1M Lines of YAML: Wrangling Kubernetes Configuration for Hundreds of Teams

In this talk, Katrina Verey from Shopify explores the challenges and solutions for managing vast amounts of Kubernetes YAML configuration across hundreds of teams. She details Shopify's journey from a problematic template-based approach to a modular system built around the Kubernetes Resource Model. The presentation covers key tenets of distributed configuration management, discusses techniques for building scalable and maintainable platforms, and introduces SIG CLI tools and the KRM function framework for applying these patterns. The talk aims to provide principles for designing effective configuration management systems that reduce pain and improve release safety and repeatability.