Deploying Instances

Overview

Deploying an instance creates Kubernetes resources based on ResourceGraphDefinition (RGD) templates. The deployment process includes:

Select RGD: Choose application template
Configure: Fill deployment form
Preview: Review generated YAML
Deploy: Submit to Kubernetes
Monitor: Watch deployment progress

Deployment Methods

Method 1: Via Catalog (Recommended)

Navigate to Catalog
Search/filter for desired RGD
Click Deploy button on RGD card
Fill deployment form
Click Deploy Now

Method 2: Via RGD Details Page

Navigate to Catalog
Click on RGD card to open details
Review schema and examples
Click Deploy button (top right)
Fill deployment form
Click Deploy Now

Method 3: From Example Template

Open RGD details page
Click Examples tab
Find example matching your use case
Click Deploy with this config
Pre-filled form opens
Modify as needed
Click Deploy Now

Deployment Form

Basic Information

Required fields for all deployments:

Field	Description	Example
Instance Name	Unique identifier	`my-webapp-dev`
Namespace	Organization namespace	`kro-engineering` (auto-filled)
Labels	Metadata tags	`app=webapp, env=dev`

Instance Name Requirements:

Lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens only
Must start with letter
Must end with letter or number
3-63 characters
Unique within namespace

RGD-Specific Parameters

Parameters defined by the RGD schema:

Example: Nginx Web Application

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Deploy Nginx Web Application                           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                         │
│  Instance Name: *                                       │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │ my-webapp-dev                                   │   │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                                         │
│  Replicas: *                                            │
│  ┌───┐                                                  │
│  │ 2 │  (Min: 1, Max: 10)                              │
│  └───┘                                                  │
│                                                         │
│  Image: *                                               │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │ nginx:1.25                                      │   │
│  └─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                                         │
│  Port:                                                  │
│  ┌────┐                                                 │
│  │ 80 │  (Default: 80)                                 │
│  └────┘                                                 │
│                                                         │
│  [Advanced Options ▼]                                   │
│                                                         │
│  [◀ Back]  [Preview YAML]  [Deploy Now]               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Advanced Options

Expandable section with optional parameters:

Resource Requests/Limits

Resources:
  Requests:
    CPU: ┌──────────┐ (e.g., 100m, 500m, 1)
      │ 250m     │
      └──────────┘
    Memory: ┌──────────┐ (e.g., 128Mi, 512Mi, 1Gi)
      │ 512Mi    │
      └──────────┘
 
  Limits:
    CPU: ┌──────────┐
      │ 1000m    │
      └──────────┘
    Memory: ┌──────────┐
      │ 2Gi      │
      └──────────┘

Ingress Configuration

Ingress:
  Enabled: [✓] Yes  [ ] No
 
  Host: ┌───────────────────────────────┐
        │ my-webapp.example.com         │
        └───────────────────────────────┘
 
  TLS: [✓] Enabled
 
  Certificate: ┌──────────────────────┐
               │ letsencrypt-prod     │
               └──────────────────────┘

Environment Variables

Environment Variables:
┌───────────────┬─────────────────────────┐
│ Key           │ Value                   │
├───────────────┼─────────────────────────┤
│ DATABASE_URL  │ postgres://db:5432/app  │
│ REDIS_URL     │ redis://redis:6379      │
│ LOG_LEVEL     │ info                    │
└───────────────┴─────────────────────────┘
 
[+ Add Variable]

Form Validation

Real-time validation indicators:

✅ Valid field - Green checkmark

Instance Name: ┌─────────────────┐ ✓
               │ my-webapp-dev   │
               └─────────────────┘

❌ Invalid field - Red error message

Instance Name: ┌─────────────────┐ ✗
               │ MyWebApp        │
               └─────────────────┘
               Must be lowercase

⚠️ Warning - Yellow warning (not blocking)

Replicas: ┌───┐ ⚠
          │ 10│
          └───┘
          High replica count may exceed quota

YAML Preview

Preview Before Deploy

Click Preview YAML to see generated manifest:

apiVersion: kro.run/v1alpha1
kind: WebApplication
metadata:
  name: my-webapp-dev
  namespace: kro-engineering
  labels:
    app: webapp
    environment: dev
  annotations:
    knodex.io/deployed-by: "alice@example.com"
    knodex.io/deployed-at: "2024-01-20T17:30:00Z"
spec:
  replicas: 2
  image: nginx:1.25
  port: 80
  resources:
    requests:
      cpu: 250m
      memory: 512Mi
    limits:
      cpu: 1000m
      memory: 2Gi
  ingress:
    enabled: true
    host: my-webapp.example.com
    tls:
      enabled: true
      secretName: letsencrypt-prod
  env:
    - name: DATABASE_URL
      value: "postgres://db:5432/app"
    - name: REDIS_URL
      value: "redis://redis:6379"
    - name: LOG_LEVEL
      value: "info"

YAML Editor Features:

Syntax Highlighting: Keywords, values, errors
Line Numbers: Easy reference
Copy Button: Copy YAML to clipboard
Edit Inline: Modify YAML directly (advanced users)
Validation: Real-time YAML syntax checking

Edit YAML Directly

For advanced users:

Click Edit YAML button
Modify manifest directly
Changes reflected in form
Click Apply Changes

Direct YAML editing bypasses form validation. Ensure valid Kubernetes YAML.

Deploying the Instance

Final Checks

Before clicking Deploy Now, verify:

✅ Instance name is unique
✅ All required fields filled
✅ Resource requests are reasonable
✅ Image name and tag are correct
✅ Environment variables are set

Deploy Button

Click Deploy Now to create instance.

Deployment Progress:

Deploying my-webapp-dev...

✓ Validating manifest
✓ Creating instance resource
✓ Waiting for pods to start
⏳ Pulling container image...

Expected Duration:

Stage	Time
Validation	< 1 second
Resource creation	1-2 seconds
Image pull	10-60 seconds
Pod startup	5-30 seconds
Total	~30-90 seconds

Success Confirmation

✓ Deployment Successful!

Instance: my-webapp-dev
Status: Running
Pods: 2/2 ready
URL: https://my-webapp.example.com

[View Instance] [Deploy Another]

Deployment Failures

Common Errors:

Error: "Instance name already exists"

Solution: Choose a different name or delete existing instance

Error: "Insufficient resources"

Pod cannot be scheduled: Insufficient cpu (requested 500m, available 200m)

Solution:

Reduce CPU/memory requests
Contact Platform Admin to increase quota

Error: "Image pull failed"

Failed to pull image "nginx:invalid-tag": not found

Solution:

Verify image name and tag
Ensure registry is accessible
Check image pull secrets (if private registry)

Advanced Deployment Options

Dry Run

Preview deployment without creating resources:

Fill deployment form
Click Dry Run button
Review what would be created
No resources are actually deployed

Use Case: Testing manifests, validating configurations

Deploy with Approval

For production deployments with approval workflow:

Fill deployment form
Click Request Approval
Deployment request sent to approvers
Wait for approval
Instance deployed after approval

Status: "Pending Approval" until approved/rejected

Deploy from Git

Deploy instance directly from repository:

Navigate to Repositories tab
Select repository
Click Deploy from Git
Choose file (e.g., /deploy/prod.yaml)
Preview manifest
Click Deploy

Use Case: GitOps workflows, version-controlled deployments

Deployment Templates

Save as Template

Save configuration for reuse:

Fill deployment form
Click Save as Template
Enter template name: Nginx Dev Template
Template saved to your profile

Use Saved Template

Quick deploy with saved configuration:

Click My Templates in toolbar
Select template
Pre-filled form opens
Modify if needed
Deploy

Use Case: Deploying similar instances repeatedly

Next: Managing Instances →