Kubeblocks Manage Addons

Manage KubeBlocks Addons

Overview

Since KubeBlocks v0.8.0, database engine support is decoupled from the core operator and delivered as independent addons. Each addon provides ComponentDefinitions, configuration templates, and scripts for a specific database engine. You can install only the engines you need, keeping the cluster lightweight.

Official docs: https://kubeblocks.io/docs/preview/user_docs/references/install-addons Supported addons list: https://kubeblocks.io/docs/preview/user_docs/overview/supported-addons

Prerequisites

• KubeBlocks operator is installed. If not, use the install-kubeblocks skill first.
• Helm v3+ is available.
• kubectl has access to the target cluster.

Workflow

- [ ] Step 1: Check currently installed addons
- [ ] Step 2: Add the KubeBlocks Helm repo
- [ ] Step 3: Install / Uninstall / Upgrade addons
- [ ] Step 4: Verify

Default Auto-Installed Addons

When KubeBlocks is installed with default settings, these addons are auto-installed:

To skip auto-installation during KubeBlocks install, set --set autoInstalledAddons="{}".

Step 1: Check Currently Installed Addons

helm list -n kb-system | grep kb-addon

Example output:

kb-addon-mysql              kb-system   1   2024-12-01 10:00:00   deployed   mysql-1.0.2
kb-addon-postgresql         kb-system   1   2024-12-01 10:00:00   deployed   postgresql-1.0.2
kb-addon-redis              kb-system   1   2024-12-01 10:00:00   deployed   redis-1.0.2

You can also check the ComponentDefinitions registered by addons:

kubectl get componentdefinitions.apps.kubeblocks.io

Step 2: Add the KubeBlocks Helm Repo

helm repo add kubeblocks https://apecloud.github.io/helm-charts
helm repo update

China mainland users — if GitHub Pages is slow or blocked, use the JiHuLab mirror:

helm repo add kubeblocks-addons https://jihulab.com/api/v4/projects/150246/packages/helm/stable
helm repo update

Then replace kubeblocks/<addon-name> with kubeblocks-addons/<addon-name> in all commands below.

Step 3: Install / Uninstall / Upgrade Addons

Search Available Addon Versions

helm search repo kubeblocks/<addon-name> --versions

Example:

helm search repo kubeblocks/elasticsearch --versions

Install an Addon

helm install kb-addon-<name> kubeblocks/<name> \
  --namespace kb-system \
  --version <VERSION>

Example — install Elasticsearch addon v1.0.2:

helm install kb-addon-elasticsearch kubeblocks/elasticsearch \
  --namespace kb-system \
  --version 1.0.2

Uninstall an Addon

Important: Delete all clusters using the addon before uninstalling.

# Check if any clusters use this addon
kubectl get cluster -A -o jsonpath='{range .items[*]}{.metadata.name}{"\t"}{.spec.componentSpecs[*].componentDef}{"\n"}{end}' | grep <addon-name>

# Uninstall
helm uninstall kb-addon-<name> --namespace kb-system

Upgrade an Addon

helm upgrade kb-addon-<name> kubeblocks/<name> \
  --namespace kb-system \
  --version <NEW_VERSION>

Version Compatibility

Addon major version must match KubeBlocks major version. Mismatched versions may cause unexpected errors.

Check your KubeBlocks version:

helm list -n kb-system | grep -w kubeblocks

Custom Image Registry

If your cluster cannot pull from Docker Hub, specify a custom registry:

helm install kb-addon-<name> kubeblocks/<name> \
  --namespace kb-system \
  --version <VERSION> \
  --set image.registry=<your-registry>

China mainland mirror:

--set image.registry=apecloud-registry.cn-zhangjiakou.cr.aliyuncs.com

Step 4: Verify

# Confirm the addon Helm release is deployed
helm list -n kb-system | grep kb-addon

# Check that ComponentDefinitions are registered
kubectl get componentdefinitions.apps.kubeblocks.io | grep <addon-name>

# Verify no errors in KubeBlocks operator logs
kubectl -n kb-system logs -l app.kubernetes.io/name=kubeblocks --tail=50

Common Addon Operations

List All Available Addons

helm search repo kubeblocks/ | grep -v "^NAME"

Bulk Install Multiple Addons

for addon in elasticsearch starrocks-ce milvus; do
  helm install kb-addon-${addon} kubeblocks/${addon} \
    --namespace kb-system \
    --version 1.0.2
done

Bulk Uninstall All Addons

helm list -n kb-system | grep kb-addon | awk '{print $1}' | xargs -I {} helm -n kb-system uninstall {}

Troubleshooting

Addon install fails with "not found" error:

• Run helm repo update to refresh the index.
• Verify the addon name: helm search repo kubeblocks/ | grep <name>

Addon install succeeds but ComponentDefinition not found:

• Check the KubeBlocks operator logs: kubectl -n kb-system logs -l app.kubernetes.io/name=kubeblocks --tail=100
• Ensure KubeBlocks addonController.enabled is true (default).

Image pull errors in addon pods:

• Switch to a custom registry: --set image.registry=<registry>
• For China, use: --set image.registry=apecloud-registry.cn-zhangjiakou.cr.aliyuncs.com

Version mismatch warnings:

• Confirm addon version matches KubeBlocks major version.
• Check: helm list -n kb-system | grep kubeblocks for the operator version.

Reference

For a complete list of supported addons and their feature matrix, see reference.md.