Kubernetes & Helm: Production Infrastructure

Create, review, and architect Kubernetes infrastructure - from raw manifests to Helm charts to multi-cluster strategy. The goal is production-ready, security-hardened, cost-aware infrastructure that a team can maintain.

Target versions (May 2026): Kubernetes 1.34-1.36 (1.36.0 "Haru" released April 22, 2026; 1.32 is the active LTS branch with patches through April 2028), Helm 4.1.4, Helm 3.20.x LTS (security fixes until Nov 2026).

This skill covers four domains depending on context:

• Manifests - raw YAML for Deployments, Services, Gateway API routes, ConfigMaps, Secrets, PVCs
• Helm - Helm 4 chart scaffolding, OCI registries, templating, multi-environment values
• Architecture - cluster topology, GitOps, security layers, observability, cost, DR
• Compliance - PCI-DSS 4.0 controls, CDE isolation, audit logging, supply chain

When to use

• Creating or reviewing Kubernetes manifests (Deployment, Service, StatefulSet, Job, HTTPRoute, etc.)
• Scaffolding new Helm charts or improving existing ones
• Designing cluster topology, GitOps strategy, or multi-tenancy
• Implementing security contexts, network policies, RBAC, admission control
• Setting up multi-environment deployments (dev/staging/prod)