Install on Kubernetes with Helm

Install the Coraza Kubernetes Operator on a Kubernetes cluster using Helm.

This guide covers installing the Coraza Kubernetes Operator using Helm on a standard Kubernetes cluster.

Prerequisites

Kubernetes cluster running v1.32 or later
Istio installed with Gateway API CRDs
Helm 3 installed

Install from the Helm Repository

Add the Helm repository hosted on GitHub Pages and install:

helm repo add coraza-kubernetes-operator \
  https://networking-incubator.github.io/coraza-kubernetes-operator/
helm repo update

helm upgrade --install coraza-kubernetes-operator \
  coraza-kubernetes-operator/coraza-kubernetes-operator \
  --namespace coraza-system \
  --create-namespace

Pin a Specific Version

helm upgrade --install coraza-kubernetes-operator \
  coraza-kubernetes-operator/coraza-kubernetes-operator \
  --namespace coraza-system \
  --create-namespace \
  --version <chart-version>

Replace <chart-version> with the desired version (e.g. 0.1.0). Available versions are listed on the releases page.

Namespace conflict on versions 0.4.0 and earlier

Versions 0.4.0 and earlier have a bug where the first install fails with namespaces "coraza-system" already exists. If you hit this error, run the same command again. The first run creates the namespace and a failed release record; the second run succeeds because Helm treats it as an upgrade, which patches the existing namespace instead of trying to create it.

Customize the Installation

Override default values by passing individual settings:

helm upgrade --install coraza-kubernetes-operator \
  coraza-kubernetes-operator/coraza-kubernetes-operator \
  --namespace coraza-system \
  --create-namespace \
  --set logging.level=debug \
  --set metrics.serviceMonitor.enabled=true

Alternatively, create a custom values file:

# custom-values.yaml
logging:
  level: debug
  encoder: console

metrics:
  serviceMonitor:
    enabled: true

resources:
  requests:
    cpu: 50m
    memory: 256Mi
  limits:
    cpu: "1"
    memory: 512Mi

helm upgrade --install coraza-kubernetes-operator \
  coraza-kubernetes-operator/coraza-kubernetes-operator \
  --namespace coraza-system \
  --create-namespace \
  -f custom-values.yaml

For the complete list of configurable values, see the Helm Chart Values reference.

Verify the Installation

Check that the operator pod is running:

kubectl get pods -n coraza-system

Check the operator logs:

kubectl logs -n coraza-system deploy/coraza-kubernetes-operator

Uninstall

helm uninstall coraza-kubernetes-operator -n coraza-system

To also remove the CRDs:

kubectl delete crd engines.waf.k8s.coraza.io rulesets.waf.k8s.coraza.io

Note

Removing CRDs will delete all Engine and RuleSet resources in the cluster.