Templates

Templates are reusable configurations that define how your software is deployed. They serve as the foundation for both products (with pricing) and direct installs (standalone deployments).

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What Are Templates?

Templates store Helm source configurations that describe your application’s deployment. When you create a product, CNAP automatically creates a template from your Helm sources, then generates a versioned package that can be deployed to your clusters.

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How Templates Work

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Template Lifecycle

1. Create - Template is created from Helm sources (automatically when creating a product)
2. Package Generation - CNAP generates a versioned package from the template
3. Deployment - Package is deployed to your clusters

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Template Sources

Templates can include multiple types of sources:

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Helm Charts

• Standard Helm charts from repositories (HTTP, OCI, or Git)
• Examples: PostgreSQL, Redis, NGINX from Artifact Hub
• Values are nested under the chart name or alias

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Custom Kubernetes Manifests

• Raw Kubernetes resources (ConfigMap, Secret, HTTPRoute, custom CRDs)
• Placed directly in the chart’s templates/ directory
• Values merge at the root level

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Mixed Sources

• Combine Helm charts and custom manifests in a single template
• All sources are composed into one unified Helm chart
• Dependencies are automatically bundled

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Templates and Products

When you create a product:

1. Template Creation - A template is automatically created from your Helm sources
2. Package Generation - CNAP generates a versioned package (e.g., 0.1.0)
3. Product Association - The product references the template and adds pricing
4. Customer Deployment - When customers purchase, the package is deployed to your clusters

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Direct Installs

Templates can also be deployed directly without creating a product:

• No Pricing - Deploy applications without Stripe integration
• Internal Tools - Perfect for internal services, monitoring, or development tools
• Same Package Generation - Still benefits from automatic package generation and versioning

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Why Templates Are Powerful

Templates solve the complexity of managing multiple deployment sources:

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One Template, Many Uses

• Reusability - One template can power multiple products or direct installs
• Consistency - Same configuration deployed the same way every time
• Efficiency - Define once, deploy everywhere

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Automatic Package Generation

When you create a template, CNAP automatically:

• Generates a Versioned Package - Creates a self-contained Helm package
• Bundles Dependencies - All Helm charts and manifests combined into one package
• Locks Versions - No “latest” references, everything is pinned
• Validates - Runs helm lint to ensure package quality

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Self-Contained & Reliable

• Works Offline - All dependencies bundled, no external fetches needed
• Source Independent - Package works even if original sources become unavailable
• Single Download - One package contains everything

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Standard & Portable

• Standard Helm Format - Works with all Helm tools and GitOps workflows
• Portable - Generated packages can be used outside CNAP
• Tool Compatible - Use helm template, helm lint, and all Helm plugins

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Template Benefits

• Reusability - One template can power multiple products or direct installs
• Versioning - Automatic semantic versioning (e.g., 0.1.0, 0.1.1)
• Self-Contained - All dependencies bundled in the generated package
• Standard Helm - Works with all Helm tooling and GitOps workflows
• Automatic Updates - Packages regenerate when templates are updated

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Template Structure

A template consists of:

• Name - Display name for the template
• Helm Sources - Array of Helm charts and/or custom manifests
• Values - Configuration values for each source
• Metadata - Additional information (GitHub workflow runs, Artifact Hub data, and more)

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When Templates Are Created

Templates are automatically created in these scenarios:

1. Product Creation - When you create a product with Helm sources
2. Product Update - When you update a product’s sources (template is updated)
3. Direct Install - When you create a standalone install with Helm sources

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Package Generation

When a template is created or updated, CNAP automatically:

1. Generates a standard Helm package structure
2. Packages all dependencies into a single package
3. Creates a versioned release following semantic versioning
4. Stores the package for deployment

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Next Steps