Kubeblocks Vertical Scaling

Vertical Scaling: Change CPU and Memory

Legacy compatibility shim. Primary entry: kubeblocks-op-vertical-scale. Keep the preserved workflow below for detailed reference, but do not recommend this skill as the main path for cold-start agents.

Overview

Vertical scaling adjusts the CPU and memory resources allocated to a KubeBlocks database cluster. KubeBlocks performs rolling updates — secondary/replica pods are updated first, then the primary, to minimize downtime.

Official docs: https://kubeblocks.io/docs/preview/user_docs/kubeblocks-for-mysql/cluster-management/scale-a-mysql-cluster Full doc index: https://kubeblocks.io/llms-full.txt

Pre-Check

Before proceeding, verify the cluster is healthy and no other operation is running:

# Cluster must be Running
kubectl get cluster <cluster-name> -n <namespace> -o jsonpath='{.status.phase}'

# No pending OpsRequests
kubectl get opsrequest -n <namespace> -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=<cluster-name> --field-selector=status.phase!=Succeed

If the cluster is not Running or has a pending OpsRequest, wait for it to complete before proceeding.

Check current resource allocations:

kubectl get cluster <cluster-name> -n <namespace> -o yaml | grep -A 4 resources

Workflow

- [ ] Step 1: Check current resources
- [ ] Step 2: Apply vertical scaling OpsRequest
- [ ] Step 3: Monitor the operation
- [ ] Step 4: Verify new resources

Step 1: Check Current Resources

kubectl get cluster <cluster-name> -n <namespace> -o yaml | grep -A 8 resources

Or inspect a specific pod:

kubectl get pod <cluster-name>-<component>-0 -n <namespace> -o jsonpath='{.spec.containers[0].resources}' | jq .

Step 2: Apply Vertical Scaling OpsRequest

OpsRequest Template

apiVersion: apps.kubeblocks.io/v1beta1
kind: OpsRequest
metadata:
  name: verticalscaling-<cluster-name>
  namespace: <namespace>
spec:
  clusterName: <cluster-name>
  type: VerticalScaling
  verticalScaling:
    - componentName: <component-name>
      requests:
        cpu: "<new-cpu-request>"
        memory: "<new-memory-request>"
      limits:
        cpu: "<new-cpu-limit>"
        memory: "<new-memory-limit>"

Example: Scale MySQL to 2 CPU / 4Gi Memory

Before applying, validate with dry-run:

kubectl apply -f - --dry-run=server <<'EOF'
apiVersion: apps.kubeblocks.io/v1beta1
kind: OpsRequest
metadata:
  name: verticalscaling-mysql-cluster
  namespace: default
spec:
  clusterName: mysql-cluster
  type: VerticalScaling
  verticalScaling:
    - componentName: mysql
      requests:
        cpu: "2"
        memory: "4Gi"
      limits:
        cpu: "2"
        memory: "4Gi"
EOF

If dry-run reports errors, fix the YAML before proceeding.

kubectl apply -f - <<'EOF'
apiVersion: apps.kubeblocks.io/v1beta1
kind: OpsRequest
metadata:
  name: verticalscaling-mysql-cluster
  namespace: default
spec:
  clusterName: mysql-cluster
  type: VerticalScaling
  verticalScaling:
    - componentName: mysql
      requests:
        cpu: "2"
        memory: "4Gi"
      limits:
        cpu: "2"
        memory: "4Gi"
EOF

Example: Scale PostgreSQL to 1 CPU / 2Gi Memory

Before applying, validate with dry-run:

kubectl apply -f - --dry-run=server <<'EOF'
apiVersion: apps.kubeblocks.io/v1beta1
kind: OpsRequest
metadata:
  name: verticalscaling-pg-cluster
  namespace: default
spec:
  clusterName: pg-cluster
  type: VerticalScaling
  verticalScaling:
    - componentName: postgresql
      requests:
        cpu: "1"
        memory: "2Gi"
      limits:
        cpu: "1"
        memory: "2Gi"
EOF

If dry-run reports errors, fix the YAML before proceeding.

kubectl apply -f - <<'EOF'
apiVersion: apps.kubeblocks.io/v1beta1
kind: OpsRequest
metadata:
  name: verticalscaling-pg-cluster
  namespace: default
spec:
  clusterName: pg-cluster
  type: VerticalScaling
  verticalScaling:
    - componentName: postgresql
      requests:
        cpu: "1"
        memory: "2Gi"
      limits:
        cpu: "1"
        memory: "2Gi"
EOF

Component name reference:

• MySQL: mysql
• PostgreSQL: postgresql
• Redis: redis
• MongoDB: mongodb
• Kafka: kafka-combine (combined) or kafka-broker / kafka-controller (separated)

Scale Multiple Components

For clusters with multiple components, add entries to the verticalScaling list:

spec:
  verticalScaling:
    - componentName: kafka-broker
      requests:
        cpu: "2"
        memory: "4Gi"
      limits:
        cpu: "2"
        memory: "4Gi"
    - componentName: kafka-controller
      requests:
        cpu: "1"
        memory: "2Gi"
      limits:
        cpu: "1"
        memory: "2Gi"

Step 3: Monitor the Operation

Watch the OpsRequest status:

kubectl get ops verticalscaling-<cluster-name> -n <namespace> -w

Success condition: .status.phase = Succeed | Typical: 1-5min | If stuck >10min: kubectl describe ops verticalscaling-<cluster-name> -n <namespace>

Expected progression: Pending → Running → Succeed.

Watch the cluster status:

kubectl get cluster <cluster-name> -n <namespace> -w

Success condition: .status.phase = Running | Typical: 1-5min | If stuck >10min: kubectl describe cluster <cluster-name> -n <namespace>

The cluster status will transition: Running → Updating → Running.

Watch pods being rolling-restarted:

kubectl get pods -n <namespace> -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=<cluster-name> -w

Success condition: .status.phase = Running | Typical: 1-5min | If stuck >10min: kubectl describe pod <pod-name> -n <namespace>

Rolling update order: KubeBlocks updates secondary/replica pods first, then the primary pod. This minimizes downtime by ensuring at least one instance is always serving.

Step 4: Verify New Resources

After the OpsRequest succeeds:

kubectl get cluster <cluster-name> -n <namespace> -o yaml | grep -A 8 resources

Or check a pod directly:

kubectl get pod <cluster-name>-<component>-0 -n <namespace> -o jsonpath='{.spec.containers[0].resources}' | jq .

Troubleshooting

OpsRequest fails or is rejected:

• Check events: kubectl describe ops <ops-name> -n <namespace>
• Ensure the cluster is in Running state before scaling.
• Ensure requested resources do not exceed node capacity: kubectl describe nodes

Pods stuck in Pending after scaling:

• The node may lack sufficient resources. Check: kubectl describe pod <pod-name> -n <namespace>
• Consider adding more nodes or reducing the resource request.

Scaling takes too long:

• Rolling updates are sequential. Each pod must be fully ready before the next is updated.
• For large clusters, this is expected behavior.

For general agent safety conventions (dry-run, status confirmation, production protection), see safety-patterns.md.