Variables

Variables allow you to define reusable values that can be referenced across your stacks. Define them at the organisation, cluster, or stack level and use them in manifests and add-on configurations.

Overview

Ankra supports variables at three levels with a clear precedence hierarchy: Precedence Order (highest to lowest):

Stack variables - Variables defined for a specific stack (highest precedence)
Cluster variables - Variables defined for a specific cluster
Organisation variables - Variables defined for the entire organisation (lowest precedence)

Lower-level variables override higher-level ones. A stack variable with the same name as a cluster or organisation variable will take precedence for that stack.

Variable Syntax

Reference variables in your stacks using the following syntax:

${{ ankra.variable_name }}

Examples:

# In a manifest
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: app-config
  namespace: default
data:
  domain: ${{ ankra.domain_name }}
  api_url: https://${{ ankra.domain_name }}/api

# In Helm values
ingress:
  enabled: true
  hosts:
    - host: ${{ ankra.domain_name }}

Organisation Variables

Organisation variables apply to all clusters and stacks within your organisation. Use them for values that are consistent across your entire infrastructure.

Creating Organisation Variables

Navigate to Variables

Go to Organisation Settings → Variables.

Add a Variable

Click Add Variable to open the creation form.

Enter Variable Details

Fill in the required fields:

Variable Name: Must start with a letter, containing only letters, numbers, and underscores (e.g., domain_name, api_key)
Value: The variable’s value
Description (optional): A brief description for documentation
Secret: Check this box to mask the value in the UI

Create

Click Create Variable to save.

Common Organisation Variables

Variable Name	Example Value	Use Case
`domain_name`	`example.com`	Base domain for all services
`registry_url`	`ghcr.io/myorg`	Container registry URL
`environment`	`production`	Environment identifier
`alert_email`	`[email protected]`	Notification email address
`log_level`	`info`	Default logging level

Cluster Variables

Cluster variables apply to all stacks deployed to a specific cluster. Use them for cluster-specific configurations that differ between environments.

Creating Cluster Variables

Navigate to Cluster Settings

Go to your cluster → Settings → Variables.

Add a Variable

Click Add Variable to open the creation form.

Enter Variable Details

Fill in the required fields:

Variable Name: Must start with a letter, containing only letters, numbers, and underscores
Value: The variable’s value
Description (optional): A brief description
Secret: Check this box to mask the value in the UI

Create

Click Create Variable to save.

Common Cluster Variables

Variable Name	Example Value	Use Case
`cluster_domain`	`prod.example.com`	Cluster-specific subdomain
`storage_class`	`gp3`	Default storage class
`node_selector`	`app=production`	Node selector labels
`replica_count`	`3`	Default replica count
`resource_quota`	`high`	Resource allocation tier

Stack Variables

Stack variables are specific to a single stack and have the highest precedence. Use them for stack-specific configurations that should override cluster and organisation variables.

Creating Stack Variables

Open the Stack Builder

Navigate to your cluster → Stacks and open an existing stack or create a new one.

Go to Variables Tab

Click the Variables tab in the Stack Builder.

Add a Variable

Click Add Variable to create a new variable entry.

Enter Variable Details

Fill in the fields:

Variable Name: Must start with a letter, containing only letters, numbers, and underscores
Value: The variable’s value

Save

Click Save Variables to persist the changes.

Stack variables are saved as part of the stack configuration. When you deploy the stack to GitOps, the variables are resolved before manifests are written.

Common Stack Variables

Variable Name	Example Value	Use Case
`app_version`	`v2.1.0`	Application version tag
`replicas`	`5`	Stack-specific replica count
`feature_flag`	`enabled`	Feature toggles
`log_level`	`debug`	Stack-specific logging
`custom_config`	`{"key": "value"}`	JSON configuration

When to Use Stack Variables

Use stack variables when:

A specific stack needs values that differ from cluster defaults
You want to override cluster or organisation variables for one stack
You’re testing different configurations on the same cluster
You need stack-specific feature flags or version tags

Secret Variables

Mark variables as secrets when they contain sensitive values like API keys, passwords, or tokens.

Secret variables are masked in the UI but are still stored as-is on the server. For encrypted storage, use SOPS encryption instead.

Secret Variable Features

Masked Display: Values show as •••••••• in the UI
Reveal Option: Click the eye icon to temporarily reveal the value
Copy Protection: Values can still be copied for use in configurations

When to Use Secrets vs SOPS

Feature	Secret Variables	SOPS Encryption
UI Masking	Yes	N/A
Git Storage	Plaintext	Encrypted
Runtime Decryption	No	Yes
Best For	UI-only protection	Full encryption at rest

Use secret variables for convenience in the UI. Use SOPS when you need values encrypted in your Git repository.

Using Variables in Stacks

In Manifests

Reference variables anywhere in your Kubernetes manifests:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: myapp
spec:
  replicas: ${{ ankra.replica_count }}
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: app
          image: ${{ ankra.registry_url }}/myapp:latest
          env:
            - name: DOMAIN
              value: ${{ ankra.domain_name }}

In Add-on Values

Use variables in Helm chart values:

# Grafana add-on values
grafana:
  adminPassword: ${{ ankra.grafana_password }}
  ingress:
    enabled: true
    hosts:
      - grafana.${{ ankra.cluster_domain }}

Variable Resolution

When you deploy a stack, Ankra resolves variables in this order:

Check for a matching stack variable (highest priority)
If not found, check for a matching cluster variable
If not found, check for a matching organisation variable
If still not found, the literal ${{ ankra.variable_name }} is left in place (which will likely cause deployment errors)

This precedence allows you to define sensible defaults at the organisation level, environment-specific overrides at the cluster level, and stack-specific customizations when needed.

Managing Variables

Copying Variable Syntax

Click the Copy icon next to any variable to copy its full syntax:

${{ ankra.variable_name }}

This copies the ready-to-use syntax for pasting into your manifests.

Deleting Variables

Deleting a variable that is in use by stacks will cause deployment failures. Review stack usage before deleting.

Click the Delete (trash) icon next to the variable
The variable is immediately removed

Variable Naming Rules

Variable names must follow these rules:

Start with a letter (a-z, A-Z)
Contain only letters, numbers, and underscores
Be unique within their scope (organisation or cluster)

Valid names: domain_name, API_KEY, replica_count_v2 Invalid names: 123_name, my-variable, name with spaces

Best Practices

Use descriptive names: Choose names that clearly indicate the variable’s purpose. prod_db_host is better than host1.

Document with descriptions: Add descriptions to help team members understand each variable’s purpose.

Organize by scope: Use organisation variables for global values, cluster variables for environment-specific values.

Use consistent naming conventions: Adopt a convention like snake_case and stick to it across your organisation.

AI Prompts

Press ⌘+J to open the AI Assistant and use these prompts:

Create Variables for a Stack

I need to deploy the same stack to dev and prod clusters with
different domain names. Help me set up variables.

Migrate Hardcoded Values

Review my stack and suggest which values should be
converted to variables.

Stacks

Build stacks that use variables.

SOPS Encryption

Encrypt sensitive values in Git.

Organisation Settings

Configure organisation-level settings.

Cluster Settings

Configure cluster-level settings and variables.

Get Started

Guides

Clusters

Stacks & Add-ons

GitOps

Kubernetes Resources

Platform Features

Team & Settings

Integrations

Overview

Variable Syntax

Organisation Variables

Creating Organisation Variables

Common Organisation Variables

Cluster Variables

Creating Cluster Variables

Common Cluster Variables

Stack Variables

Creating Stack Variables

Common Stack Variables

When to Use Stack Variables

Secret Variables

Secret Variable Features

When to Use Secrets vs SOPS

Using Variables in Stacks

In Manifests

In Add-on Values

Variable Resolution

Managing Variables

Copying Variable Syntax

Deleting Variables

Variable Naming Rules

Best Practices

AI Prompts

Stacks

SOPS Encryption

Organisation Settings

Cluster Settings

Get Started

Guides

Clusters

Stacks & Add-ons

GitOps

Kubernetes Resources

Platform Features

Team & Settings

Integrations

​Overview

​Variable Syntax

​Organisation Variables

​Creating Organisation Variables

​Common Organisation Variables

​Cluster Variables

​Creating Cluster Variables

​Common Cluster Variables

​Stack Variables

​Creating Stack Variables

​Common Stack Variables

​When to Use Stack Variables

​Secret Variables

​Secret Variable Features

​When to Use Secrets vs SOPS

​Using Variables in Stacks

​In Manifests

​In Add-on Values

​Variable Resolution

​Managing Variables

​Copying Variable Syntax

​Deleting Variables

​Variable Naming Rules

​Best Practices

​AI Prompts

​Related

Stacks

SOPS Encryption

Organisation Settings

Cluster Settings

Overview

Variable Syntax

Organisation Variables

Creating Organisation Variables

Common Organisation Variables

Cluster Variables

Creating Cluster Variables

Common Cluster Variables

Stack Variables

Creating Stack Variables

Common Stack Variables

When to Use Stack Variables

Secret Variables

Secret Variable Features

When to Use Secrets vs SOPS

Using Variables in Stacks

In Manifests

In Add-on Values

Variable Resolution

Managing Variables

Copying Variable Syntax

Deleting Variables

Variable Naming Rules

Best Practices

AI Prompts

Related