KEP-3104: promote kuberc to beta #5300

soltysh · 2025-05-13T11:26:37Z

One-line PR description: promote kuberc to beta

Issue link: Separate kubectl user preferences from cluster configs #3104

/assign @ardaguclu
for sig-cli review

/assign @johnbelamaric
for PRR review

/hold
so it doesn't merge accidentally before I get both of the above reviews in

k8s-ci-robot · 2025-05-13T11:26:45Z

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keps/sig-cli/3104-introduce-kuberc/README.md

ardaguclu · 2025-05-13T11:57:23Z

keps/sig-cli/3104-introduce-kuberc/README.md

@@ -261,6 +262,12 @@ As a user I would like to be able to opt out of deprecation warnings.

 https://github.com/kubernetes/kubectl/issues/1317

+#### Story 5


Do you think lock file is a prerequisite for beta promotion?

kubernetes/kubernetes#131619 (review)

This use case seems a little strange to me, are there other examples of behavior like this for customizations / aliases in other projects?

I think, once we remove this story. This PR is ready for PRR.

Discussed this with @mpuckett159 and we agreed to drop this.

ardaguclu · 2025-05-13T11:58:21Z

keps/sig-cli/3104-introduce-kuberc/README.md

@@ -305,21 +313,32 @@ required) or even code snippets. If there's any ambiguity about HOW your
 proposal will be implemented, this is the place to discuss them.
 -->

-During alpha this feature will be enabled through the `KUBECTL_KUBERC=true` environment variable. The file will default to being located in `~/.kube/kuberc`. A flag will allow overriding this default location with a path i.e. `kubectl --kuberc /var/kube/rc`.
+For beta this feature will be enabled by default. However users can disable it
+setting the `KUBECTL_KUBERC` environment variable to `false`.


Users can also disable this functionality via KUBERC=off anytime regardless of beta, ga, alpha, etc.

keps/sig-cli/3104-introduce-kuberc/README.md

ardaguclu · 2025-05-13T11:59:23Z

keps/sig-cli/3104-introduce-kuberc/README.md

@@ -369,7 +388,11 @@ Based on reviewers feedback describe what additional tests need to be added prio
 implementing this enhancement to ensure the enhancements have also solid foundations.
 -->

-Aside from standard testing we will also be skew testing.
+We're planning to expand tests adding:


all tests as a prerequisite for beta?

kubernetes/kubernetes#131619 (review)

yes, we don't promote to beta and enable by default without all planned tests in place

https://groups.google.com/a/kubernetes.io/g/dev/c/thuIea5aYtw

So if we add - config API fuzzy tests and input validation and correctness in here, this will be requirement for beta promotion.

That is correct, and that's why kubernetes/kubernetes#131818 contains all the necessary tests. Although, more will likely followup.

lmktfy · 2025-05-13T22:54:17Z

keps/sig-cli/3104-introduce-kuberc/README.md

 - [x] (R) Production readiness review completed
 - [x] (R) Production readiness review approved
 - [x] "Implementation History" section is up-to-date for milestone
- [ ] User-facing documentation has been created in [kubernetes/website], for publication to [kubernetes.io]
- [ ] Supporting documentation—e.g., additional design documents, links to mailing list discussions/SIG meetings, relevant PRs/issues, release notes
+- [x] User-facing documentation has been created in [kubernetes/website], for publication to [kubernetes.io]


Why is this checked? I don't see docs for kuberc.

+1 for expecting more docs / examples in place at this point... looks like only a single envvar and mention in the blog was added for alpha

I agree with you. Probably @soltysh marked this due the same reason as well. But isn't this something needed closer to the end of release cycle?. testing + required code pieces -> promotion to beta -> doc changes

doc changes for alpha → beta, sure

but docs for usage / examples should have already been added for alpha... that needs to be backfilled

Where is the exact location that usage and examples need to be updated?

I would say at minimum, we need:

API docs for the kuberc file format, similar to https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/config-api/kubeconfig.v1/

A reference from https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/quick-reference/ about kuberc (either inline or a link to a dedicated kuberc page)

A reference from the "Optional kubectl configurations and plugins" section on the kubectl setup pages (either inline or a link to a dedicated kuberc page)

We spent a long time on the API docs of the go types for the kuberc page. Rendering those out to an annotated exhaustive reference (sort of like https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/access-authn-authz/extensible-admission-controllers/#webhook-request-and-response does for admission types) would be good, along with several examples / recipes of how to use the kuberc file.

Opened this kubernetes/website#50913

Given the above in-flight PR, and followup which will expand on the beta elements I'm going to leave this checkbox as is.

lmktfy

This has genie-out-of-bottle consequences for the K8s ecosystem.

I recommend not even merging the code to promote to beta until there are GA quality docs that explain the alpha of this mechanism.

Wait, GA quality? Why skip beta?
For docs, especially about things on by default, there is no difference. [With exceptions] beta features should have documentation of just as high quality as GA, and promotion to stable should be trivial for the docs element.

lmktfy · 2025-05-20T07:50:14Z

I would like us to hold on this change until we have a plan to make the config format easier to teach.

See kubernetes/kubernetes#131818 (comment)

soltysh · 2025-05-21T11:18:06Z

I would like us to hold on this change until we have a plan to make the config format easier to teach.

See kubernetes/kubernetes#131818 (comment)

The next iteration of the changes I'm currently working on should address this. But I'm fine holding on with merging this to ensure all the bits are addressed.

ardaguclu · 2025-05-21T15:22:44Z

keps/sig-cli/3104-introduce-kuberc/README.md

@@ -295,6 +295,7 @@ Consider including folks who also work outside the SIG or subproject.
 | Risk | Impact | Mitigation |
 | --- | --- | --- |
 | Confusing users with a new config file | Low | Documentation and education |
+| Users trust the kuberc is being used | High | Provide mechanism warning users default kuberc is not being picked up |


Do we need to remove this?.

We do, that was added with that story 5 removed. Good catch, thank you.

ardaguclu · 2025-05-21T15:24:51Z

keps/sig-cli/3104-introduce-kuberc/README.md

+- More rigorous forms of testing—e.g., downgrade tests and scalability tests
+- All functionality completed
+- All security enforcement completed
+- All monitoring requirements completed


I assume this is here as required?, because monitoring is not applicable for this feature.

This is here from the recently updated template. For kubectl the monitoring is handled through the verbosity, which we resolved recently in kubernetes/kubernetes#131668

Signed-off-by: Maciej Szulik <[email protected]>

soltysh · 2025-05-21T17:57:28Z

@ardaguclu updated

ardaguclu · 2025-05-21T18:49:58Z

/lgtm
From sig-cli POV

This is ready for PRR

k8s-ci-robot assigned ardaguclu and johnbelamaric May 13, 2025

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soltysh mentioned this pull request May 13, 2025

Separate kubectl user preferences from cluster configs #3104

Open

8 tasks

soltysh force-pushed the kuberc_beta branch from c80dca7 to 30720cf Compare May 13, 2025 11:29

This was referenced May 13, 2025

Deprecate kubeconfig's preference field in favor of kuberc kubernetes/kubernetes#131741

Merged

Promote kuberc to beta kubernetes/kubernetes#131619

Closed

ardaguclu reviewed May 13, 2025

View reviewed changes

lmktfy reviewed May 13, 2025

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lmktfy mentioned this pull request May 16, 2025

Add documents for kuberc kubernetes/website#50913

Open

soltysh mentioned this pull request May 16, 2025

Promote kuberc to beta kubernetes/kubernetes#131818

Open

soltysh force-pushed the kuberc_beta branch from 30720cf to 14d4a96 Compare May 21, 2025 11:36

ardaguclu reviewed May 21, 2025

View reviewed changes

KEP-3104: promote kuberc to beta

64f5167

Signed-off-by: Maciej Szulik <[email protected]>

soltysh force-pushed the kuberc_beta branch from 14d4a96 to 64f5167 Compare May 21, 2025 17:57

k8s-ci-robot added the lgtm "Looks good to me", indicates that a PR is ready to be merged. label May 21, 2025

		@@ -261,6 +262,12 @@ As a user I would like to be able to opt out of deprecation warnings.

		https://github.com/kubernetes/kubectl/issues/1317

		#### Story 5

KEP-3104: promote kuberc to beta #5300

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KEP-3104: promote kuberc to beta #5300

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soltysh commented May 13, 2025

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lmktfy commented May 20, 2025

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soltysh commented May 21, 2025

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soltysh commented May 21, 2025

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ardaguclu commented May 21, 2025

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