Topology Visualization

Visualize Kubernetes resource relationships with interactive dependency graphs

Overview

The Topology page provides interactive visualization of Kubernetes resource relationships. See how Deployments connect to ConfigMaps, Secrets, HPAs, and Pods in an intuitive graph format.

What is Topology?

Topology visualization shows the dependency relationships between Kubernetes resources:

Resource Relationships

See how resources connect and depend on each other

Interactive Graph

Click nodes to navigate, drag to rearrange, zoom to focus

Configuration Flow

Track ConfigMaps and Secrets to consuming resources

Autoscaling Links

Visualize HPA relationships with workloads

Cluster-wide Topology

View relationships across all resources in the namespace:

Node Types

Deployment Nodes

Visual: Purple rounded rectangle

Shows:

• Deployment name
• Replica count (e.g., “3/3”)
• Status indicator

Connections:

• → ConfigMaps (mounted or env vars)
• → Secrets (mounted or env vars)
• → HPA (if autoscaling configured)
• → Pods (managed pods)

ConfigMap Nodes

Visual: Blue document icon

Shows:

• ConfigMap name
• Number of data keys

Connections:

• ← Deployments (consumers)
• ← StatefulSets
• ← DaemonSets
• ← Pods

Secret Nodes

Visual: Green lock icon

Shows:

• Secret name
• Secret type (Opaque, TLS, etc.)

Connections:

• ← Deployments (consumers)
• ← StatefulSets
• ← DaemonSets
• ← Pods

HPA Nodes

Visual: Orange scaling icon

Shows:

• HPA name
• Min/max replicas
• Current CPU %

Connections:

• → Deployment (target resource)

Pod Nodes

Visual: Gray cube icon

Shows:

• Pod name (shortened)
• Status (Running, Pending, etc.)

Connections:

• ← Deployment (owner)
• → ConfigMaps (if directly mounted)
• → Secrets (if directly mounted)

Edge Types

Connections between nodes indicate relationships:

Uses

Line Style: Solid arrow

Meaning: Resource uses/depends on another

Examples:

• Deployment → ConfigMap (mounts config)
• Deployment → Secret (uses credentials)

Color: Blue

Manages

Line Style: Dashed arrow

Meaning: Resource creates/controls another

Examples:

• Deployment → Pod (creates pods)
• ReplicaSet → Pod (manages pods)

Color: Gray

Scales

Line Style: Bold arrow

Meaning: HPA scales target resource

Examples:

• HPA → Deployment (autoscales)

Color: Orange

Deployment-specific Topology

Each deployment detail page includes a focused topology view:

Focused View

Shows only resources related to the specific deployment:

Center Node: The deployment itself

Connected Resources:

• Left side: ConfigMaps and Secrets used
• Right side: HPA (if configured)
• Bottom: Pods managed by deployment

Example Layout

Interactive Features

Navigation

1. Click Nodes

   Click any node to navigate to its detail page

   • ConfigMap → ConfigMap detail page
   • Deployment → Deployment detail page
   • Pod → Pod detail page with logs
2. Hover for Info

   Hover over nodes for quick information tooltip:

   • Resource status
   • Key metrics
   • Age
   • Labels (first 3)
3. Right-click Menu

   Right-click nodes for actions:

   • View details
   • Edit YAML
   • View logs (pods)
   • Restart (deployments/pods)

Graph Controls

Pan

Action: Click and drag background

Use: Move view to see different parts of large graphs

Keyboard: Arrow keys

Zoom

Action: Mouse wheel or pinch gesture

Use: Zoom in for detail, zoom out for overview

Buttons: + / - buttons in top-right corner

Keyboard: Ctrl + wheel

Fit View

Action: Double-click background or click fit button

Use: Auto-zoom to show all nodes

Keyboard: F key

Select

Action: Click node to select, Shift+Click for multi-select

Use: Highlight related resources

Keyboard: Ctrl+A (select all)

Layout Options

Choose how nodes are arranged:

Horizontal (Default)

Flows left to right

• ConfigMaps/Secrets on left
• Deployment in center
• Pods on right

Best for: Deployments with few dependencies

Vertical

Flows top to bottom

• ConfigMaps/Secrets on top
• Deployment in middle
• Pods on bottom

Best for: Many pods, narrow screens

Radial

Deployment at center, resources radiating outward

• ConfigMaps/Secrets in ring 1
• Pods in ring 2

Best for: Complex relationships, many resources

Force-directed

Physics simulation pushes/pulls nodes

• Related nodes cluster together
• Unrelated nodes pushed apart

Best for: Discovering unexpected relationships

Status Indicators

Nodes show status with color coding:

Healthy

Color: Green border

Meaning:

• Deployment: All replicas available
• Pod: Running normally
• ConfigMap/Secret: No errors
• HPA: Operating within targets

Healthy resources have solid green border

Warning

Color: Yellow/orange border

Meaning:

• Deployment: Some replicas unavailable
• Pod: Restarting frequently
• HPA: Near min/max limits

Warning state indicates potential issues

Error

Color: Red border

Meaning:

• Deployment: No replicas available
• Pod: Failed, CrashLoopBackOff
• ConfigMap/Secret: Mount errors
• HPA: Cannot scale (no metrics)

Error state requires immediate attention

Unknown

Color: Gray border

Meaning:

• Status cannot be determined
• Resource being created
• Connection issues

Use Cases

Configuration Management

Track which resources use specific ConfigMaps:

1. Find ConfigMap Node

   Locate ConfigMap in topology graph

2. Follow Edges

   See all Deployments/Pods using this config

3. Plan Updates

   Identify which resources will be affected by config changes

4. Restart Affected

   Navigate to each consumer and restart to apply changes

Secret Rotation

Visualize secret dependencies before rotation:

Secret: api-key
├─→ Deployment: frontend (3 pods)
├─→ Deployment: backend (5 pods)
└─→ CronJob: nightly-sync (1 job)

Action: Update secret, restart all 3 resources

Troubleshooting Dependencies

Investigate why deployment fails:

1. View Deployment Topology

   Open deployment detail page topology section

2. Check ConfigMaps

   Are all ConfigMaps present? (green borders)

   Missing ConfigMap = red border → Pod stuck in ContainerCreating

3. Check Secrets

   Are secrets accessible?

   Missing Secret = Pod cannot mount volumes

4. Check HPA

   Is HPA functioning?

   HPA error = Cannot scale, may be under/over-provisioned

Capacity Planning

Understand autoscaling impact:

HPA: myapp-hpa (2-10 replicas, target: 80% CPU)
└─→ Deployment: myapp
    ├─→ Pod: myapp-1 (CPU: 75%)
    ├─→ Pod: myapp-2 (CPU: 75%)
    └─→ Pod: myapp-3 (CPU: 75%)

Analysis: Near target, may scale up soon
Action: Pre-emptively add node capacity

Advanced Features

Filtering

Filter topology to show specific resource types:

All Resources

Show complete topology (default)

Configuration Only

Show only ConfigMaps and Secrets

Use for: Configuration audit

Workloads Only

Show only Deployments, Pods, HPAs

Use for: Capacity analysis

Failed Resources

Show only resources with errors

Use for: Troubleshooting

Search

Find specific resources in large topologies:

Search: "redis"
Result: Highlights all nodes containing "redis"

Search features:

• Partial name matching
• Case-insensitive
• Highlights matching nodes
• Auto-pan to first match

Export

Export topology for documentation:

Export as PNG

Download topology as image

Use for:

• Documentation
• Presentations
• Incident reports

Export as SVG

Download as scalable vector graphic

Use for:

• High-resolution documentation
• Editing in design tools

Export as JSON

Download graph data structure

Use for:

• Programmatic analysis
• Custom visualizations
• Backup/versioning

Best Practices

Regular Topology Review

Check topology weekly to:

• Identify unused ConfigMaps/Secrets
• Find orphaned resources
• Verify HPA configuration
• Plan resource cleanup

Use for Impact Analysis

Before making changes:

1. View affected resource in topology
2. Identify all dependencies
3. Plan rollout order
4. Document affected services

Document Critical Paths

Screenshot topologies for:

• Production service dependencies
• Configuration hierarchies
• Disaster recovery planning

Color Code by Environment

Use labels to distinguish:

• Production (red labels)
• Staging (yellow labels)
• Development (green labels)

Nodes automatically colored by label

Limitations

Current limitations:

• Only shows resources in current namespace
• Cross-namespace dependencies not visualized
• Service connections not shown
• Ingress rules not displayed
• PVC → PV relationships not included

Next Steps

Deployments

View deployment-specific topology

ConfigMaps & Secrets

Manage configuration resources

HPA

Configure autoscaling

Dashboard

View topology on dashboard