OpenStack Magnum driver using helm to create k8s clusters with Cluster API. The long stated aim of this driver is to merge in upstream Magnum: https://specs.openstack.org/openstack/magnum-specs/specs/bobcat/clusterapi-driver.html
The helm charts used by this driver started out in August 2021 to build a template for creating K8s on OpenStack using Cluster API. We hope to find an upstream home for these somewhere within OpenStack, ideally within Magnum, but for now they are here: https://github.com/stackhpc/capi-helm-charts
The helm charts have been in use in production by Azimuth, since early 2022, to create Kubernetes clusters on OpenStack: https://github.com/stackhpc/azimuth
The hope is these helm charts can provide a common well tested base that can be used in many different ways to run Kubernetes on OpenStack. Be that automated using helm directly, ArgoCD, Flux, Azimuth, OpenStack Magnum and more. Ideally we can eventually apply for Kubernetes certification for these charts. The current helm chart CI makes use of sonoboy smoke tests, and have been manually tested to pass all conformance tests.
There has been an ongoing effort since October 2021 to create a Magnum driver that makes use of the above helm charts, with a view to replace the existing Heat based driver. However progress was severely delayed getting the funding in place to do the work, which was finally confirmed in August 2023. You can see the upstream patches starting here: https://review.opendev.org/c/openstack/magnum/+/815521
In early 2023 we discovered Vexhost had created their own Cluster API Magnum driver, out of tree: https://github.com/vexxhost/magnum-cluster-api
After subsequent PTG discussions, we agreed to continue this effort to merge a driver upstream that makes use of cluster API, with the above spec eventually getting merged for the Bobcat release.
The hope is that helm provides a better interface for per operator additions to clusters, and should allow for helm to be updated to support new Kubernetes versions, independently from the core Magnum code.