> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Managing Directories Demo
> Organizing and scaling Kubernetes manifests using a consistent directory structure and Kustomize for customization.
Organizing and scaling your Kubernetes manifests becomes much simpler when you adopt a consistent directory structure and leverage [Kustomize][kustomize-docs]. In this guide, we’ll walk through:
* Defining a clear directory layout
* Deploying resources manually with `kubectl`
* Introducing Kustomize for centralized and per-directory customization
***
## Directory Layout
Under the `k8s/` folder, structure your manifests by component:
```text theme={null}
k8s/
├── api/
├── cache/
└── db/
```
| Directory | Components |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| k8s/api | API Deployment & Service |
| k8s/cache | Redis Deployment, Service & Credentials |
| k8s/db | MongoDB Deployment, Service & Credentials |
Each subfolder contains the YAML files for its service.
***
## Sample Manifests
### Database Deployment (`db/db-depl.yaml`)
```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: db-deployment
spec:
replicas: 1
selector:
matchLabels:
component: db
template:
metadata:
labels:
component: db
spec:
containers:
- name: mongo
image: mongo
env:
- name: MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_USERNAME
valueFrom:
configMapKeyRef:
name: db-credentials
key: username
- name: MONGO_INITDB_ROOT_PASSWORD
valueFrom:
configMapKeyRef:
name: db-credentials
key: password
```
### Redis Service (`cache/redis-service.yaml`)
```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
name: redis-cluster-ip-service
spec:
type: ClusterIP
selector:
component: redis
ports:
- port: 6379
targetPort: 6379
```
### Redis Credentials (`cache/redis-config.yaml`)
```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
name: redis-credentials
data:
username: "redis"
password: "password123"
```
***
## Manual Deployment
Apply each directory in sequence:
```bash theme={null}
kubectl apply -f k8s/api
kubectl apply -f k8s/cache
kubectl apply -f k8s/db
```
Or chain them:
```bash theme={null}
kubectl apply -f k8s/api -f k8s/cache -f k8s/db
```
Make sure your `kubectl` context is pointed to the correct cluster and you have permission to create resources.
### Cleaning Up
```bash theme={null}
kubectl delete -f k8s/api -f k8s/cache -f k8s/db
```
***
## Introducing Kustomize
Kustomize lets you define and compose resources without template syntax. Start by creating a root `kustomization.yaml` under `k8s/`:
```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization
resources:
- api/api-depl.yaml
- api/api-service.yaml
- cache/redis-config.yaml
- cache/redis-depl.yaml
- cache/redis-service.yaml
- db/db-config.yaml
- db/db-depl.yaml
- db/db-service.yaml
```
Generate the merged manifest:
```bash theme={null}
kustomize build k8s/
```
Apply directly to the cluster:
```bash theme={null}
kustomize build k8s/ | kubectl apply -f -
```
Or use `kubectl`’s built-in Kustomize support:
You can apply overlays without installing the standalone Kustomize binary by running:
```bash theme={null}
kubectl apply -k k8s/
```
See \[Kubectl apply documentation].
Verify your pods:
```bash theme={null}
kubectl get pods
```
***
## Per-Directory Kustomization
For better modularity, place a `kustomization.yaml` in each subfolder.
### `api/kustomization.yaml`
```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization
resources:
- api-depl.yaml
- api-service.yaml
```
### `cache/kustomization.yaml`
```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization
resources:
- redis-config.yaml
- redis-depl.yaml
- redis-service.yaml
```
### `db/kustomization.yaml`
```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization
resources:
- db-config.yaml
- db-depl.yaml
- db-service.yaml
```
Finally, update the root `kustomization.yaml` to reference directories:
```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Kustomization
resources:
- api/
- cache/
- db/
```
Apply all components in one command:
```bash theme={null}
kubectl apply -k k8s/
```
Confirm everything is running:
```bash theme={null}
kubectl get pods
```
This scalable structure keeps your manifests organized and ready for production-grade overlays.
***
## Links and References
* [Kubernetes Manifests][k8s-manifests]
* [Kubectl apply documentation][kubectl-docs]
* [Kustomize Official Documentation][kustomize-docs]
[k8s-manifests]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/overview/working-with-objects/kubernetes-objects/
[kubectl-docs]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/generated/kubectl/kubectl-commands#apply
[kustomize-docs]: https://kubectl.docs.kubernetes.io/references/kustomize/kustomization/