15 KiB
Resource Managementplain
This document describes how to configure resource requests and limits for components in the buun-stack.
Table of Contents
Overview
Kubernetes uses resource requests and limits to:
- Schedule pods on nodes with sufficient resources
- Ensure quality of service through QoS classes
- Prevent resource exhaustion by limiting resource consumption
All critical components in buun-stack should have resource requests and limits configured.
QoS Classes
Kubernetes assigns one of three QoS classes to each pod based on its resource configuration:
Guaranteed QoS (Highest Priority)
Requirements:
- Every container must have CPU and memory requests
- Every container must have CPU and memory limits
- Requests and limits must be equal for both CPU and memory
Characteristics:
- Highest priority during resource contention
- Last to be evicted when node runs out of resources
- Predictable performance
Example:
resources:
requests:
cpu: 200mplain
memory: 1Gi
limits:
cpu: 200m # Same as requests
memory: 1Gi # Same as requests
Use for: Critical data stores (PostgreSQL, Vault)
Burstable QoS (Medium Priority)
Requirements:
- At least one container has requests or limits
- Does not meet Guaranteed QoS criteria
- Typically
requests < limits
Characteristics:
- Medium priority during resource contention
- Can burst to limits when resources are available
- More resource-efficient than Guaranteed
Example:
resources:
requests:
cpu: 50m
memory: 128Mi
limits:
cpu: 100m # Can burst up to this
memory: 256Mi # Can burst up to this
Use for: Operators, auxiliary services, variable workloads
BestEffort QoS (Lowest Priority)
Requirements:
- No resource requests or limits configured
Characteristics:
- Lowest priority during resource contention
- First to be evicted when node runs out of resources
- Not recommended for production
Using Goldilocks
Goldilocks uses Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA) to recommend resource settings based on actual usage.
Setup
For installation and detailed setup instructions, see:
Quick start:
# Install VPA
just vpa::install
# Install Goldilocks
just goldilocks::install
# Enable monitoring for a namespace
just goldilocks::enable-namespace <namespace>
Access the dashboard at your configured Goldilocks host (e.g., https://goldilocks.example.com).
Using the Dashboard
- Navigate to the namespace
- Expand "Containers" section for each workload
- Review both "Guaranteed QoS" and "Burstable QoS" recommendations
Limitations
Goldilocks only monitors standard Kubernetes workloads (Deployment, StatefulSet, DaemonSet). It does not automatically create VPAs for:
- Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs)
- Resources managed by operators (e.g., CloudNativePG Cluster)
For CRDs, use alternative methods:
- Check actual usage:
kubectl top pod <pod-name> -n <namespace> - Use Grafana dashboards:
Kubernetes / Compute Resources / Pod - Monitor over time and adjust based on observed patterns
Working with Recommendations
Understanding Goldilocks Recommendations
How Goldilocks works:
- Goldilocks displays recommendations directly from Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA) resources
- VPA analyzes actual resource usage and calculates recommendations with built-in headroom
- Goldilocks shows VPA's
targetvalues for Guaranteed QoS andlowerBoundvalues for Burstable QoS
Important: VPA recommendations already include significant headroom (typically 5-15x for CPU, 2-3x for memory compared to observed usage).
How VPA calculates recommendations:
- Percentile-based: 90th percentile for target, 50th for lower bound, 95th for upper bound
- Safety margin: 15% added to base calculation (configurable via
--recommendation-margin-fraction) - Confidence multiplier: Additional buffer when historical data is limited (decreases as data accumulates)
- Minimum thresholds: CPU 25m, Memory 250Mi
- Data collection: 8-day rolling window with weight decay (newer samples weighted higher)
Example from external-secrets:
- Actual usage: CPU 1m, Memory 77Mi
- VPA target recommendation: CPU 15m, Memory 164M (displayed as Goldilocks "Guaranteed QoS")
- VPA lowerBound recommendation: CPU 15m, Memory 105M (displayed as Goldilocks "Burstable QoS" request)
- Built-in headroom: 15x CPU, 2x Memory (includes percentile + safety margin + confidence multiplier)
For Standard Workloads (Supported by Goldilocks)
Review Goldilocks recommendations in the dashboard, then configure resources:
Recommendation: Use VPA values as-is in most cases
Given that VPA already includes:
- 90th percentile (covers 90% of usage patterns)
- 15% safety margin
- Confidence multiplier for recent workloads
- Minimum thresholds
Additional headroom is typically NOT needed unless:
- Unpredictable workload: Traffic patterns significantly vary or are not captured in 8-day window
- Critical services: Data stores (PostgreSQL, Vault) where stability is paramount
- Insufficient history: Newly deployed services with < 8 days of metrics
- Known growth: Expecting significant traffic increase in near future
Recommended approach:
- Standard services (operators, auxiliary): Use VPA recommendations as-is, round to clean values
- Critical services: Use VPA + 1.5-2x for extra safety margin, or use Guaranteed QoS
- New services: Start with VPA + 1.5x, monitor, adjust after 1-2 weeks
IMPORTANT: Never configure resources below Goldilocks recommendations. Setting values lower than recommended will:
- Cause Goldilocks dashboard to flag the workload as under-resourced
- Potentially lead to performance issues or OOMKilled events
- Defeat the purpose of using VPA-based recommendations
When rounding values, always round up to the next clean value, not down.
Example:
Goldilocks recommendation: 50m CPU, 128Mi Memory
- Standard service: 50m CPU, 128Mi Memory (use as-is, rounded up if needed)
- Critical service: 100m CPU, 256Mi Memory (2x for extra safety)
Goldilocks recommendation: 15m CPU, 105M Memory
- Correct: 25m CPU, 128Mi Memory (rounded up to clean values)
- Incorrect: 10m CPU, 100Mi Memory (below recommendations, will be flagged)
For CRDs and Unsupported Workloads
Use Grafana to check actual resource usage:
- Navigate to Grafana dashboard:
Kubernetes / Compute Resources / Pod - Select namespace and pod
- Review usage over 7+ days to identify peak values and usage patterns
Apply headroom manually (since VPA is not available):
Since you're working from raw metrics without VPA's automatic calculation, manually apply similar buffers:
- Base calculation: Use 90th percentile or observed peak values
- Safety margin: Add 15-20%
- Confidence buffer: Add 20-50% for services with < 1 week of data
- Minimum thresholds: CPU 25-50m, Memory 256Mi
Recommended multipliers:
- Standard services: 2-3x observed peak (approximates VPA calculation)
- Critical services: 3-5x observed peak (extra safety for data stores)
- New services: 5x observed peak, re-evaluate after 1-2 weeks
Example:
Grafana shows peak: 40m CPU, 200Mi Memory over 7 days
- Standard service: 100m CPU, 512Mi Memory (2.5x, rounded)
- Critical service: 200m CPU, 1Gi Memory (5x, rounded, Guaranteed QoS recommended)
Note: For CRDs, you're working from raw usage data and must manually apply the same statistical buffers that VPA provides automatically. Larger multipliers compensate for lack of percentile analysis and safety margins.
Configuring Resources
Helm-Managed Components
For components installed via Helm, configure resources in the values file.
Example: PostgreSQL Operator (CNPG)
File: postgres/cnpg-values.yaml
resources:
requests:
cpu: 50m
memory: 128Mi
limits:
cpu: 100m
memory: 256Mi
Apply:
cd postgres
helm upgrade --install cnpg cnpg/cloudnative-pg --version ${CNPG_CHART_VERSION} \
-n ${CNPG_NAMESPACE} -f cnpg-values.yaml
Example: Vault
File: vault/vault-values.gomplate.yaml
server:
resources:
requests:
cpu: 50m
memory: 512Mi
limits:
cpu: 50m
memory: 512Mi
injector:
resources:
requests:
cpu: 50m
memory: 128Mi
limits:
cpu: 50m
memory: 128Mi
csi:
enabled: true
agent:
resources:
requests:
cpu: 50m
memory: 128Mi
limits:
cpu: 50m
memory: 128Mi
resources:
requests:
cpu: 50m
memory: 64Mi
limits:
cpu: 50m
memory: 128Mi
Apply:
cd vault
gomplate -f vault-values.gomplate.yaml -o vault-values.yaml
helm upgrade vault hashicorp/vault --version ${VAULT_CHART_VERSION} \
-n vault -f vault-values.yaml
Note: After updating StatefulSet resources, delete the pod to apply changes:
kubectl delete pod vault-0 -n vault
# Unseal Vault after restart
kubectl exec -n vault vault-0 -- vault operator unseal <UNSEAL_KEY>
CRD-Managed Components
For components managed by Custom Resource Definitions, patch the CRD directly.
Example: PostgreSQL Cluster (CloudNativePG)
Update values file
File: postgres/postgres-cluster-values.gomplate.yaml
cluster:
instances: 1
# Resource configuration (Guaranteed QoS)
resources:
requests:
cpu: 200m
memory: 1Gi
limits:
cpu: 200m
memory: 1Gi
storage:
size: {{ .Env.POSTGRES_STORAGE_SIZE }}
Apply via justfile:
just postgres::create-cluster
Restart pod to apply changes:
kubectl delete pod postgres-cluster-1 -n postgres
kubectl wait --for=condition=Ready pod/postgres-cluster-1 -n postgres --timeout=180s
Data Safety: PostgreSQL data is stored in PersistentVolumeClaim (PVC) and will be preserved during pod restart.
Verification
After applying resource configurations:
1. Check resource settings:
# For standard workloads
kubectl get deployment <name> -n <namespace> -o jsonpath='{.spec.template.spec.containers[0].resources}' | jq
# For pods
kubectl get pod <pod-name> -n <namespace> -o jsonpath='{.spec.containers[0].resources}' | jq
2. Verify QoS Class:
kubectl get pod <pod-name> -n <namespace> -o jsonpath='{.status.qosClass}'
3. Check actual usage:
kubectl top pod <pod-name> -n <namespace>
Best Practices
Choosing QoS Class
| Component Type | Recommended QoS | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Data stores (PostgreSQL, Vault) | Guaranteed | Critical services, data integrity, predictable performance |
| Operators (CNPG, etc.) | Burstable | Lightweight controllers, occasional spikes |
| Auxiliary services (Injectors, CSI providers) | Burstable | Support services, variable load |
Setting Resource Values
1. Start with actual usage:
# Check current usage
kubectl top pod <pod-name> -n <namespace>
# Check historical usage in Grafana
# Dashboard: Kubernetes / Compute Resources / Pod
2. Add appropriate headroom:
| Scenario | Recommended Multiplier | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Stable, predictable load | 2-3x current usage | Current: 40m → Set: 100m |
| Variable load | 5-10x current usage | Current: 40m → Set: 200m |
| Growth expected | 5-10x current usage | Current: 200Mi → Set: 1Gi |
3. Use round numbers:
- CPU: 50m, 100m, 200m, 500m, 1000m (1 core)
- Memory: 64Mi, 128Mi, 256Mi, 512Mi, 1Gi, 2Gi
4. Monitor and adjust:
- Check usage patterns after 1-2 weeks
- Adjust based on observed peak usage
- Iterate as workload changes
Resource Configuration Examples
Based on actual deployments in buun-stack:
# PostgreSQL Operator (Burstable)
resources:
requests:
cpu: 50m
memory: 128Mi
limits:
cpu: 100m
memory: 256Mi
# PostgreSQL Cluster (Guaranteed)
resources:
requests:
cpu: 200m
memory: 1Gi
limits:
cpu: 200m
memory: 1Gi
# Vault Server (Guaranteed)
resources:
requests:
cpu: 50m
memory: 512Mi
limits:
cpu: 50m
memory: 512Mi
# Vault Agent Injector (Guaranteed)
resources:
requests:
cpu: 50m
memory: 128Mi
limits:
cpu: 50m
memory: 128Mi
Troubleshooting
Pod Stuck in Pending State
Symptom:
NAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE
my-pod 0/1 Pending 0 5m
Check events:
kubectl describe pod <pod-name> -n <namespace> | tail -20
Common causes:
Insufficient resources
FailedScheduling: 0/1 nodes are available: 1 Insufficient cpu/memory
Solution: Reduce resource requests or add more nodes
Pod anti-affinity
FailedScheduling: 0/1 nodes are available: 1 node(s) didn't match pod anti-affinity rules
Solution: Delete old pod to allow new pod to schedule
kubectl delete pod <old-pod-name> -n <namespace>
OOMKilled (Out of Memory)
Symptom:
NAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE
my-pod 0/1 OOMKilled 1 5m
Solution:
Check memory limit is sufficient
kubectl top pod <pod-name> -n <namespace>
Increase memory limits
resources:
limits:
memory: 2Gi # Increase from 1Gi
Helm Stuck in pending-upgrade
Symptom:
helm status <release> -n <namespace>
# STATUS: pending-upgrade
Solution:
# Remove pending release secret
kubectl get secrets -n <namespace> -l owner=helm,name=<release> --sort-by=.metadata.creationTimestamp
kubectl delete secret sh.helm.release.v1.<release>.v<pending-version> -n <namespace>
# Verify status is back to deployed
helm status <release> -n <namespace>
# Re-run upgrade
helm upgrade <release> <chart> -n <namespace> -f values.yaml
VPA Not Providing Recommendations
Symptom:
- VPA shows "NoPodsMatched" or "ConfigUnsupported"
- Goldilocks shows empty containers section
Cause: VPA cannot monitor Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) directly
Solution: Use alternative monitoring methods:
- kubectl top pod
- Grafana dashboards
- Prometheus queries
For CRDs, configure resources manually based on observed usage patterns.