kube-vault-controller

Claim secrets from Vault for use in Kubernetes.

Features

• Provide secrets from Vault to applications in Kubernetes via claims.
• Use Kubernetes secret objects, including TLS type for ingress.
• Configurable lease renewal buffer, automatically rotate secrets for expiring leases.
• Easy ops: no persistent storage, everything stored in Kubernetes.

TODO

• Per secret Vault authentication with token or app role.
• Add --ingres-label flag and watch ingress to fulfill tls spec.
• Template several secret values into a single datom.
• Add service account and RBAC role into chart.
• Support time.Duration for renew.
• Write user guide.

Install

Install with helm: (chart), or kubectl: templates.

Usage

For more detailed usage see the user guide.

Request secrets via secretclaim:

kubectl create -f some-secret.yaml

kind: SecretClaim
apiVersion: vaultproject.io/v1
metadata:
  name: some-secret
spec:
  type: Opaque
  path: secret/example
  renew: 3600

A secret by the same name, in the same namespace, will be created:

kubectl get secret some-secret -o yaml

kind: Secret
apiVersion: v1
data:
  field_one: base64-encoded-value
  field_two: base64-encoded-value
type: Opaque
metadata:
  name: some-secret
  namespace: kube-system
  annotations:
    vaultproject.io/lease-expiration: "1477272978"
    vaultproject.io/lease-id: "vault-lease-id"
    vaultproject.io/renewable: "false"

Reference the secret normally:

kubectl create -f secret-consumer.yaml

kind: Pod
apiVersion: v1
metadata:
  name: secret-consumer
spec:
  containers:
    - name: secret-consumer
      image: alpine:3.4
      command:
        - /bin/sh
        - -c
        - echo $SECRET_VALUE && cat /etc/secrets/field_one
      env:
        - name: SECRET_VALUE
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: some-secret
              key: field_one
      volumeMounts:
        - name: secret-mount
          mountPath: /etc/secrets
  volumes:
    - name: secret-mount
      secret:
        secretName: some-secret
        items:
          - key: field_one
            path: field_one

About

The controller is built with https://github.com/kubernetes/client-go, specifically the Informer API which makes watching for resources changes quite simple. The controller is triggered by changes from streaming updates via watch, and also syncs all resources each sync-period. The sync period is critical as it ensures all resources are examined periodically, allowing the application to remain stateless and not schedule operations in advance - when a secret is examined and the lease expiration is within it's claimed renewal period, the lease is renewed (if renewable) or the secret is rotated. To ensure secrets are renewed before their lease expires, ensure your sync period is smaller than your smallest claimed renewal time.