Carvel is a set of reliable, single-purpose, composable command-line tools that help build, configure, and deploy applications to Kubernetes. The toolset includes ytt for YAML templating, kapp for application lifecycle management, kbld for immutable image references, imgpkg for OCI bundling, vendir for vendored configuration, and kapp-controller for GitOps-style continuous delivery.
Carvel is listed with 7 APIs on the APIs.io network. Tagged areas include CLI, Configuration, Containers, Deployment, and Developer Tools.
Carvel’s developer surface includes documentation, engineering blog, CLI, changelog, authentication, sandbox, and 26 more developer resources.
37.2/100thin▬ flatAgent21/100agent awareFront door AI1/6
silent
Heartbeat50/100
alive
self hosted · Apache-2.0
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scored 2026-11-06 · rubric v0.27.0 · Show this score on your site →
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ytt is a templating tool that understands YAML structure, letting you use familiar YAML constructs and Python-like language (Starlark) to template Kubernetes configuration. Supp...
kapp is a CLI tool that installs, upgrades, and deletes multiple Kubernetes resources as a single application. It provides change set previews, resource ordering, and convergenc...
kbld builds or references container images in Kubernetes configuration in an immutable way by resolving image tags to digests and optionally building images from source during t...
imgpkg bundles and distributes application configuration and container images as OCI artifacts via Docker registries, enabling relocation across registries including air-gapped ...
vendir declaratively states what files should be in a directory, syncing from upstream sources such as Git repositories, HTTP archives, Helm charts, and OCI images. Enables repr...
kapp-controller is a Kubernetes controller that provides GitOps-style continuous delivery for applications and packages using Carvel tools. It introduces PackageRepository, Pack...
secretgen-controller provides CRDs to generate Kubernetes Secrets, export and import secrets across namespaces, and manage certificate and password creation declaratively.
aid: carvel
name: Carvel
description: Carvel is a set of reliable, single-purpose, composable command-line tools that help build, configure, and deploy
applications to Kubernetes. The toolset includes ytt for YAML templating, kapp for application lifecycle management, kbld
for immutable image references, imgpkg for OCI bundling, vendir for vendored configuration, and kapp-controller for GitOps-style
continuous delivery.
type: Index
kind: opensource
deliveryModel:
model: self-hosted
license: Apache-2.0
open_source: true
commercial: false
callable_host: false
label: Self-hosted open source · you run it yourself
confidence: high
source:
- license
generated: '2026-08-28'
method: derived
accessModel:
pricing: paid
onboarding: open
trial: false
try_now: false
public: true
gated: none
gated_source:
- onboarding
label: Paid · Open access
confidence: high
source:
- finops
- authentication
- rate-limits
- security
- sandbox
generated: '2026-11-06'
method: derived
position: Consuming
access: Open Source
image: https://kinlane-images.s3.amazonaws.com/shared/apis-json/icons/carvel.png
tags:
- CLI
- Configuration
- Containers
- Deployment
- Developer Tools
- GitOps
- Kubernetes
- Package Management
- Templating
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/carvel/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2026-03-26'
modified: '2026-09-05'
specificationVersion: '0.23'
apis:
- aid: carvel:ytt
name: ytt
description: ytt is a templating tool that understands YAML structure, letting you use familiar YAML constructs and Python-like
language (Starlark) to template Kubernetes configuration. Supports overlays, data values, and functions without text-based
substitution.
humanURL: https://carvel.dev/ytt/
tags:
- Configuration
- Kubernetes
- Templating
- YAML
properties:
- type: Documentation
url: https://carvel.dev/ytt/docs/latest/
- type: GitHubRepository
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/ytt
- type: Playground
url: https://carvel.dev/ytt/#playground
x-features:
- YAML-structure-aware templating
- Starlark-based programming model
- Overlays to patch existing YAML
- Data values for parameterization
- Schema validation for data values
- Reusable functions and libraries
x-use-cases:
- Parameterizing Kubernetes manifests
- Patching third-party YAML without forking
- Generating multi-environment configuration
- Creating reusable configuration libraries
- aid: carvel:kapp
name: kapp
description: kapp is a CLI tool that installs, upgrades, and deletes multiple Kubernetes resources as a single application.
It provides change set previews, resource ordering, and convergence detection for predictable deployments.
humanURL: https://carvel.dev/kapp/
tags:
- Deployment
- Kubernetes
- Lifecycle
properties:
- type: Documentation
url: https://carvel.dev/kapp/docs/latest/
- type: GitHubRepository
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/kapp
x-features:
- Change-set preview before apply
- Resource ordering and waiting
- Label-based application grouping
- Convergence detection on deploy
- Garbage collection of removed resources
x-use-cases:
- Deploying Kubernetes applications atomically
- Previewing infrastructure changes before apply
- Managing application lifecycle without Helm
- aid: carvel:kbld
name: kbld
description: kbld builds or references container images in Kubernetes configuration in an immutable way by resolving image
tags to digests and optionally building images from source during the deployment pipeline.
humanURL: https://carvel.dev/kbld/
tags:
- Container Images
- Immutable
- Kubernetes
properties:
- type: Documentation
url: https://carvel.dev/kbld/docs/latest/
- type: GitHubRepository
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/kbld
x-features:
- Resolve image tags to digests
- Build images from source with Docker/pack
- Push to registries during deploy
- Integration with ytt and kapp
x-use-cases:
- Ensuring immutable image references
- Building and deploying images in one pipeline
- Auditing which images are actually deployed
- aid: carvel:imgpkg
name: imgpkg
description: imgpkg bundles and distributes application configuration and container images as OCI artifacts via Docker registries,
enabling relocation across registries including air-gapped environments.
humanURL: https://carvel.dev/imgpkg/
tags:
- Bundles
- Container Images
- OCI
- Registry
properties:
- type: Documentation
url: https://carvel.dev/imgpkg/docs/latest/
- type: GitHubRepository
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/imgpkg
x-features:
- OCI-compliant bundles
- Bundle relocation between registries
- Air-gapped deployment support
- Lock files for reproducibility
x-use-cases:
- Distributing Kubernetes app bundles
- Air-gapped deployments
- Registry-to-registry mirroring
- aid: carvel:vendir
name: vendir
description: vendir declaratively states what files should be in a directory, syncing from upstream sources such as Git
repositories, HTTP archives, Helm charts, and OCI images. Enables reproducible vendored configuration.
humanURL: https://carvel.dev/vendir/
tags:
- Configuration
- Vendoring
properties:
- type: Documentation
url: https://carvel.dev/vendir/docs/latest/
- type: GitHubRepository
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/vendir
- type: Protobuf
name: vendir versions v1alpha1 protobuf (semver VersionSelection)
url: grpc/carvel-vendir-versions-v1alpha1.proto
x-features:
- Declarative sync from Git, HTTP, Helm, OCI
- Lock files for reproducibility
- Selective inclusion of files
- Integration with overlays via ytt
x-use-cases:
- Vendoring third-party Kubernetes configuration
- Pinning upstream Helm charts
- Reproducible configuration builds
- aid: carvel:kapp-controller
name: kapp-controller
description: kapp-controller is a Kubernetes controller that provides GitOps-style continuous delivery for applications
and packages using Carvel tools. It introduces PackageRepository, Package, PackageInstall, and App custom resources for
package management.
humanURL: https://carvel.dev/kapp-controller/
tags:
- CRD
- GitOps
- Kubernetes
- Package Management
properties:
- type: Documentation
url: https://carvel.dev/kapp-controller/docs/latest/
- type: GitHubRepository
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/kapp-controller
- type: JSONSchema
name: kapp-controller CRD schemas (App, PackageInstall, PackageRepository, InternalPackage, InternalPackageMetadata)
url: json-schema/carvel-kapp-controller-crds.yml
- type: Protobuf
name: kappctrl.k14s.io v1alpha1 protobuf
url: grpc/carvel-kapp-controller-kappctrl-v1alpha1.proto
- type: Protobuf
name: data.packaging.carvel.dev v1alpha1 protobuf
url: grpc/carvel-kapp-controller-datapackaging-v1alpha1.proto
- type: DataModel
url: data-model/carvel-data-model.yml
x-features:
- App and Package CRDs
- PackageRepository for distribution
- GitOps continuous reconciliation
- ytt, kbld, and kapp integration
- Versioning and constraints for packages
x-use-cases:
- Kubernetes package management
- GitOps-driven continuous delivery
- Distributing internal platform packages
- aid: carvel:secretgen-controller
name: secretgen-controller
description: secretgen-controller provides CRDs to generate Kubernetes Secrets, export and import secrets across namespaces,
and manage certificate and password creation declaratively.
humanURL: https://github.com/carvel-dev/secretgen-controller
tags:
- CRD
- Kubernetes
- Secrets
properties:
- type: GitHubRepository
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/secretgen-controller
- type: JSONSchema
name: secretgen-controller CRD schemas (SecretExport, SecretImport, SecretTemplate, Certificate, Password, RSAKey, SSHKey)
url: json-schema/carvel-secretgen-controller-crds.yml
x-features:
- Generate Certificates, Passwords, RSA Keys, SSH Keys
- Cross-namespace secret export/import
- Declarative secret management via CRDs
x-use-cases:
- Generating bootstrap credentials
- Sharing secrets across namespaces
- Declarative certificate management
common:
- type: FinOps
url: finops/carvel-finops.yml
- type: IssueTracker
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/ytt/issues
- type: Releases
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/ytt/releases
- type: SecurityPolicy
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/ytt/blob/develop/SECURITY.md
- type: CodeOfConduct
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/ytt/blob/develop/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
- type: ContributionGuide
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/ytt/blob/develop/CONTRIBUTING.md
- type: License
name: Apache-2.0
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/ytt/blob/develop/LICENSE
- type: DomainSecurity
url: security/carvel-domain-security.yml
- type: Website
url: https://carvel.dev/
- type: Documentation
url: https://carvel.dev/shared/docs/latest/
- type: GitHubOrganization
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev
- type: Blog
url: https://carvel.dev/blog/
- type: Slack
url: https://kubernetes.slack.com/archives/CH8KCCKA5
- type: Community
url: https://carvel.dev/community/
- type: RoadMap
url: https://github.com/carvel-dev/carvel/blob/develop/ROADMAP.md
- type: Security
url: https://carvel.dev/shared/docs/latest/security-policy/
- type: Protobuf
name: kapp-controller and vendir Kubernetes API protobuf definitions
url: grpc/_index.yml
- type: JSONSchema
name: Carvel CustomResourceDefinition schemas (12 CRDs, openAPIV3Schema)
url: json-schema/_index.yml
- type: Packages
url: packages/carvel-packages.yml
- type: CLI
url: cli/carvel-cli.yml
- type: LLMsTxt
url: llms/carvel-llms.txt
- type: ChangeLog
url: changelog/carvel-changelog.yml
- type: Lifecycle
url: lifecycle/carvel-lifecycle.yml
- type: Conformance
url: conformance/carvel-conformance.yml
- type: Conventions
url: conventions/carvel-conventions.yml
- type: Idempotency
url: conventions/carvel-conventions.yml
- type: DataModel
url: data-model/carvel-data-model.yml
- type: Authentication
url: authentication/carvel-authentication.yml
- type: VulnerabilityDisclosure
url: security/carvel-vulnerability-disclosure.yml
- type: Sandbox
url: sandbox/carvel-sandbox.yml
- type: Plans
url: plans/carvel-plans-pricing.yml
- type: RateLimits
url: rate-limits/carvel-rate-limits.yml
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
email: kin@apievangelist.com
x-enrichment:
date: '2026-09-05'
status: enriched
artifacts_added: 20
pass: local-v3
Carvel API — frequently asked questions
Does Carvel have an API?
Yes. APIs.io lists 7 APIs from Carvel, including ytt, kapp and kbld, and 4 more.
How do I authenticate with the Carvel API?
Carvel uses bearer-token authentication (delegated-kubernetes-rbac/registry-credentials · 3 schemes). The details are profiled on APIs.io as Carvel Authentication.
Is the Carvel API ready for AI agents?
Carvel has a Kin Score of 37.2 out of 100 (thin) and an Agent Readiness score of 21.2 (agent-aware), scored by API Evangelist on 2026-11-06.
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