Carvel kapp-controller

Spec sheet

Purpose

kapp-controller provides declarative APIs to customize, install, and update Kubernetes applications and packages.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

Integrations

kapp-controller integrates with Mozilla SOPS to decrypt secret material in fetched configuration, with GPG and age encryption support.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

Support

Carvel provides community support through GitHub project issues and invites users to its Kubernetes Slack channel.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

Air-gapped use

Package repositories and packages can be relocated and run in air-gapped environments.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

CLI

The kctrl CLI helps users observe and interact with kapp-controller custom resources and helps package consumers get started faster.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

Continuous delivery

Its App custom resource supports declarative installation, management, and upgrades of applications on a Kubernetes cluster.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

Fetch sources

It can fetch configuration and OCI images from Git repositories, ConfigMaps, Helm charts, and OCI registries.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

GitOps

Carvel describes kapp-controller as supporting GitOps, including using a Git repository as the single source of truth for Kubernetes package management.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Kubernetes compatibility

The install guide says versions at or below v0.36.1 cannot reconcile App and PackageInstall resources with Kubernetes v1.24's default LegacyServiceAccountTokenNoAutoGeneration feature gate.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

Multi-tenancy

The security documentation says App resources can reference service accounts or kubeconfig Secrets only from the same namespace, supporting use in multi-tenant environments.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

Package management

Package, PackageMetadata, PackageRepository, and PackageInstall custom resources support authoring and consuming software packages.Read 4 Oct 2026 · github.com

Project status

Carvel identifies kapp-controller as a Cloud Native Computing Foundation sandbox project.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

Security model

Each App resource must specify a service account or kubeconfig Secret, making the privileges for managing app resources explicit.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

Templates

It supports customizing software with ytt templates, Helm templates, and other tools.Read 4 Oct 2026 · carvel.dev

Plans and prices

Every Carvel kapp-controller plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• GitOps Tools#16 of 358.0
• Kubernetes Deployment Tools#13 of 287.9