kustomize is an open-source command-line tool that customizes raw Kubernetes YAML files by layering patches and overlays on top of a base, leaving the original manifests untouched. It costs nothing to use and runs as a standalone CLI, though a version of it also ships embedded inside kubectl. The README describes it as template-free, comparing its approach to make (behavior declared in a file) and sed (it emits edited text) rather than to templating tools, which suits platform engineers and application developers managing environment-specific config for clusters without wanting a templating language. It sits in the Kubernetes configuration-management space, handling the job of maintaining base-plus-overlay variants across environments. Started in 2017 and now with 486 contributors, it remains active with 66 commits in the past year and ten releases in the tracked window, the most recent about six months ago.
Which of my environments differ from the shared base, and where exactly?
layers each environment's patches and overlays over the untouched base and emits the merged YAML, so the delta is whatever the overlay declares rather than a hand-copied manifest
Can I preview what will actually reach the cluster before I apply it?
builds the final YAML from base plus overlay to standard output first, so the review happens on rendered text rather than on the templated source
Will upgrading kubectl silently change how my manifests get built?
ships a specific kustomize version embedded in each kubectl release, so checking the client version against the known version table shows whether a build step's behavior has shifted underneath a pipeline
Did the maintainers just remove something my kustomization depends on?
the release history records outright removals, such as dropping Starlark support for KRM functions, so comparing a kustomization's transformer and generator list against the current release notes shows what will break on upgrade
29 capabilities
· 2 backed by code, an API document or a real run
Built from kustomize's releases, docs, README and our own runs.
“Seen” marks the month we first spotted a release the vendor didn't date.
Group names and tags are our labels.
+Advanced replacement capabilitiesshippedEnhances the replacement transformer with support for multiple replacements in a single file, setting every array element, and wildcard pattern matching.30 releases · 6 other sources · first seen Jun 2018▸
release
30 total
Accounts for delimiters in structured data replacements
api/v0.21.2 · Sep 2026
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· release history
Accounts for delimiters in structured data replacements, improving correctness of replacement operations on YAML/JSON values.
api/v0.21.2 · Sep 2026
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Supports editing embedded YAML/JSON values inside manifests via the replacements transformer using dot-path traversal into structured fields (e.g. data.config\.json.config.hostname).
kustomize/v5.8.0 · Nov 2025
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· release history
Supports regex patterns in Replacement selectors for flexible field targeting.
api/v0.21.0 · Nov 2025
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· release history
Implements replacement values in structured data for richer substitution workflows.
api/v0.21.0 · Nov 2025
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· release history
Introduces PatchArgs API type to programmatically populate patch options.
kustomize/v5.8.0 · Nov 2025
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· release history
example
Localize a kustomization that references not-yet-downloaded or incomplete manifests without triggering the new build validation.$ kustomize localize <path> --no-verify
kustomize/v5.4.3 · Jul 2024
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Filter which resources can be used as replacement targets based on their metadata labels.$ apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1 kind: Kustomization resources: - base.yaml replacements: - source: kind: ConfigMap name: settings target: labelSelector: matchLabels: app: frontend
kyaml/v0.13.0 · Nov 2021
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Run the migration on the current kustomization file to replace legacy vars with replacements.$ kustomize edit fix --vars
kustomize/v4.2.0 · Jul 2021
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Build and apply base config to cluster$ kustomize build ~/someApp | kubectl apply -f -
Build and apply production overlay to cluster$ kustomize build ~/someApp/overlays/production | kubectl apply -f -
Build customized YAML from base directory$ kustomize build ~/someApp
+Transformer customizationshippedAllows finer control over transformers, including splitting prefix/suffix logic and customizing role binding subjects in namespace transformers.19 releases · 2 other sources · first seen Jun 2018▸
Also counts toward: Command-line interface
release
19 total
Adds kustomize edit add configuration command for managing configurations via the CLI.
kustomize/v5.8.2 · Sep 2026
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Adds labels key support in transformer configuration to merge labels into resources
api/v0.17.2 · May 2024
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Localizes absolute paths within transformer configurations
api/v0.17.2 · May 2024
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· release history
kustomize edit add transformers now supports --overwrite to customize the NamespaceTransformer overwrite behaviour
kustomize/v4.5.6 · Jul 2022
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· release history
kustomize edit add transformers now supports --setRole to customize the NamespaceTransformer role binding subject handling
kustomize/v4.5.6 · Jul 2022
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Refactors PrefixSuffixTransformer into separate PrefixTransformer and SuffixTransformer, usable individually in transformers
api/v0.11.0 · Feb 2022
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· release history
example
Register a custom configuration transformer with your kustomization without hand-editing kustomization.yaml.$ kustomize edit add configuration my-transformer-config.yaml
kustomize/v5.8.2 · Sep 2026
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Register a custom transformer configuration file with the current kustomization so it is picked up by kustomize build.$ kustomize edit add configuration my-transformer-config.yaml
kustomize/v5.8.2 · Sep 2026
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+Helm chart integration expansionshippedExpands the Helm generator support with additional configuration fields for values files, API versions, and test handling.16 releases · 2 other sources · first seen Sep 2019▸
Also counts toward: Command-line interface
release
16 total
Supports the devel alias in helmcharts configuration, enabling use of pre-release Helm chart versions.
kustomize/v5.7.0 · Jun 2025
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Adds localize feature to transform absolute resource file paths into relative ones
kustomize/v5.4.2 · May 2024
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Adds --kube-version and --api-versions CLI arguments to control Helm chart generation targets
api/v0.16.0 · Dec 2023
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kustomize now supports pulling Helm charts from OCI registries
kyaml/v0.15.0 · Oct 2023
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· release history
Add edit remove secret subcommand
kustomize/v5.2.1 · Oct 2023
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· release history
Adds kustomize edit remove secret command to delete Secret references from kustomization.yaml (#5344)
kustomize/v5.2.0 · Oct 2023
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· release history
example
Generate a Helm chart compatible with Kubernetes 1.25 using specific API versions$ kustomize build . --helm-command helm --kube-version=1.25.0 --api-versions=v1,apps/v1
api/v0.16.0 · Dec 2023
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Scan a local directory containing a Helm-integrated kustomization, enabling the helm subprocess.$ kustomize build --enable-helm .
kustomize/v4.1.0 · Apr 2021
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+Kustomization file validationshippedEnforces stricter validation on kustomization files, including rejecting duplicate fields and preventing silent failures from unsupported or external generators and transformers.17 releases · first seen Oct 2018▸
release
17 total
Ambiguous resource paths with inner .. segments are now rejected outright instead of being silently misresolved — any kustomization referencing such paths will fail to build.
api/v0.21.2 · Sep 2026
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Duplicate fields in Kustomization files now result in an error instead of being silently ignored
api/v0.13.0 · Feb 2023
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External generators and transformers now raise an error instead of being silently ignored
kustomize/v4.5.5 · May 2022
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Raises an error when external generators or transformers are detected, preventing silent failures from unsupported plugin types.
api/v0.11.5 · May 2022
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fn framework now validates functionConfig against an openAPI schema
kyaml/v0.13.4 · Mar 2022
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Supports multiple gvks in custom openapi schema
api/v0.10.0 · Sep 2021
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· release history
+Remote resource loading and validationshippedAdds support for loading remote OpenAPI schemas for validation and handling various URL schemes including SSH with certificates.16 releases · 1 other source · first seen Aug 2018▸
release
16 total
Loads the built-in OpenAPI schema from a pre-compiled bundle embedded in the binary, replacing runtime loading from the Kubernetes API definition.
kustomize/v5.8.2 · Sep 2026
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Loads the built-in OpenAPI schema from a pre-compiled bundle embedded in the binary instead of parsing it at runtime.
kustomize/v5.8.2 · Sep 2026
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· release history
Marks ValidatingAdmissionPolicy resources as cluster-scoped in kyaml
api/v0.21.2 · Sep 2026
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· release history
Performance optimization limiting initSchema calls in openapi.IsNamespaceScoped
kyaml/v0.15.0 · Oct 2023
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· release history
Supports SSH URLs with certificates in RepoSpec
api/v0.13.0 · Feb 2023
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· release history
Openapi parsing performance improvement with protobuffer
kyaml/v0.13.7 · May 2022
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· release history
example
Retrieve the OpenAPI schema definitions currently available in your connected local cluster.$ kustomize openapi fetch
kustomize/v4.0.2 · Feb 2021
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+Image tag suffixingshippedAllows appending a suffix to container image tags during the build process via dedicated transformer fields.13 releases · 2 other sources · first seen Aug 2018▸
release
13 total
Adds images support for Image Volumes in the images transformer.
kustomize/v5.7.0 · Jun 2025
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Supports Image Volumes in kustomize configurations (#5921).
api/v0.20.0 · Jun 2025
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New tagsuffix transformer available in Kustomizations to append a suffix to container image tags
kustomize/v4.5.5 · May 2022
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· release history
Adds the tagsuffix field to image transformers, allowing practitioners to append a suffix to image tags during patching.
api/v0.11.5 · May 2022
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· release history
Enables setting new tag while keeping the current image name via newTag with digest support.
kustomize/v3.8.10 · Feb 2021
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Adds support for preserving image digest during images patch updates with keepDigest: true.
kustomize/v3.9.3 · Feb 2021
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· release history
example
Patch an image in kustomization.yaml to update only the tag while preserving the existing sha256 digest, preventing accidental drift.$ kustomize edit set image nginx=nginx:1.19 --preserve-image-digest
kustomize/v3.8.10 · Feb 2021
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Update image tags using regex patterns for more flexible version matching in transformers.$ kustomize edit set imagetag myapp '.*-beta$'
v1.0.6 · Aug 2018
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+Generator configuration expansionshippedProvides CLI commands to add and configure generators within kustomization files, including support for shell generators, timeouts, and disabling hash suffixes.10 releases · 3 other sources · first seen Oct 2018▸
Also counts toward: Command-line interface
release
10 total
Added support for anchors in fieldspec (-f).
api/v0.7.3 · Feb 2021
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Exposed the smart path splitter as a public utility.
api/v0.7.3 · Feb 2021
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Improves framework usability by reducing dependency on cobra for non-CLI applications.
kyaml/v0.10.7 · Feb 2021
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Add RNode.Map method and test to help decoding.
kyaml/v0.10.6 · Jan 2021
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· release history
Adds kustomize edit add transformer and kustomize edit remove transformer subcommands to declaratively manage transformers.
kyaml/v0.9.3 · Oct 2020
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· release history
Adds AllowHashSuffix logic to permit hash suffixing of arbitrary types
kyaml/v0.4.2 · Jul 2020
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· release history
example
Access the smart path splitter programmatically for custom kustomize plugins.$ import "github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kustomize/api/kyaml/splitpath"
api/v0.7.3 · Feb 2021
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Decode nested YAML structures programmatically using the new Map method on RNode.$ // Example usage in Go: // var node *yaml.RNode // m, err := node.Map() if err != nil { ... }
kyaml/v0.10.6 · Jan 2021
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Add a specific transformer to your kustomization file without manually editing it.$ kustomize edit add transformer image-tag:v1.2.3
kyaml/v0.9.3 · Oct 2020
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+CLI version reportingverifiedReports the tool's version, with a flag to print just the version number.5 releases · 7 other sources · first seen Feb 2019▸
release
Adds --output flag to kustomize version to enable YAML or JSON formatted output
kustomize/v5.0.0 · Feb 2023
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· release history
kustomize build ... completes file paths on ZSH via built-in shell completion.
kustomize/v4.5.0 · Feb 2022
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· release history
The default branch in the cloner is no longer hardcoded to master.
kyaml/v0.9.0 · Oct 2020
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· release history
Adds --env / -e flag to enable environment variable expansion in kustomize configurations.
kyaml/v0.8.0 · Sep 2020
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· release history
Adds -s short version flag for kustomize version
v3.2.0 · Sep 2019
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· release history
command line
--short — print just the version number
v3.2.0 · Sep 2019
· command-line history
secret — Adds a secret to the kustomization file.
v2.0.0 · Feb 2019
· command-line history
Output version information in JSON format for programmatic parsing$ kustomize version --output json
kustomize/v5.0.0 · Feb 2023
· source
Get the kustomize version in JSON format for programmatic consumption or logging.$ kustomize version --output json
api/v0.13.0 · Feb 2023
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Use ZSH tab-completion to quickly autocomplete file paths during a build operation.$ kustomize build <TAB>
kustomize/v4.5.0 · Feb 2022
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Expand environment variables like DB_HOST directly within your kustomization files during build.$ kustomize build --env .
kyaml/v0.8.0 · Sep 2020
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+Kustomization field updates and deprecationsshippedIntroduces new fields like 'fieldspecs' slash support and 'creation' matchers, while removing legacy fields and aliases such as 'Inventory' and 'Resid.LegacySortString'.9 releases · 2 other sources · first seen Aug 2020▸
release
9 total
Adds kustomize edit remove component command for removing components via the CLI.
kustomize/v5.8.2 · Sep 2026
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· release history
Adds kustomize edit remove component command to remove a component reference from a kustomization file via the CLI.︀︄︇︀︅︉︀︅︀︀︃︀︀︅︅︀︅︊︀︄︆︀︃︄
kustomize/v5.8.2 · Sep 2026
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Allows fieldspecs in advanced transformer configuration to start with a slash via #4947
kyaml/v0.14.0 · Feb 2023
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· release history
Removes Resid.LegacySortString() method
kyaml/v0.14.0 · Feb 2023
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· release history
Adds creation support to the PathMatcher filter via #4886
kyaml/v0.14.0 · Feb 2023
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· release history
Removed long-ignored Inventory field from Kustomization type
api/v0.13.0 · Feb 2023
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· release history
example
Remove a previously added component from the current kustomization overlay.$ kustomize edit remove component ../components/my-feature
kustomize/v5.8.2 · Sep 2026
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Remove a component reference from a kustomization file when decommissioning a shared component from an overlay.$ kustomize edit remove component ../components/my-feature
kustomize/v5.8.2 · Sep 2026
· source
+Kustomization file initializationverifiedCreates a new kustomization file in the current directory, with options to add resources, set a name suffix, and enable recursive directory searching.4 releases · 7 other sources · first seen Oct 2018▸
release
Adds the new kustomize localize alpha subcommand to download remote content and create a localized build without network access
kustomize/v5.0.0 · Feb 2023
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· release history
Supports immutable attribute on generators to prevent modification of generated resources
api/v0.8.9 · May 2021
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· release history
Adds kustomize create subcommand for bootstrapping kustomization structures
v3.2.0 · Sep 2019
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· release history
kustomize build loads transformer configurations automatically when no path argument is provided.
v1.0.10 · Oct 2018
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· release history
docs
Customizes raw, template-free Kubernetes YAML files for multiple purposes without modifying the original files.
command line
--resources — Name of a file containing a file to add to the kustomization file.
v3.2.0 · Sep 2019
· command-line history
--recursive — Enable recursive directory searching for resource auto-detection.
v3.2.0 · Sep 2019
· command-line history
create — Create a new kustomization in the current directory
v3.2.0 · Sep 2019
· command-line history
--namesuffix — Sets the value of the nameSuffix field in the kustomization file.
v3.2.0 · Sep 2019
· command-line history
example
Localize remote kustomization contents for offline builds$ kustomize localize . ./local-copy kustomize build ./local-copy
kustomize/v5.0.0 · Feb 2023
· source
Build production overlay YAML$ kustomize build ~/someApp/overlays/production
+Build metadata injectionshippedAdds support for storing and injecting build-time context information into kustomization files using a new schema field and CLI commands.6 releases · 2 other sources · first seen Jun 2018▸
Also counts toward: Command-line interface
release
Introduces the buildMetadata field in kustomization files to store build-time information
api/v0.11.0 · Feb 2022
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· release history
Adds new buildMetadata field to the kustomization resource schema.
kustomize/v4.5.0 · Feb 2022
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· release history
Adds the kustomize edit add buildmetadata subcommand to inject build metadata into kustomizations
api/v0.11.0 · Feb 2022
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· release history
Adds the ContinueOnEmpty boolean option to the Reader configuration, allowing pipelines to process empty inputs instead of failing or skipping.
kyaml/v0.6.1 · Aug 2020
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· release history
Adds a callback mechanism to the KIO pipeline execution lifecycle via AddCallback on the pipeline object.
kyaml/v0.6.1 · Aug 2020
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· release history
Adds variable reference support in kustomizations to inject field values across resources
v1.0.2 · Jun 2018
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· release history
example
Use the new buildMetadata field in a kustomization file to embed build context.$ buildMetadata: commit: abc123 timestamp: "2023-10-01T12:00:00Z"
api/v0.11.0 · Feb 2022
· source
Add build metadata to a kustomization file using the new CLI command.$ kustomize edit add buildmetadata --env production
api/v0.11.0 · Feb 2022
· source
+Template metadata propagationshippedEnables the propagation of template metadata, such as labels, to resulting objects when templates are included.4 releases · 3 other sources · first seen Feb 2019▸
release
Adds labels to volumeClaimTemplates in StatefulSets when includeVolumeClaimTemplates is true
api/v0.21.2 · Sep 2026
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· release history
Adds includeVolumeClaimTemplates support to propagate labels into volumeClaimTemplates in StatefulSets.︀︄︇︀︅︉︀︅︀︀︃︀︀︅︅︀︅︊︀︄︆︀︃︄
api/v0.21.2 · Sep 2026
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· release history
includeTemplates: true now causes template metadata (labels) to be propagated to the resulting objects
kustomize/v4.5.5 · May 2022
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· release history
Adds spec/jobTemplate/metadata/labels support to the common labels transformer.
v2.0.0 · Feb 2019
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· release history
example
Propagate kustomization labels into StatefulSet volumeClaimTemplates — useful when storage provisioners require labels to match pod selector labels.$ # kustomization.yaml apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1 kind: Kustomization labels: - pairs: app: myapp includeSelectors: true includeVolumeClaimTemplates: true resources: - statefulset.yaml
api/v0.21.2 · Sep 2026
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Propagate common labels to PVC templates in a StatefulSet so that provisioned volumes are consistently labelled alongside other resources.$ labels: includeVolumeClaimTemplates: true pairs: app.kubernetes.io/part-of: my-app env: production
api/v0.21.2 · Sep 2026
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Programmatically create a ConfigMap entry using the new map helper.$ rNode.GetDataMap()['key'] = 'value' rNode.Set()
kyaml/v0.10.4 · Dec 2020
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+Resource sortingshippedIntroduces configuration options to explicitly define the sort order of resources in the resulting kustomization output.6 releases · 1 other source · first seen Oct 2018▸
release
The application order for components is now after generators, which changes the final manifest output for kustomizations using components and resource generators
kustomize/v5.1.0 · Jun 2023
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· release history
Changes the application order of components to run after generators (previously components were applied before)
kustomize/v5.1.0 · Jun 2023
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· release history
Adds the sortOptions kustomization field for fine-grained control over resource ordering in build output
kustomize/v5.0.0 · Feb 2023
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· release history
Adds sortOptions field to Kustomization files to configure resource sort order
api/v0.13.0 · Feb 2023
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· release history
Results.Sort() method allows sorting function results by GVK and name
kyaml/v0.13.1 · Dec 2021
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· release history
Adds ability to preserve resource ordering via generatorOptions.preserveOrder in the Kustomization spec.
v1.0.9 · Oct 2018
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· release history
example
Enforce specific sorting on resources in the kustomization file$ # Add to your kustomization.yaml: # sortOptions: # order: inverted # paths:
kustomize/v5.0.0 · Feb 2023
· source
+Starlark removalshippedRemoves support for Starlark-based KRM functions, breaking pipelines that rely on them.4 releases · first seen Feb 2021▸
release
Starlark support for KRM functions has been removed; any pipeline relying on starlark-based krm functions will break on upgrade.
kyaml/v0.18.0 · Oct 2024
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· release history
Starlark support has been removed; any kustomization using Starlark transformers/generators will break on upgrade.
api/v0.18.0 · Oct 2024
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· release history
The --enable_kyaml flag is removed; passing it now results in an error.
api/v0.8.1 · Feb 2021
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· release history
Removes the --enable_kyaml flag (no longer needed).
api/v0.8.1 · Feb 2021
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· release history
+Path and filesystem handlingshippedImproves file system abstraction to support special characters in filenames, cleans directories, and moves copy utilities to require explicit file system arguments.4 releases · first seen Aug 2020▸
release
copyutils.CopyDir() now requires a FileSystem argument
kyaml/v0.14.0 · Feb 2023
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· release history
In-memory filesystem abstraction now allows colons in filenames
kyaml/v0.13.8 · Jul 2022
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· release history
filesys.ConfirmDir function ensures a path is a directory and cleans it
kyaml/v0.13.8 · Jul 2022
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· release history
Add .krmignore file support to control which resources are included in kustomization builds
api/v0.6.0 · Aug 2020
· source
· release history
+KRM Functions specification v1 supportshippedUpgrades the cyber tooling to use the stabilized v1 schema for defining and executing KRM functions.3 releases · 1 other source · first seen Jun 2021▸
release
Bumps ResourceList from v1alpha1 to v1, updating the results field to implement function spec v1
kyaml/v0.13.0 · Nov 2021
· source
· release history
Supports krm spec v1 and legacy path, index, and id annotations
api/v0.10.0 · Sep 2021
· source
· release history
Graduates the KRM Functions Spec to version 1 (v1) in the fully specified schema
cmd/config/v0.9.13 · Jun 2021
· source
· release history
example
Configure kustomize to use the stabilized v1 KRM Functions Spec for function definitions.$ apiVersion: builtin kind: DeployKrmFunctionRunner metadata: name: example spec: specVersion: v1
cmd/config/v0.9.13 · Jun 2021
· source
+YAML anchor and alias expansionshippedResolves YAML references and anchors within cyber tooling configuration files during the build process.4 releases · first seen Jan 2021▸
release
Adds AnchorsAweigh option to ByteReader to toggle YAML alias/anchor expansion, enabling anchor expansion during builds by default
api/v0.10.0 · Sep 2021
· source
· release history
Add yaml anchor/alias expansion support to kustomize resources
kyaml/v0.11.1 · Aug 2021
· source
· release history
Adds YAML anchor/alias expansion to resolve references within kustomization files
api/v0.9.0 · Aug 2021
· source
· release history
In kyaml, loosen interpretation of string node and add tests.
kyaml/v0.10.6 · Jan 2021
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· release history
+Environment variable expansion in buildsshippedAllows kustomization files to reference and expand environment variables during the build process.3 releases · 1 other source · first seen Aug 2020▸
Also counts toward: Command-line interface
release
Default value for FlagEnableKyamlDefaultValue is now false.
api/v0.6.9 · Feb 2021
· source
· release history
Adds --env / -e flag to enable environment variable expansion in kustomize configurations.
kyaml/v0.8.0 · Sep 2020
· source
· release history
Adds --fn-env flag to the fn run command to specify environment variables for functions.
kyaml/v0.7.0 · Aug 2020
· source
· release history
example
Expand environment variables like DB_HOST directly within your kustomization files during build.$ kustomize build --env .
kyaml/v0.8.0 · Sep 2020
· source
+Kustomization tree analysisshippedAllows running a dependency tree analysis on configuration directories without changing the working directory or printing full file contents.2 releases · 1 other source · first seen Apr 2021▸
Also counts toward: Command-line interface
release
Suppresses printing of the Kustomization file content in tree command output
cmd/config/v0.9.9 · Apr 2021
· source
· release history
Adds --dir as an optional flag to the kustomize tree command
cmd/config/v0.9.9 · Apr 2021
· source
· release history
example
Run tree analysis on a specific directory without changing into it.$ kustomize tree --dir /path/to/kustomization
cmd/config/v0.9.9 · Apr 2021
· source
+ConfigMap generation utilitiesshippedProvides methods to programmatically construct ConfigMaps and handle map data within resources.2 releases · 1 other source · first seen Dec 2020▸
release
Adds support for merging binaryData in kustomizations.
api/v0.8.1 · Feb 2021
· source
· release history
Adds RNode.Set() and RNode.GetDataMap() methods to simplify ConfigMap generation
kyaml/v0.10.4 · Dec 2020
· source
· release history
example
Programmatically create a ConfigMap entry using the new map helper.$ rNode.GetDataMap()['key'] = 'value' rNode.Set()
kyaml/v0.10.4 · Dec 2020
· source
+Kustomization file updates and deprecationsshippedIntroduces new fields like 'fieldspecs' slash support and 'creation' matchers, while removing legacy fields and aliases such as 'Inventory' and 'Resid.LegacySortString'.3 releases · first seen Sep 2018▸
Also counts toward: Command-line interface
release
The run-fns feature has been renamed to run; any scripts or automation relying on the old subcommand name will fail.
api/v0.3.0 · Dec 2019
· source
· release history
Adds edit command option for editing name suffix in the CLI
v1.0.11 · Dec 2018
· source
· release history
Adds patchesJson6902 transformer to enable JSON patch customization of Kubernetes objects.
v1.0.8 · Sep 2018
· source
· release history
+Subpackage traversal in config commandsshippedExtends configuration CLI commands to operate recursively across subpackages within a kustomization tree.2 releases · first seen Sep 2020▸
Also counts toward: Command-line interface
release
list_setters in recurse-subpackages defaults to false
cmd/config/v0.9.3 · Feb 2021
· source
· release history
Extends kustomize cfg cat, fmt, grep, count, annotate, and set commands to traverse and operate on subpackages within a kustomization tree.
kyaml/v0.8.0 · Sep 2020
· source
· release history
+Kustomization inheritance managementshippedEnables the declaration and application of component resources to modify kustomization configurations declaratively.1 release · 1 other source · first seen Jul 2020▸
release
Adds AllowHashSuffix logic to permit hash suffixing of arbitrary types
kyaml/v0.4.2 · Jul 2020
· source
· release history
example
Add a specific transformer to your kustomization file without manually editing it.$ kustomize edit add transformer image-tag:v1.2.3
kyaml/v0.9.3 · Oct 2020
· source
+Alpha command enablementshippedProvides environment variable configuration to enable alpha subcommands and lists available alpha commands without shell profile modifications.1 release · 1 other source · first seen Dec 2019▸
release
Enables access to alpha features and subcommands through the KUSTOMIZE_ENABLE_ALPHA_COMMANDS environment variable
kustomize/v3.5.2 · Dec 2019
· source
· release history
example
List available alpha commands without modifying shell profile or aliases$ KUSTOMIZE_ENABLE_ALPHA_COMMANDS=true ./kustomize help
kustomize/v3.5.2 · Dec 2019
· source
+Var reference expansionshippedExtends variable reference capabilities to include Pod initContainers and map values for value substitution.2 releases · first seen Feb 2019▸
release
Adds Pod initContainer to var reference support per 901455eb Add Pod initContainer to var reference
v2.0.2 · Feb 2019
· source
· release history
varreference now supports mapping values (maps) via 8c93f7ba add support for varref in maps values
v2.0.2 · Feb 2019
· source
· release history
+Helm chart pre-release supportshippedEnables the use of pre-release Helm chart versions via the 'devel' alias in helmcharts configurations.1 release · first seen Jun 2025▸
release
Allows use of the devel alias when referencing Helm charts, enabling pre-release chart versions in helmcharts configurations.
api/v0.20.0 · Jun 2025
· source
· release history
+Generator configurationshippedProvides CLI commands to add and configure generators within kustomization files.1 release · first seen Feb 2022▸
Also counts toward: Command-line interface
release
Adds new command 'kustomize edit add generator' for generator configuration.
kustomize/v4.5.0 · Feb 2022
· source
· release history
+Deterministic transformation orderingshippedEnsures consistent resource output by enforcing deterministic ordering when composing multiple transformation functions.1 other source · first seen Dec 2020▸
example
Rely on deterministic ordering when composing multiple transformation functions.$ # In your kustomize plugin manifest, order functions sequentially in the 'functions' list. # They now execute in this exact order rather than concurrently.
kyaml/v0.10.4 · Dec 2020
· source
+Resource ignore filteringshippedSupports .krmignore files to exclude specific resources from kustomization builds.1 release · first seen Aug 2020▸
release
Add .krmignore file support to control which resources are included in kustomization builds
api/v0.6.0 · Aug 2020
· source
· release history
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parsed from its source, or an endpoint from its API document. Under
release, a line is our summary of a dated release. Under
docs, it is quoted from the tool's own documentation or
website. Each links back to the source it came from.
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option changes per release — drag across the rail to set a range
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Values are placeholders taken from each option’s declared default.
Nothing is executed here — the output shown is a recording of a run
that already happened.
Score card
Shipping velocityreleases a month, last 12 months
Documentation qualityrelease-notes rubric, 0–100
Breaking-change disciplinehow rarely a release breaks users, and notice given
Maintenance riskquiet time against its own cadence, maintainers
Innovation & surfacenew capabilities, API and MCP surface
Community health
Contributor trenddistinct committers, this year against last
Maintainer concentrationbus factor now against a year ago
Issue backlog trendissues closed per issue opened, 12 months
Responsivenessmedian time to a maintainer’s first reply
Nine scores for kustomize, each built from the releases, notes and API history this site tracks — and, on Researcher and Business, where it stands among every measured tool in its category and how that has moved.
Each score is 0–100 on a published rubric, derived from data this site already shows.
A dimension we cannot measure says so — it is never scored 0 and never enters a rank.
How this is scored
Shipping velocity — releases a month over the last 12 months, on a log scale where 16 a month scores 100. Needs 3 releases in the window.
Documentation quality — the release-notes rubric published on the analytics page, unchanged.
Breaking-change discipline — the share of releases carrying a breaking change (none scores 100, half or more scores 0). Only projects that label breaking changes are measured: a clean record cannot be told from an unlabelled one.
Maintenance risk — quiet time measured against the tool's own release cadence (quiet longer than 90 days and three typical gaps scores 0), plus the number of active maintainers and whether contributors are growing, where known. Higher is lower risk.
Innovation & surface — new capabilities in the feature ledger this year, API and MCP operations added, and the share of commits that are features: the mean of whichever we hold.
Community health (open-source tools only) — each is a direction, not a size: contributors this year against last, the bus factor now against a year ago, and issues closed per issue opened, where steady scores 50, doubled 100 and halved 0; plus the median time to a maintainer's first reply (an hour scores about 100, a month or more 0). A commercial card has no repository and carries none of the four.
Documented delivery (commercial tools) — when a vendor's documented new capabilities have slowed against its own baseline, that counts against the overall standing as heavily as two low dimensions. Steady delivery, or too little history to judge, leaves the standing alone; it is never a sixth score.
Open-source tools are scored on repository signals; commercial tools on their published changelog. Ranks compare tools within one category and one profile and need at least five measured peers; the overall standing needs three ranked dimensions. Best-in-breed or consolidator is a shape, not a quality, and is never scored.
Release-note detail over time
See how much detail kustomize puts in its release notes, quarter by quarter, and compare it with tracked tools in the same category. This history uses up to ten retained, reviewed notes per tool; sparse or blank older quarters may reflect that limit.
Kubernetes's home page and 22 more pages as they looked each month from August 2021 to October 2026: 33 renders, 4 changes of tagline or palette. Step through them, play them, or put any two months side by side.
Website history is included with Researcher and Business.
Nothing first seen in this window. That doesn't mean kustomize shipped nothing, only that we found no record of it.
Changes per month New Updated Retired
2026-09
1
How we count
Read from 1 of 101 release notes and docs updates we hold for kustomize. "First seen" is the earliest note that names something; "last" is the latest. Our history may start partway through kustomize's life, so an old integration can show a recent first-seen date.
Each change counts once: "added 40 checks" is one line, so the numbers measure how often coverage moves, not how big the catalogue is or how well it detects.
Releases
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Coverage in all entries
101 entries
No entries match these filters.
September 20263
November 20252
June 20252
October 20243
July 20241
May 20242
April 20242
December 20232
October 20234
June 20231
February 20233
July 20222
May 20223
March 20223
February 20222
December 20211
November 20211
September 20213
August 20213
July 20211
June 20213
May 20213
April 20213
February 20219
January 20211
December 20205
November 20201
October 20204
September 20202
August 20204
July 20202
May 20202
January 20201
December 20192
November 20191
October 20191
September 20191
February 20192
December 20181
October 20182
September 20181
August 20182
July 20182
June 20182
Project health
Issue, contributor and maintainer activity in kubernetes-sigs/kustomize, 2023-10 – 2026-09,
as of 2026-09-25. Twelve-month figures first; the trend lines run
the whole window.
Contributors25±0 vs prior 12 months
Maintainers2+2 joined · −3 left, last 12 months
Bus factor1committers behind half the commits
Community-filed96%of issues opened, last 12 months
Median time to close152 daysfirst maintainer reply 13 days
Open backlog133of 2,516 issues ever filed
Issues opened / month0 · 0communitymaintainers
Open backlog133
Contributors / month2
Commits / month8
Stars12,161
Issue themes, last 12 months
bugs 43%
features 35%
other 22%
Counts from the project's public repository and git history; no individuals
are identified. Maintainers are the committers covering 80% of the last year's
commits. how we measure this
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