Server Side Chat: Simplifying Kubernetes testing with Chainsaw

The session focused on one of the most overlooked but mission-critical aspects of modern DevOps workflows: how to efficiently test Kubernetes configurations using Chainsaw, an open source testing framework.

Why Kubernetes testing matters

Kubernetes is powerful, but with that power comes complexity. Small misconfigurations in YAML files or overlooked networking rules can lead to serious production issues. Maram shared examples of how seemingly minor errors (like a typo in a service definition) have triggered major incidents, waking engineers up at 5 AM due to outages that could’ve been prevented with better integration testing.

Whether you're deploying microservices, scaling infrastructure, or managing cloud-native applications, reliability, correctness, and security in Kubernetes are non-negotiable. That’s where Chainsaw comes in.

What Is Chainsaw?

Chainsaw is an open-source tool designed to simplify the integration testing of Kubernetes resources. It allows engineers to test deployments, services, ingress configurations, and more before changes hit production.

Instead of writing complex scripts, Chainsaw uses easy-to-understand YAML syntax. Maram explained how developers can define tests using a simple try/catch/finally structure, apply resources to a local or CI/CD-managed cluster, assert expected states, and even automate cleanup of test environments.

Key features of Chainsaw

• Simple YAML-based test definitions: no need for scripting.

• Live cluster validation: see the state of resources in real-time.

• Assertions: validate deployment status, replica counts, image versions, and resource limits.

• Custom scripting support: extend test logic where needed.

• Integration with CI/CD pipelines: automated, fast feedback in pull requests.

• Namespace isolation and cleanup: avoid clutter in shared clusters.

• Support for Kubernetes compositions with Crossplane: test infrastructure as code in native Kubernetes environments.

Real use case: From Flux to full automation

Maram described how she was introduced to Chainsaw while testing Flux-based deployments. Her team had 15+ repositories using Flux, but no automated tests. After implementing Chainsaw, they were able to catch YAML issues early, prevent regressions, and shift validation left into the development cycle… saving countless hours of debugging.

The tool even supports integration with LocalStack for simulating cloud environments locally, making it ideal for teams working with AWS and other cloud providers.

The power of wait

Instead of relying on hardcoded sleep timers, Chainsaw allows you to use wait conditions, ensuring that tests proceed only once resources are fully initialized. This improves reliability, especially when tests run in environments like local dev clusters or cloud CI systems.

Open source and community driven

Chainsaw is fully open source and available on GitHub. It’s supported by a responsive community on Slack and welcomes contributions. Maram emphasized how helpful the maintainers have been whenever she encountered issues, and encouraged others to give the project a star and get involved.

Final thoughts

If your team is working with Kubernetes, GitOps, or cloud infrastructure, Chainsaw offers a practical, scalable, and easy-to-use solution for testing your configurations before they reach production. Thanks to Maram’s engaging demo and real-world insights, our Server Side Chat audience left equipped with a tool they can start using today.

Stay tuned for our next Server Side Chat… where backend meets bold ideas.