that are no longer part of the chart and updates the cpln release state to reflect these changes.

When you run the cpln helm install command, it results in the creation of a secret of type opaque within your org. This secret is integral to the process, as it contains the payload corresponding to the cpln release state.

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cpln release state

The cpln release state serves as the definitive source for managing releases through the CLI. This functionality is crucial for understanding the dynamics of your deployments, such as identifying when a new resource is introduced or an existing one is removed. The CLI achieves this by comparing the current cpln release state with the output from the helm template command.

The cpln release state is structured as a JSON object, which includes:

  • schemaVersion
    • Represents the version of the generator used to create the cpln release state. This is particularly important for version control, especially when updates are made to the state’s structure or functionalities by the CLI.
  • release
    • This key stores the name of the release, allowing for easy identification and reference.
  • deployments
    • A list of deployments. Each install/upgrade adds a new deployment in which it can be rolled back to. Each deployment consists of the following properties:
      • gvc: The value of the --gvc option that was specified on install/upgrade.
      • revision: The revision number of the deployment. Each time you update or roll back a release, the revision number increases. It helps you keep track of changes made to your deployment over time.
      • updated: The last modified date and time in UTC format.
      • status: The status of the deployment is equivalent to the helm deployment status. The value could be one of the following:
        • superseded
        • deployed
        • failed
        • pending-install
        • pending-upgrade
        • pending-rollback
        • uninstalling
        • uninstalled
      • chart: The name of the helm chart.
      • appVersion: The appVersion that is defined within the Chart.yml file.
      • description: The string passed to the --description flag in the cpln helm install and cpln helm upgrade commands, providing contextual information about the release.
      • values: A string that contains the contents of the values.yaml file along with any additional values provided through the -f or --values options.
      • resources
        • A list of the active resources that were defined in the last cpln release install. Each item is an object that has the following properties that are relative to the resource:
          • id: A unique identifier for the resource.
          • kind: Specifies the type of the resource.
          • version: The version of the resource.
          • link: The self-link of the resource.
          • template: The resource definition extracted from the output generated by the helm template command.

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Create a Helm Chart

To create a helm chart, follow these steps:

  1. In an empty directory, execute the command (substitute CHART_NAME with your desired name):
    • helm create CHART_NAME
  2. A directory named CHART_NAME will be created which will contain the following resources:
    • Directories: charts and templates
    • Files: .helmignore, Chart.yaml, and values.yaml
  3. Delete the contents of the templates directory.
  4. Using your favorite text editor, open the values.yaml file and replace the contents with the following:
YAML
exampleGvc:
  name: example-gvc
  description: This is a description
  locationLinks:
    - //location/aws-eu-central-1

exampleHttpbinWorkload:
  name: httpbin-example

exampleIdentity:
  name: example-identity
  1. Create a file called resources.yaml within the templates directory and paste the following:
YAML
kind: gvc
name: {{ .Values.exampleGvc.name }}
description: {{ .Values.exampleGvc.description }}
spec:
  staticPlacement:
    locationLinks:
    {{- range .Values.exampleGvc.locationLinks }}
      - {{ . }}
    {{- end }}
---
kind: identity
name: {{ .Values.exampleIdentity.name }}
description: {{ .Values.exampleIdentity.name }}
gvc: {{ .Values.exampleGvc.name }}
---
kind: workload
name: {{ .Values.exampleHttpbinWorkload.name }}
description: {{ .Values.exampleHttpbinWorkload.name }}
gvc: {{ .Values.exampleGvc.name }}
spec:
  identityLink: //gvc/{{ .Values.exampleGvc.name }}/identity/{{ .Values.exampleIdentity.name }}
  type: serverless
  containers:
    - name: httpbin
      cpu: 50m
      image: kennethreitz/httpbin
      inheritEnv: false
      memory: 128Mi
      ports:
        - number: 80
          protocol: http
  defaultOptions:
    autoscaling:
      maxConcurrency: 1000
      maxScale: 1
      metric: concurrency
      minScale: 1
      scaleToZeroDelay: 300
      target: 100
    capacityAI: true
    debug: false
    suspend: true
    timeoutSeconds: 5
  firewallConfig:
    external:
      inboundAllowCIDR:
        - 0.0.0.0/0
      outboundAllowCIDR:
        - 0.0.0.0/0
      outboundAllowHostname: []
      outboundAllowPort: []
    internal:
      inboundAllowType: none
      inboundAllowWorkload: []
  localOptions: []
  supportDynamicTags: false

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Generate a Helm Template

The cpln helm template command will execute the helm template command in the background and will output to stdout.

Example:

cpln helm template NAME PATH_TO_HELM_CHART

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Helm Template Options

For the list of options, browse to the cpln helm template command and expand the References panel.

If the release name is not specified, the flag --generate-name must be added and will auto generate a release name.

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Injected Values

The following values get injected into the cpln helm template command which can be accessed from within your chart.

  • Key: cpln.org, Value: Name of your organization.
  • Key: cpln.gvc, Value: Name of your GVC.

Example Usage:

{{ .Values.cpln.org }}

It is recommended that you avoid defining a top-level cpln property within your values.yaml file, as the injected values above will override them.

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Chart Notes

After executing cpln helm install or cpln helm upgrade, the content of the NOTES.txt file that is defined within the chart directory will be output to stdout.

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Injected Tags

When you install or upgrade, the specified tags are added to each resource that is being installed or upgraded.

  • Key: cpln/release, Value: The name of the release.

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Tell Helm Not To Uninstall a Resource

Sometimes there are resources that should not be uninstalled. Chart developers can add the helm.sh/resource-policy: keep tag to a resource to prevent it from being uninstalled.

YAML
kind: location
tags:
  helm.sh/resource-policy: keep
[...]

The tag helm.sh/resource-policy: keep instructs the CLI to skip deleting this resource when a cpln helm operation (such as cpln helm uninstall, cpln helm upgrade or cpln helm rollback) would result in its deletion.

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Install a Release

The cpln helm install command accepts the same options as the cpln helm template command. It injects the same values and executes the helm template command in the background. It will use the output to create, update, and remove resources based on content that is added/modified within the chart.

The release name should follow the same naming convention that is used to name resources in Control Plane since the name of the release will be part of the secret name that will be created.

Example usage:

cpln helm install NAME PATH_TO_HELM_CHART

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Wait for Workload Readiness

To guarantee the readiness of one or more workloads during the cpln helm install, include the --wait option in your command. This will enforce a default waiting period of 300 seconds (5 minutes). If you need to adjust this duration, use the --timeout option with your preferred number of seconds.

Example usage:

cpln helm install NAME PATH_TO_HELM_CHART --wait --timeout 600

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Upgrade a Release

If you need to modify your release following alterations to your chart — be it adding a new resource, updating an existing one, or removing a resource — execute the cpln helm upgrade command. It’s crucial to use the same release name when running this command. This consistency enables the CLI to accurately determine which resources should be deleted and to appropriately update the cpln release state with these changes and a new deployment.

A release can only have up to 10 deployments. Every additional upgrade will omit the oldest one (i.e. the deployment with the lowest revision number).

Using the above example, the updated template (resources.yaml) below has the identity and the identityLink (from the workload) removed.

Example usage:

cpln helm upgrade NAME PATH_TO_HELM_CHART

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Rollback a Release

The cpln helm rollback command rolls back a release to a previous revision. If no revision is specified, the command will rollback to the previous revision. To view the revision number of each deployment, refer to the cpln helm history command.

Example usage:

cpln helm rollback NAME [REVISION]

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Release History

The cpln helm history command will output the deployments of a given release in the format defined in your profile (YAML, JSON, etc.). You can override the formatting with the --output option.

Example usage:

cpln helm history NAME

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Get

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Manifest

The cpln helm get manifest command fetches the generated manifest for a given release.

Example usage:

cpln helm get manifest RELEASE_NAME

You can always change the output format by adjusting the --output option.

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Values

The cpln helm get values command will output the values of a given release.

Example usage:

cpln helm get values RELEASE_NAME

You can always change the output format by adjusting the --output option.

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List Releases

The cpln helm list command lists all cpln releases.

Example usage:

cpln helm list

You can always change the output format by adjusting the --output option.

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Uninstall a Release

The cpln helm uninstall command will help uninstall a cpln release, that includes deleting every resource defined in the cpln release state and will also delete the secert that has been created to represent the cpln release.

Example usage:

cpln helm uninstall NAME
cpln deletecpln workload connect