feat: add biweekly-newsletter-2024-01-04

Signed-off-by: peefy <[email protected]>

blog/2024-01-04-biweekly-newsletter/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,274 @@
+---
+slug: 2024-01-04-biweekly-newsletter
+title: KCL Biweekly Newsletter (2023 12.22 - 2024.01.04) | Crossplane KCL Integration
+authors:
+  name: KCL Team
+  title: KCL Team
+tags: [KCL, Biweekly-Newsletter]
+image: /img/biweekly-newsletter.png
+---
+
+![](/img/biweekly-newsletter.png)
+
+[KCL](https://github.com/kcl-lang) is a constraint-based record and functional language hosted by Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) that enhances the writing of complex configurations, including those for cloud-native scenarios. With its advanced programming language technology and practices, KCL is dedicated to promoting better modularity, scalability, and stability for configurations. It enables simpler logic writing and offers ease of automation APIs and integration with homegrown systems.
+
+This section will update the KCL language community's latest developments every two weeks, including features, website updates, and the latest community news, helping everyone better understand the KCL community!
+
+**_KCL Website: [https://kcl-lang.io](https://kcl-lang.io)_**
+
+## Overview
+
+Thank you to all contributors for their outstanding work over the past two weeks (12.22 2023 - 01.04 2024). Here is an overview of the key content:
+
+**🔧 Toolchain Update**
+
+**Package Management Tool Update**
+
+- Adds support for automatic translation of external package names containing the - symbol to an underscore _ that KCL recognizes, such as set-annotation -> set_annotation
+- Fixes a null pointer error caused when kcl mod add encounters a mismatch between the Registry package version and the version of the package already present locally
+
+**💻 IDE Update**
+
+**Semantic Highlighting**
+
+- KCL IDE now supports semantic-level highlighting, avoiding differences in highlighting across various IDE plugins
+
+**Enhancement for Completion Features**
+
+- Differentiates between Schema type and instance completion symbols
+- Unifies the format for Schema comment documentation completion
+- Fixes inconsistencies in completion symbol types across different syntaxes
+
+## Special Thanks
+
+The following are listed in no particular order:
+
+- Thanks to @FLAGLORD, @YiuTerran, @flyinox, @steeling, @Anoop, @Phillip Neumann, and @Even Solberg for their valuable feedback and discussions during the promotion and usage of KCL 🙌
+
+## Featured Updates
+
+### Using KCL to Write Crossplane Composite Functions
+
+Crossplane and Crossplane Composite Functions are used to decouple XR and Composite resource definitions. XRs allow developers to create higher-level abstractions that can encapsulate and compose multiple types of cloud resources across different providers and services. Using Crossplane Composite Functions to render these abstractions can effectively enhance template capabilities for various provider resources while reducing the amount of YAML code needed.
+
+Combining KCL with Crossplane composite functions offers several benefits:
+
++ **Simplification of Complex Configurations**: KCL provides a more concise syntax and structure as a DSL, reducing the complexity of configurations. When combined with Crossplane’s composite resources, you can create more intuitive and easy-to-understand configuration templates with loop and condition features, simplifying the definition and maintenance of resources instead of duplicate YAML and Go code snippets.
++ **Reusability and Modularity**: KCL supports modularity and code reuse through OCI Registry, which means you can create reusable configuration components. Combined with Crossplane, this promotes the modularity of composite resources, increases the reuse of configurations, and reduces errors.
++ **Automation and Policy-Driven**: You can use KCL’s powerful features to write policies and constraints that, combined with Crossplane’s declarative resource management, can be automatically enforced, ensuring compliance within the cloud environment.
+
+#### Prerequisites
+
+- Prepare a Kubernetes cluster
+- Install Kubectl
+- Install [Crossplane and Crossplane CLI 1.14+](https://docs.crossplane.io/)
+- Install Go 1.21+
+
+#### Quick Start
+
+Let’s write a KCL function abstraction which generates managed resources `VPC` and `InternetGateway` with a input resource `Network`.
+
+##### 1. Install the Crossplane KCL Function
+
+Installing a Function creates a function pod. Crossplane sends requests to this pod to ask it what resources to create when you create a composite resource.
+
+Install a Function with a Crossplane Function object setting the `spec.package` value to the location of the function package.
+
+```bash
+kubectl apply -f- << EOF
+apiVersion: pkg.crossplane.io/v1beta1
+kind: Function
+metadata:
+  name: kcl-function
+spec:
+  package: kcllang/crossplane-kcl
+EOF
+```
+
+##### 2. Apply the Composition Resource
+
+Just like a render function, you can apply the composition resource using KCL into cluster.
+
+```shell
+kubectl apply -f- << EOF
+apiVersion: apiextensions.crossplane.io/v1
+kind: Composition
+metadata:
+  name: xlabels.fn-demo.crossplane.io
+  labels:
+    provider: aws
+spec:
+  writeConnectionSecretsToNamespace: crossplane-system
+  compositeTypeRef:
+    apiVersion: fn-demo.crossplane.io/v1alpha1
+    kind: XNetwork
+  mode: Pipeline
+  pipeline:
+  - step: normal
+    functionRef:
+      name: kcl-function
+    input:
+      apiVersion: krm.kcl.dev/v1alpha1
+      kind: KCLRun
+      metadata:
+        name: basic
+      spec:
+        # Generate new resources
+        target: Resources
+        # OCI, Git or inline source
+        # source: oci://ghcr.io/kcl-lang/crossplane-xnetwork-kcl-function
+        # source: github.com/kcl-lang/modules/crossplane-xnetwork-kcl-function
+        source: |
+          # Get the XR spec fields
+          id = option("params")?.oxr?.spec.id or ""
+          # Render XR to crossplane managed resources
+          network_id_labels = {"networks.meta.fn.crossplane.io/network-id" = id} if id else {}
+          vpc = {
+              apiVersion = "ec2.aws.upbound.io/v1beta1"
+              kind = "VPC"
+              metadata.name = "vpc"
+              metadata.labels = network_id_labels
+              spec.forProvider = {
+                  region = "eu-west-1"
+                  cidrBlock = "192.168.0.0/16"
+                  enableDnsSupport = True
+                  enableDnsHostnames = True
+              }
+          }
+          gateway = {
+              apiVersion = "ec2.aws.upbound.io/v1beta1"
+              kind = "InternetGateway"
+              metadata.name = "gateway"
+              metadata.labels = network_id_labels
+              spec.forProvider = {
+                  region = "eu-west-1"
+                  vpcIdSelector.matchControllerRef = True
+              }
+          }
+          items = [vpc, gateway]
+EOF
+```
+
+##### 3. Create Crossplane XRD
+
+We define a schema using the crossplane XRD for the input resource `Network`, it has a field named `id` which denotes the network id.
+
+```shell
+kubectl apply -f- << EOF
+apiVersion: apiextensions.crossplane.io/v1
+kind: CompositeResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: xnetworks.fn-demo.crossplane.io
+spec:
+  group: fn-demo.crossplane.io
+  names:
+    kind: XNetwork
+    plural: xnetworks
+  claimNames:
+    kind: Network
+    plural: networks
+  versions:
+    - name: v1alpha1
+      served: true
+      referenceable: true
+      schema:
+        openAPIV3Schema:
+          type: object
+          properties:
+            spec:
+              type: object
+              properties:
+                id:
+                  type: string
+                  description: ID of this Network that other objects will use to refer to it.
+              required:
+                - id
+EOF
+```
+
+##### 4. Apply the Crossplane XR
+
+```shell
+kubectl apply -f- << EOF
+apiVersion: fn-demo.crossplane.io/v1alpha1
+kind: Network
+metadata:
+  name: network-test-functions
+  namespace: default
+spec:
+  id: network-test-functions
+EOF
+```
+
+##### 5. Verify the Generated Managed Resources
+
++ VPC
+
+```shell
+kubectl get VPC -o yaml | grep network-id
+      networks.meta.fn.crossplane.io/network-id: network-test-functions
+```
+
++ InternetGateway
+
+```shell
+kubectl get InternetGateway -o yaml | grep network-id
+      networks.meta.fn.crossplane.io/network-id: network-test-functions
+```
+
+It can be seen that we have indeed successfully generated `VPC` and `InternetGateway` resources, and their fields meet expectations.
+
+##### 6. Debugging KCL Functions Locally
+
+See [here](https://github.com/kcl-lang/crossplane-kcl) for more information.
+
+#### Client Enhancements
+
+It can be seen that the above abstract code often requires a crossplane as a control plane intermediary, and you can still complete the abstraction in a fully client-side manner and directly generate crossplane managed resources to reduce the burden on the cluster.
+
+For example
+
+```shell
+kcl run oci://ghcr.io/kcl-lang/crossplane-xnetwork-kcl-function -S items -D params='{"oxr": {"spec": {"id": "network-test-functions"}}}'
+```
+
+The output is
+
+```yaml
+apiVersion: ec2.aws.upbound.io/v1beta1
+kind: VPC
+metadata:
+  name: vpc
+  labels:
+    networks.meta.fn.crossplane.io/network-id: network-test-functions
+spec:
+  forProvider:
+    region: eu-west-1
+    cidrBlock: 192.168.0.0/16
+    enableDnsSupport: true
+    enableDnsHostnames: true
+---
+apiVersion: ec2.aws.upbound.io/v1beta1
+kind: InternetGateway
+metadata:
+  name: gateway
+  labels:
+    networks.meta.fn.crossplane.io/network-id: network-test-functions
+spec:
+  forProvider:
+    region: eu-west-1
+    vpcIdSelector:
+      matchControllerRef: true
+```
+
+See [here](https://kcl-lang.io/docs/user_docs/guides/working-with-k8s/mutate-manifests/crossplane-kcl-function) for more information and examples.
+
+## Resources
+
+❤️ Thanks to all KCL users and community members for their valuable feedback and suggestions in the community. See [here](https://github.com/kcl-lang/community) to join us!
+
+For more resources, please refer to
+
+- [KCL Website](https://kcl-lang.io/)
+- [KusionStack Website](https://kusionstack.io/)
+- [KCL v0.8.0 Milestone](https://github.com/kcl-lang/kcl/milestone/8)

docs/user_docs/guides/working-with-k8s/3-mutate-manifests/7-crossplane-kcl-function.md

@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ spec:
       spec:
         # Generate new resources
         target: Resources
-        # OCI, Git or inline Source
+        # OCI, Git or inline source
         # source: oci://ghcr.io/kcl-lang/crossplane-xnetwork-kcl-function
         # source: github.com/kcl-lang/modules/crossplane-xnetwork-kcl-function
         source: |
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ spec:
               apiVersion = "ec2.aws.upbound.io/v1beta1"
               kind = "VPC"
               metadata.name = "vpc"
-              metadata.labels: network_id_labels
+              metadata.labels = network_id_labels
               spec.forProvider = {
                   region = "eu-west-1"
                   cidrBlock = "192.168.0.0/16"
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ spec:
               apiVersion = "ec2.aws.upbound.io/v1beta1"
               kind = "InternetGateway"
               metadata.name = "gateway"
-              metadata.labels: network_id_labels
+              metadata.labels = network_id_labels
               spec.forProvider = {
                   region = "eu-west-1"
                   vpcIdSelector.matchControllerRef = True