KubePattern Smells

The KubePattern analysis results are represented as Smells, which are structured findings that indicate potential issues, anti-patterns, or areas for improvement in your Kubernetes manifests. Each Smell is associated with a specific pattern from the Pattern Registry.

Retrieving Results

Using kubectl

# List all patterns across all namespaces
kubectl get patterns.kubepattern.dev -A

# Short form
kubectl get smells -A

# View details of specific pattern
kubectl describe smells <smell-name> -n <namespace>

# Get as YAML
kubectl get smells <smell-name> -n <namespace> -o yaml

# Filter by field, e.g. severity (requires label)
kubectl get smells -n pattern-analysis-ns --field-selector spec.severity=CRITICAL

KubePattern Smell Custom Resource Definition

Analysis results are stored as Kubernetes Custom Resources:

Property	Description
apiVersion	API version of the Smell CRD (e.g., kubepattern.dev/v1)
kind	Always Smell
metadata	Standard Kubernetes metadata (name, namespace, labels, annotations)
metadata.name	Unique name of the smell, typically generated based on the pattern and target resource
metadata.namespace	Namespace where the smell is stored, usually the same as the target resource's namespace
metadata.labels.lastScan	UUID of the last scan during which the smell was detected (e.g., lastScan: abc123)
spec	Core specification of the smell, containing detection logic and relationships
spec.suppress	boolean
spec.target	Details about the target resource that triggered the smell (apiVersion, kind, name, namespace, uid)
spec.pattern	Information about the pattern that generated the smell (name, version)
spec.reference	Link to documentation for the smell and its remediation
spec.message	Custom message describing the smell
spec.severity	Severity level of the smell (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, CRITICAL)
spec.category	Category of the smell (e.g., Security, Performance, Maintainability)
spec.name	Name of the smell (e.g., "Exposed Service")

INFO

If metadata.labels.lastScan is missing or is out of date, it means the smell has been detected in a previous scan and has not been updated in the current scan. This could indicate that the smell is no longer relevant (e.g., the underlying issue has been resolved) or that it is an old finding that needs to be reviewed. KubePattern automatically removes smells that are no longer relevant.