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Nyl

Introduction

Nyl is a fast Kubernetes manifest generator for teams that want Helm integration, reusable components, profile-aware configuration, and plain Kubernetes YAML as an output.

Nyl can fit into several deployment workflows:

  • Rendered manifest GitOps: CI renders Nyl inputs into plain YAML and commits or publishes the rendered output for ArgoCD, Flux, or another reconciler.
  • CLI-first operations: Operators render, diff, and apply directly with nyl for bootstrapping, debugging, test clusters, and controlled manual changes.
  • ArgoCD CMP integration: ArgoCD runs Nyl as a Config Management Plugin when you want controller-side rendering and ArgoCD repository credential reuse.

What Nyl Provides

Section titled “What Nyl Provides”
  • Helm-backed resources through HelmChart and component shortcuts.
  • Reusable local components with chart lookup and schema validation.
  • Jinja2-compatible templating via MiniJinja.
  • Profiles for environment-specific configuration.
  • Remote manifests for including HTTPS-hosted YAML and JSON.
  • Release metadata and revision tracking through NylRelease.
  • Render, diff, and apply commands for local and CI workflows.
  • ArgoCD helpers including a CMP image, Helm chart, repository secret discovery, and ApplicationGenerator.

Choosing a Workflow

Section titled “Choosing a Workflow”

Start with rendered manifest GitOps if you want the cluster-side reconciler to consume ordinary Kubernetes manifests and keep Nyl out of the runtime path.

Use CLI-first workflows when you need fast local feedback, bootstrap a cluster before GitOps is available, or test a change before committing rendered output.

Use the ArgoCD CMP integration when you want ArgoCD to render Nyl inputs directly from Git, especially when you rely on ArgoCD repository credentials or ApplicationGenerator.