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In this guide, you’ll learn how to integrate the kustomize edit set image command into your CI/CD pipeline. By the end, you’ll understand how to automatically update your Kubernetes manifests with a new image tag whenever a build completes successfully.

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Table of Contents

  1. CI/CD Pipeline Overview
  2. 1. Triggering the Pipeline
  3. 2. Installing Dependencies & Running Tests
  4. 3. Building & Tagging the Container Image
  5. 4. Updating Manifests with kustomize edit
  6. 5. Deploying to Kubernetes
  7. References

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CI/CD Pipeline Overview

This is a typical flow for deploying code changes:
Using a Git commit hash (or semantic version) as your Docker image tag ensures traceability between your code and the container you deploy.

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1. Triggering the Pipeline

Any push to the main branch starts the CI/CD process. For example:
Your CI system (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, etc.) detects the new commit and enters the build stage.

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2. Installing Dependencies & Running Tests

In the build stage, install dependencies and execute tests:
If all tests pass, the pipeline moves on to building the Docker image.

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3. Building & Tagging the Container Image

Most CI systems provide an environment variable for the commit SHA. For instance:
Here, myrepo/api:abcdef123 uniquely identifies the image corresponding to this commit.

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4. Updating Manifests with kustomize edit

In the CD stage, adjust your Kustomize overlay so the manifest points to the new image tag:
This command modifies the images section of your kustomization.yaml:
Ensure your kustomization.yaml is under version control so you can track these automated updates. Avoid committing sensitive credentials or hardcoded tags.

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5. Deploying to Kubernetes

With your overlay updated, deploy the change to production:
Kubernetes will detect the new image tag, pull myrepo/api:abcdef123, and perform a rolling update.

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References

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