@Marvin in prefect 3, in the kubernetes worker chart, what does the worker.extraEnvVarsCM helm value do? i can see it adds the configmap to the worker itself, but what i expected it to do is to forward the env variables to the created jobs - thats not happening. So why does it exist then and how do i dump configmap variables into job pods?

The

worker.extraEnvVarsCM

Helm value in Prefect 3's Kubernetes worker chart is intended to add a ConfigMap to the worker itself, not to the jobs it creates. This setting is useful if you need to set environment variables directly on the worker, perhaps for worker-specific configuration. If you want these environment variables to be passed to the job pods created by the worker, you'll need to modify the job's configuration. One way to do this is by customizing the job template used by the worker. This can involve specifying the environment variables directly in the job template or using a ConfigMap to inject them. Here's a general approach you can take to ensure these environment variables are available in the job pods: 1. Modify the Job Template: You can customize the job template in your Kubernetes configuration to include the environment variables from your desired ConfigMap. 2. Advanced Settings: Use Kubernetes' advanced settings options by editing the base job template to include environment variable configurations. This involves defining them explicitly in the job's JSON configuration. To implement these changes, you usually need to access the advanced tab in your Prefect settings and edit the JSON representation of the base job template. This allows you to specify which variables you want to include. For detailed steps, please refer to the Prefect 3.x documentation on customizing jobs in Kubernetes. If you have more specific needs or configurations, feel free to ask!

i dont want to poke the UI or the config json manually, i have a beautiful configmap with all of my env variables and i want them to be in my kubernetes worker-created jobs

Yes, I'm here! If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask.

@Marvin as i was saying, i dont want to poke the UI or the config json manually, i have a beautiful configmap with all of my env variables and i want them to be in my kubernetes worker-created jobs

It seems there are no specific open issues regarding forwarding environment variables from a ConfigMap to job pods using the

worker.extraEnvVarsCM

in Prefect's GitHub repository. However, you can achieve this goal by integrating ConfigMaps directly with your Kubernetes pods without manually editing JSON or using the Prefect UI. Here’s a more automated way to inject environment variables from a ConfigMap into your Kubernetes jobs: 1. Kubernetes Job Template: Modify the job template YAML used by the worker to include a reference to the ConfigMap. This can usually be done programmatically by updating the YAML Kubernetes Deployment configuration for the job pods:

yaml
apiVersion: batch/v1
kind: Job
metadata:
  name: your-job-name
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: your-container-name
        image: your-image
        envFrom:
        - configMapRef:
            name: your-configmap-name

2. Helm Chart Configuration: If you deploy using Helm, you might automate this by templating the above YAML within your Helm chart's values, making it read from a predefined ConfigMap. These steps allow you to automatically apply the necessary environment variables from a ConfigMap to the job pods when they are created by your Prefect worker, without manual UI or JSON interventions. Please let me know if you need further technical details or assistance with implementing this approach!

@Marvin whats a "job template YAML used by the worker"? can i tweak it?

In the context of Kubernetes, a "job template" refers to the configuration file (in YAML format) that defines how a job should be run within a Kubernetes cluster. This template specifies things like the Docker image to use, resource requests, environment variables, and any volumes or ConfigMaps that need to be mounted. ### Customizing the Job Template in Prefect Kubernetes Worker 1. Understanding the Job Template: - The job template is essentially the blueprint for any Pods that the Kubernetes worker will create to execute a Prefect Flow. It generally specifies container details, environment variables, and volumes, among other configurations. 2. Customization Options: - Prefect's Kubernetes workers may have a default job template that can be located in the Helm chart values or in the Kubernetes definitions within the Prefect deployment codebase. 3. Modifying the Template: - Via Helm: If you are deploying Prefect using Helm charts, you can define or overwrite default job specifications in your

values.yaml

file, which the chart will use to render the actual deployment templates. - YAML Files: Otherwise, Kubernetes YAML configuration files can be manually edited or programmatically generated to include references to ConfigMaps, secrets, etc. Example of Integrating a ConfigMap: If you want to integrate a ConfigMap to pass variables to your jobs, something like the following would be included in your YAML:

yaml
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: main
        image: your-image
        envFrom:
        - configMapRef:
            name: your-configmap-name

4. Applying Changes: - After editing the configuration, apply it to the cluster using

kubectl apply -f your-config-file.yaml

, or incorporate changes in the Helm pipeline to apply these updates when deploying Prefect. ### Can You Tweak It? Yes, you can tweak it. The key is accessing the right configuration files and ensuring changes are synchronized with your deployment pipeline, whether via Helm charts or direct Kubernetes commands. This gives you the flexibility to automate and customize the jobs that your Prefect worker manages. Feel free to ask if you need guidance on specific configurations or further customization details!

@Marvin in the context of prefect helm charts, whats a "job template YAML used by the worker"? can i tweak it? I havent seen a mention of the template being yaml

In the context of Prefect's Kubernetes setup, particularly when deploying using Helm charts, the "job template" refers to the set of configurations that dictate how individual Kubernetes jobs (or pods) are executed. This template might not be explicitly labeled as YAML within the Prefect documentation, but it influences how Kubernetes manifests are generated and deployed within your Kubernetes environment. ### Understanding Job Templates in Prefect with Kubernetes 1. Job Template Concepts: - While it's not necessarily called a "YAML" template in the Prefect documents directly, the job template consists of configurations within the Helm Chart that govern how your job pods are specified. - These configurations might include commands, environment variables, resource specifications, etc., similar to what would be specified in traditional Kubernetes YAML files. 2. Customization: - Helm Values: The job template is affected by the Helm chart configurations, including values set in

values.yaml

. This is where you could define or modify settings that will alter how job pods are deployed and executed. - Advanced Configurations: Prefect's documentation suggests customizing the "base job template" using either their UI or advanced configuration to directly include more fields or variables, though without necessarily prescribing direct YAML configuration on your part. 3. Tweakability: - Helm Chart Adjustments: You can tweak the job configurations via the Helm values, which indirectly define the job specifications similar to a Kubernetes YAML manifest. - Code-based Approach: Additionally, if you are using configuration-as-code practices, you might have scripts that adapt these templates or inject additional configurations before deploying jobs to the Kubernetes worker. For more explicit customizations, such as automatically forwarding ConfigMap values to job pods, you'll likely need to leverage these points of configurability within the Prefect Helm charts or the broader Kubernetes deployment scripts associated with them. For further details, you can explore Prefect's Helm chart deployment documentation to understand what's supported and how you might programmatically extend these capabilities. If you have specific customization questions or challenges, feel free to let me know!

@Marvin so how should i inject the configmap into said template?

To inject a ConfigMap into the job pods created by Prefect's Kubernetes worker using Helm, you can follow these steps to modify the Helm chart configuration. This will allow the environment variables stored in a ConfigMap to be automatically included in the job pods. ### Steps to Inject ConfigMap into Job Pods 1. Identify the ConfigMap: - Ensure your ConfigMap with the necessary environment variables is already created in your Kubernetes cluster. For example:

yaml
     apiVersion: v1
     kind: ConfigMap
     metadata:
       name: my-configmap
     data:
       KEY_ONE: "value1"
       KEY_TWO: "value2"

2. Modify the Helm Chart Configuration: - Locate your

values.yaml

file which is used by your Helm chart for Prefect deployment. - Add an entry under the job specification to include the environment variables from your ConfigMap. 3. Inject the ConfigMap: - Use

envFrom

within the containers spec in Helm values to inject the environment variables from the specified ConfigMap:

yaml
   worker:
     jobTemplate:
       spec:
         template:
           spec:
             containers:
             - name: main # Ensure this matches your container name
               envFrom:
               - configMapRef:
                   name: my-configmap

4. Deploy the Updated Helm Chart: - Apply the updates by running the Helm upgrade command in your terminal to redeploy the Prefect worker with the updated configuration:

sh
     helm upgrade [RELEASE_NAME] prefect/prefect-server --values path/to/your/values.yaml

### Confirm the Configuration - Check Pod Logs: After deploying, you can check the logs of the created pods to verify that the environment variables are set correctly. - Pod Environment: You can also execute a shell within a running pod to inspect the environment variables directly using commands like

env

or

printenv

. By embedding the environment variables from a ConfigMap into your job pods through these Helm chart modifications, you align closely with Kubernetes best practices for managing configuration data separately from application code. If further customization is required, you can extend this approach to include other Kubernetes resources like Secrets. Let me know if you need more guidance!

oh god damn it Marvin

sorry @Илья Малеки - when I have some time I want to make the retrieval better sounds like you want to use an existing config map when deploying a worker w the helm chart?

@Nate yup yup thats exactly the case!

yeah! sorry im not sure how to do it off the top of my head

hi!

@Jamie Zieziula i have a configmap with a bunch of env variables

yes the config map will need to contain the base job template as defined by Prefect

@Jamie Zieziula but that means prefect is the only thing that requires code duplication - i have a configmap of env variables and it serves like a million other things. Its inconvenient to copy it into a different CM and update stuff in two places, just for prefect's sake. Or, more realistically, practice string interpolation martial arts in templates, which is the most painful thing ever

Can you explain what environment variables your trying to set and where you want to see them picked up? I may have misunderstood your use case

for example, i have a db that i etl my data into - it could be a self-hosted or a third-party solution. That choice is done when im considering my infra, so the choice is stored as a link to an in-cluster service, or an out-of-cluster link. That isnt a direct concern of prefect, or any app for that matter, so it resides in a global configmap that all services and pipelines should read from

hi @Илья Малеки - sorry I think I and/or marvin misunderstood/over-complicated your original intention

how do i dump configmap variables into job pods

whats a "job template YAML used by the worker"? can i tweak it?

the yaml it was probably poorly referring to was the `prefect.yaml` not the

values.yaml

for the worker helm chart this need not be true for

env

used by flow runs

That choice is done when im considering my infra

generally your worker process only needs to know the name of your work pool, and then you can override specific `job_variables` from the base job template on your work pool, either on a deployment or flow run basis at deployment creation time, or instead at runtime via the UI, CLI or

run_deployment

when you're creating flow runs - i.e. generally your worker helm chart shouldn't need to worry about runtime

env

vars here's a repo with some examples

Hi @Nate i was indeed referring to values.yaml. I feel bad for putting a link to db into prefect.yaml, since its not a concern of prefect (which lives on a layer above the infra). When a person on a team sees a link in their prefect.yaml, they will most certainly think this is up to them to manage that link. That is false, the manager of that link should be a k8s configmap

Hi @Илья Малеки Sorry to ping, but did you get to find a solution ? Also if you use a private registry to pull from, how did you make the created jobs access the private repository ? I am stuck in a similar situation... If only prefect-worker could just pass all variables to the jobs, would make more sense