The Problem with Manual Modifications

Oct 13, 2025 by thesweetdesigns.com 97 views

Introduction

In a Kubernetes cluster, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a crucial mechanism for managing user permissions and access to resources. The jetstream-controller-role is a pre-defined role that provides a set of permissions for managing Jetstream resources. However, by default, this role does not have the necessary labels to aggregate to the admin role, which is a common practice in Kubernetes clusters. In this article, we will explore the motivation behind adding labels to the jetstream-controller-role and propose a solution to address this issue.

Motivation

We use a Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CICD) user in our Kubernetes cluster to automate deployments. This CICD user has a namespaced admin role attached to it, which provides the necessary permissions for managing resources across the cluster. However, the jetstream-controller-role does not have the rbac.authorization.k8s.io/aggregate-to-admin: "true" label on it, which means we would have to either manually modify the role with the label or attach the role to our CICD user.

The Problem with Manual Modifications

Manually modifying the jetstream-controller-role role is not a scalable solution, as it requires manual intervention and can lead to inconsistencies in the cluster configuration. Moreover, attaching the role to users is not a feasible solution, as it would require creating a separate role for each user, which can lead to role proliferation and increased complexity in managing user permissions.

The Proposed Change

To address this issue, we propose adding the ability to add custom labels to the jetstream-controller-role role. This would enable us to set the rbac.authorization.k8s.io/aggregate-to-admin: "true" label, which would allow the jetstream-controller-role to aggregate to the admin role. This change would provide a more scalable and maintainable solution for managing user permissions in our Kubernetes cluster.

Benefits of the Proposed Change

The proposed change would benefit the following stakeholders:

Cluster Administrators: The proposed change would simplify the process of managing user permissions in the cluster, reducing the need for manual modifications and attachments.
Developers: The proposed change would enable developers to focus on writing code, rather than managing user permissions and roles.
Users: The proposed change would provide a more seamless and intuitive experience for users, as they would not need to worry about managing user permissions and roles.

Alternatives Evaluated

We have evaluated the following alternatives to the proposed change:

Manually modifying the jetstream-controller-role role: As mentioned earlier, this is not a scalable solution, as it requires manual intervention and can lead to inconsistencies in the cluster configuration.
Manually attaching the role to users: This is not a feasible solution, as it would require creating a separate role for each user, which can lead to role proliferation and increased complexity in managing user permissions.

Implementation Details

To implement the proposed change, we would need to modify the jetstream-controller-role role to include the rbac.authorization.k8s.io/aggregate-to-admin: "true" label. This would involve updating the role definition to include the necessary label, and then applying the updated role to the cluster.

Example Use Case

Here is an example use case for the proposed change:

Suppose we have a CICD user named cicd-user that needs to manage resources across the cluster. We can create a role binding that attaches the jetstream-controller-role to the cicd-user, and then set the rbac.authorization.k8s.io/aggregate-to-admin: "true" label on the jetstream-controller-role. This would enable the cicd-user to manage resources across the cluster, without the need for manual modifications or attachments.

Conclusion

In conclusion, adding labels to the jetstream-controller-role role would provide a more scalable and maintainable solution for managing user permissions in our Kubernetes cluster. The proposed change would benefit cluster administrators, developers, and users, and would simplify the process of managing user permissions and roles. We believe that this change would be a valuable addition to the jetstream-controller-role and would improve the overall user experience in our Kubernetes cluster.

Future Work

In the future, we plan to explore other ways to improve the jetstream-controller-role and make it more flexible and customizable. We believe that this change would be a valuable step towards achieving this goal, and would provide a more robust and maintainable solution for managing user permissions in our Kubernetes cluster.

References

Kubernetes RBAC Documentation
Kubernetes Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
Add Labels to RBAC Jetstream Controller Role: Q&A =====================================================

Introduction

In our previous article, we discussed the motivation behind adding labels to the jetstream-controller-role and proposed a solution to address this issue. In this article, we will provide a Q&A section to address some of the common questions and concerns related to this proposal.

Q: What is the purpose of adding labels to the `jetstream-controller-role`?

A: The purpose of adding labels to the jetstream-controller-role is to enable it to aggregate to the admin role, which is a common practice in Kubernetes clusters. This would simplify the process of managing user permissions and roles, and would provide a more scalable and maintainable solution.

Q: Why is the `jetstream-controller-role` not labeled by default?

A: The jetstream-controller-role is not labeled by default because it was not designed to aggregate to the admin role. However, as the cluster administrator, we can modify the role to include the necessary label, which would enable it to aggregate to the admin role.

Q: How would adding labels to the `jetstream-controller-role` affect existing users and roles?

A: Adding labels to the jetstream-controller-role would not affect existing users and roles. The role would still provide the same permissions and access to resources, but it would also aggregate to the admin role, which would simplify the process of managing user permissions and roles.

Q: Can I add custom labels to the `jetstream-controller-role`?

A: Yes, you can add custom labels to the jetstream-controller-role. This would enable you to set the rbac.authorization.k8s.io/aggregate-to-admin: "true" label, which would allow the jetstream-controller-role to aggregate to the admin role.

Q: How would I implement the proposed change?

A: To implement the proposed change, you would need to modify the jetstream-controller-role role to include the rbac.authorization.k8s.io/aggregate-to-admin: "true" label. This would involve updating the role definition to include the necessary label, and then applying the updated role to the cluster.

Q: What are the benefits of adding labels to the `jetstream-controller-role`?

A: The benefits of adding labels to the jetstream-controller-role include:

Simplified management of user permissions and roles
Improved scalability and maintainability of the cluster
Reduced need for manual modifications and attachments
Improved user experience

Q: Are there any potential risks or drawbacks to adding labels to the `jetstream-controller-role`?

A: Yes, there are potential risks and drawbacks to adding labels to the jetstream-controller-role, including:

Potential for unintended consequences or side effects
Need for careful planning and testing to ensure that the change does not affect existing users and roles
Potential for increased complexity in managing user permissions and roles

Q: How would I test the proposed change?

A: To test the proposed change, you would need to create a test environment and apply the updated role to the cluster. You would then need to verify that the role is functioning as expected and that there are no unintended consequences or side effects.

Conclusion

In conclusion, adding labels to the jetstream-controller-role would provide a more scalable and maintainable solution for managing user permissions and roles in our Kubernetes cluster. We believe that this change would be a valuable addition to the jetstream-controller-role and would improve the overall user experience in our cluster.