Devtron Kubernetes Application Manager

Kubernetes has a steep learning curve. Writing Helm charts, configuring CI pipelines, managing secrets, and debugging deployments each require deep expertise. Devtron wraps all of this in a web UI that teams can use from day one.

What Devtron Provides

• CI/CD pipelines with a visual builder
• Helm chart management without writing Helm templates
• GitOps with Argo CD under the hood
• Security scanning built into pipelines
• RBAC for team access control
• Debugging tools (logs, terminal, resource browser)

Installation

helm repo add devtron https://helm.devtron.ai
helm install devtron devtron/devtron-operator \
  --namespace devtroncd --create-namespace \
  --set installer.modules={cicd}

Access the dashboard:

kubectl get svc -n devtroncd devtron-service
# Open the external IP in your browser
# Default credentials shown in install output

Create an Application

1. Connect Git Repository

Applications → Create → Git Repository
  URL: https://github.com/myorg/order-api
  Branch: main
  Build Context: ./
  Dockerfile Path: ./Dockerfile

2. Configure Build Pipeline

Build Pipeline:
  ├── Stage: Build
  │   ├── Task: Docker Build
  │   └── Task: Trivy Scan
  └── Stage: Push
      └── Task: Push to Registry

Devtron builds the Docker image, scans for vulnerabilities, and pushes to your registry — configured through the UI.

3. Configure Deployment

Deployment Template:
  Replicas: 3
  CPU Request: 100m
  Memory Request: 128Mi
  CPU Limit: 500m
  Memory Limit: 512Mi
  
  Environment Variables:
    DATABASE_URL: (from secret)
    REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379

  Ingress:
    Host: orders.myorg.com
    Path: /
    TLS: true

No Helm template writing. Fill in the form, Devtron generates the Kubernetes manifests.

4. Deploy

Environments → Production → Deploy
  Image: myorg/order-api:abc123
  Strategy: Rolling Update

Multi-Environment Promotion

Build → Dev → Staging → Production

Dev:
  Replicas: 1, Auto-deploy on push

Staging:
  Replicas: 2, Manual trigger

Production:
  Replicas: 5, Approval required

Promote the same image through environments. Each environment has its own configuration overrides.

Helm Chart Manager

Deploy third-party Helm charts without the CLI:

Chart Store → Search "postgresql" → Install

Configuration:
  Release Name: postgres-production
  Namespace: database
  Values:
    auth.postgresPassword: (from secret)
    primary.persistence.size: 50Gi
    metrics.enabled: true

Upgrade, rollback, and monitor Helm releases through the UI.

Debugging

Pod Logs

Stream logs from any pod with filtering and search. No kubectl logs needed.

Terminal

Open a shell in any running container directly from the browser.

Resource Browser

View all Kubernetes resources across namespaces:

Namespaces → production → Deployments → order-api
  Pods: 3/3 Running
  Events: Last scaled 2h ago
  Manifests: View/Edit YAML

App Details

order-api (Production)
  Status: Healthy
  Last Deployed: 2h ago by alice@myorg.com
  Image: myorg/order-api:v2.1.0
  Pods: 3/3 Running
  CPU: 120m/500m (24%)
  Memory: 96Mi/512Mi (19%)

Security

Security → Scan Results

order-api:v2.1.0
  Critical: 0
  High: 1 (openssl 3.0.13)
  Medium: 3

Policy: Block deployment if Critical > 0

When to Use Devtron

Good fit: - Teams new to Kubernetes who need guardrails - Organizations wanting a unified deployment platform - Companies that want CI/CD without maintaining Jenkins/GitLab CI - Teams that prefer UI-driven workflows

Not needed: - Teams comfortable with Helm, Kustomize, and kubectl - Organizations with existing CI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI) - Single-developer projects

Devtron reduces the Kubernetes learning curve. As teams mature, they can use the underlying Argo CD and Helm directly.

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