Kyverno

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Coverage Matrix

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Kyverno Overview

Kyverno is a Kubernetes-native policy engine for security, compliance, and governance. Rather than requiring a new policy language, it uses standard CRDs/YAML to validate, mutate, and generate resources. Common use cases include enforcing best practices (e.g., image registry checks), injecting default labels, and automatically creating network policies when namespaces appear. By integrating with Kubernetes admission, Kyverno intercepts changes before they’re stored, blocking or adjusting disallowed requests. This approach standardizes configurations, reduces drift, and maintains consistent security across workloads.

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Chkk Coverage

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Curated Release Notes

Chkk continuously scans Kyverno’s release notes and distills the updates into concise briefs, highlighting critical changes—like new policy rule types, security patches, or deprecated fields. If a release includes new validation capabilities (e.g., advanced JSON path matching) or modifies default webhook behavior, Chkk flags it to help you plan accordingly. This allows operators to see at-a-glance if an upgrade might affect existing policies or require reconfiguration.

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Preflight & Postflight Checks

Chkk’s preflight checks verify that your Kyverno installation and policies remain compatible before upgrading. This includes detecting any API or CRD changes that might break existing configurations and ensuring the cluster meets new version requirements. After the upgrade, postflight checks confirm Kyverno’s admission webhooks are running smoothly, policies are enforced correctly, and no unexpected errors appear in the logs. These checks significantly reduce the risk of policy enforcement gaps during an upgrade window.

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Version Recommendations

Chkk monitors Kyverno’s releases, comparing each version’s support timeline and known compatibility issues. You’ll receive alerts when your deployed version nears end-of-life or lacks key security fixes. This ensures your policy engine keeps pace with the broader Kubernetes ecosystem, avoiding outdated features or unpatched vulnerabilities.

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Upgrade Templates

Chkk provides two primary templates for upgrading Kyverno, in-place and blue-green. In-place updates your existing Kyverno deployment in a rolling fashion, typically leveraging a Helm chart or new manifests. Minimal overhead, though any unexpected policy conflicts might appear mid-process. Blue-green stands up a separate Kyverno instance in parallel, letting you test the new version and gradually shift admission controls. This approach offers near-zero downtime and simpler rollback if the new version introduces issues. Both methods include built-in safety checks, rollback guidance, and recommended validation steps—ensuring your cluster’s policies stay effective throughout the transition.

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Preverification

For major version changes or large-scale policy sets, Chkk’s preverification simulates the Kyverno upgrade in a controlled environment. It applies your current policy definitions to the new version and runs tests to detect CRD conflicts, policy logic errors, or altered behaviors. This proactive approach often catches hidden issues (like a generate rule failing) well before production, reducing disruptions to day-to-day operations.

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Supported Packages

Chkk adapts to the way you install Kyverno—Helm, Kustomize, or raw YAML. It orchestrates the appropriate upgrades, managing CRDs and manifests so you don’t have to change your existing deployment practices. If you rely on private registries or custom images, Chkk respects those references, ensuring consistent security policies across your enterprise environment.

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Common Operational Considerations

• Mutation Pitfalls: Mutate rules can alter existing workloads, which might trigger rollouts or restarts. Test in audit mode, review Kyverno logs for unexpected patches, and avoid conflicting patches by combining or tightly scoping mutate rules.
• Multi-Tenancy Considerations: Designate global policies as ClusterPolicies and allow teams to manage namespace-scoped ones, ensuring they don’t override org-wide mandates. Use PolicyException resources for nuanced waivers and rely on label or namespace selectors to prevent overlap.
• Race Conditions with Controllers: Kyverno might collide with GitOps or other controllers, causing endless revert loops or double mutations. Coordinate with these systems—either encode Kyverno mutations in Git or exclude resources from certain controllers—to prevent tug-of-war scenarios.
• Namespace vs. Cluster-Scope: Leverage cluster-scoped policies for organization-wide rules and namespaced ones for delegated control. Keep in mind that namespaced policies can’t override cluster rules, so carefully define scope to avoid unexpected enforcement overlaps.

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Additional Resources

• Kyverno Documentation
• Kyverno Releases