How to use the command fluxctl (with examples)

Fluxctl is a command-line tool for Flux v1, a continuous delivery solution for Kubernetes. Fluxctl allows users to interact with the Flux controller to automate deployments in a Kubernetes cluster. It provides various commands to manage workloads, images, and synchronization with git repositories.

Use case 1: List workloads currently running in the cluster on specific namespace

Code:

fluxctl --k8s-fwd-ns=namespace list-workloads

Motivation: The list-workloads command in fluxctl allows users to view the workloads running in a specific namespace in a Kubernetes cluster. This is helpful when troubleshooting or monitoring the status of the workloads in the cluster.

Explanation:

• --k8s-fwd-ns: Specifies the namespace to list the workloads from.

Example output:

NAMESPACE   NAME     DESIRED   CURRENT   READY  
default     app-1    3         3         3      
default     app-2    2         2         2

Use case 2: Show deployed and available images

Code:

fluxctl list-images

Motivation: The list-images command in fluxctl allows users to list the deployed and available images in the cluster. This can be useful when monitoring the versions of the deployed images or checking for new available images.

Explanation: This command does not require any additional arguments.

Example output:

NAMESPACE   NAME              CONTAINER      CURRENT         AVAILABLE  
default     app-1             main           sha256:abcd     sha256:efgh
default     app-2             main           sha256:ijkl     sha256:mnop

Use case 3: Synchronize the cluster with the git repository

Code:

fluxctl sync

Motivation: The sync command in fluxctl allows users to synchronize the state of the Kubernetes cluster with the desired state specified in the connected git repository. This ensures that the deployments in the cluster are aligned with the latest changes in the git repository.

Explanation: This command does not require any additional arguments.

Example output:

Synchronization completed successfully.

Use case 4: Turn on automatic deployment for a workload

Code:

fluxctl automate

Motivation: The automate command in fluxctl allows users to enable automatic deployment for a specific workload. This means that when a new image becomes available, Flux will automatically deploy it to the cluster, ensuring the workloads are always up-to-date without manual intervention.

Explanation: This command does not require any additional arguments.

Example output:

Automatic deployment enabled for workload 'app-1'.

Conclusion:

Fluxctl is a powerful command-line tool that provides various commands to manage Flux deployments in a Kubernetes cluster. From listing workloads to synchronizing with a git repository and enabling automatic deployments, fluxctl streamlines the continuous delivery process for Kubernetes applications.