What formae’s Kubernetes and Helm expansion means
Platform Engineering Labs’ formae platform is an open-source Infrastructure as Code system-of-record that now adds native Kubernetes support and Helm integration to simplify Kubernetes automation, unify container orchestration, and reduce operational drift for teams managing large, multi-cluster environments. With this release, formae extends its model-driven approach to standard Kubernetes resources and managed services such as Amazon EKS and Microsoft AKS, enabling platform teams to treat clusters as part of a single, consistent infrastructure fabric. Instead of coupling desired state and execution through fragile state files, formae continuously derives its source of truth from live infrastructure, codifying changes regardless of where they originate. This shift is aimed at teams that have accumulated multiple tools for Infrastructure as Code and container orchestration and now want one reliable system to track, version, and automate their Kubernetes estates without discarding existing workflows or Helm investments.
Native Helm integration and unified Kubernetes automation
The centerpiece of the update is native Helm integration, which folds existing charts directly into formae workflows for Kubernetes automation without re-architecting deployments. Teams can reuse current Helm charts, values files, and deployment patterns, while formae watches the resulting infrastructure and automatically codifies state. This supports both standard Kubernetes distributions and managed offerings, so platform teams can apply the same Infrastructure as Code model across diverse clusters. According to Platform Engineering Labs, formae continuously discovers, versions, and codifies infrastructure changes, even when those changes are made by external tools. In practice, that means Helm upgrades, kubectl changes, and GitOps pipelines can all feed into a single system-of-record. The goal is less manual reconciliation and fewer ad hoc scripts, so container orchestration and Infrastructure as Code live in the same workflow instead of competing for control of cluster state.
Direct .tfvars compatibility for smoother Terraform migration
A key bridge between existing Infrastructure as Code practices and the formae platform is direct compatibility with Terraform .tfvars files. Many teams already encode configuration parameters, secrets references, and environment-specific variables in these files, and converting them can be a major barrier to new tooling. The new release enables formae to consume .tfvars directly, so teams can keep familiar configuration structures while adopting formae’s system-of-record model for infrastructure state. This complements formae’s earlier ability to discover live infrastructure without resource migration, closing the gap between what is deployed and what is described in code. By combining Terraform configuration artifacts with live discovery, formae aims to reduce the cost and risk of migration, especially in environments where Terraform, Kubernetes manifests, and Helm charts coexist. The result is a more gradual path from traditional Infrastructure as Code workflows to a unified, continuously updated infrastructure record.
Reducing operational complexity in multi-container environments
Multi-container and multi-cluster environments often suffer from fragmented visibility, where Infrastructure as Code tools, Helm, and GitOps systems maintain separate views of reality. formae’s update seeks to reduce this complexity by decoupling resource tracking from any single execution engine and treating the live cluster as the authoritative source. The platform automatically codifies changes no matter whether they come from Helm, kubectl, or cloud consoles, then versions them as part of a single Infrastructure as Code model. This approach targets common pain points such as configuration drift, inconsistent plugin management, and reliance on project-level state files. Alongside Kubernetes and Helm support, the new formae Public Hub and Plugin SDK help standardize extensions across environments, so teams can share and reuse integrations without binding plugins tightly to specific projects. Together, these features support more reliable container orchestration at scale and clearer governance across rapidly changing platforms.