Image Automation Controller is reformatting inline blocks in a single line

[ruiengana]

When a manifest has block configuration like below and is updated by image automation controller, blocks are overwritten as a single line of code making it unreadable. Code blocks should not be reformatted.

For example, this is pipe block

  config: |
    _format_version: "2.1"
    _transform: true
    services:
    - name: example
      url: https://example.org
      routes:
      - name: example
        paths:
        - /example

After image automation controller commit becomes

  config: "_format_version: \"2.1\"\n    _transform: true\n    services:\n    - name: example\n      url: https://example.org\n      routes:\n      - name: example\n        paths:\n        - /example\n"

This behaviour is unexpected, we would like blocks to stay exactly as they were before.

[stefanprodan]

This behaviour is unexpected, we would like blocks to stay exactly as they were before.

We use kustomize kyaml to mutate the YAMLs and this is how it behaves. I suggest you move the images block that's being patched, to a Flux Kustomization e.g.

apiVersion: kustomize.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v1
kind: Kustomization
metadata:
  name: podinfo
  namespace: default
spec:
  images:
    - name: ghcr.io/stefanprodan/podinfo
      newName: ghcr.io/stefanprodan/podinfo # {"$imagepolicy": "flux-system:podinfo:name"}
      newTag: 5.0.0 # {"$imagepolicy": "flux-system:podinfo:tag"}

[ruiengana]

We use kustomize kyaml to mutate the YAMLs and this is how it behaves. I suggest you move the images block that's being patched, to a Flux Kustomization e.g.

We use the image automation controller mainly with HelmReleases managed by Helm Controller to override the images and tags values from helm.

I don't think I understood how I could apply your solution to it.

[stefanprodan]

You can create a kustomizeconfig to teach Kustomize how to use images in custom resources, docs here https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kustomize/blob/master/examples/transformerconfigs/images/README.md

[ruiengana]

We use kustomize kyaml to mutate the YAMLs and this is how it behaves. I suggest you move the images block that's being patched, to a Flux Kustomization e.g.

We also have annotations with code blocks in the same YAML and interestingly the annotations are being left intact. Can you help me understand why code blocks in annotations are treated differently?

[stefanprodan]

Another solution is to move the config to a ConfigMap and use valuesFrom in the HelmRelease, so when Flux patches the images, it will not mess up the config as it's not there.

[ruiengana]

Another solution is to move the config to a ConfigMap and use valuesFrom in the HelmRelease, so when Flux patches the images, it will not mess up the config as it's not there.

Yes, I think that will work.

Still unsure why inline blocks in annotations are not being messed up while other inline blocks elsewhere are. Isn't that strange?

[stefanprodan]

Still unsure why inline blocks in annotations are not being messed up while other inline blocks elsewhere are. Isn't that strange?

It is, I can't find the issue now, but it's here somewhere https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kustomize/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+ as I said, we don't edit the YAMLs with our code, we use Kustomize kyaml in Flux.

[ruiengana]

Still unsure why inline blocks in annotations are not being messed up while other inline blocks elsewhere are. Isn't that strange?

It is, I can't find the issue now, but it's here somewhere https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kustomize/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+ as I said, we don't edit the YAMLs with our code, we use Kustomize kyaml in Flux.

I can provide a HelmRelease with a simple deployment to demonstrate so this issue can be linked to kustomize repo.
Let me know if that helps?

[ruiengana]

@stefanprodan this is becoming a real problem for us. We have large inline block pieces being reformatted in a single line and messing everything :( we currently reverting the commit side effect manually which isn't sustainable. Do you know if this is already open in kustomize ?

[ruiengana]

@stefanprodan any update on this? Thank you in advance

[AchazRyus]

This issue is still relevant for me also. Would love to hear any update !

[stefanprodan]

This should've been fixed in #605

You can try it out using ghcr.io/fluxcd/image-automation-controller:preview-13413b26

[AchazRyus]

Great ! Thanks you

[stefanprodan]

This should be fixed in Flux 2.2.0, please open a new issue if that's not the case.