Modern buyers want outcomes fast. Your teams want to build with low-code/no-code (LCNC). Your ops leaders want one, secure, repeatable path to production across on-prem, private cloud, and the big three hyperscalers. This guide is your blueprint.
Below, I’ll unpack the technical methodologies Religent Systems can use to package LCNC apps as containers, orchestrate them on Kubernetes, and operate them across hybrid/multi-cloud with airtight security, observability, and speed. You’ll get a concrete reference architecture, config snippets you can lift into your repos, and a rollout plan you can execute this quarter.
TL;DR (for the busy architect)
- Standardize on OCI containers for all LCNC workloads so they run anywhere, the same way.
- Use Kubernetes as the universal runtime and GitOps (Flux or Argo CD) as the control plane for continuous delivery.
- Hybrid/multi-cloud: register and manage clusters as one fleet (Azure Arc, GKE Fleets/Anthos, EKS Anywhere/Hybrid).
- Augment LCNC with sidecars (e.g., Dapr) to add service-to-service calls, pub/sub, state, and secrets—without custom plumbing.
- Scale smart with Knative (scale-to-zero HTTP) and KEDA (event-driven autoscaling).
- Zero-trust by default with Istio mTLS + traffic policy; SPIFFE/SPIRE workload identities that federate to cloud IAM.
- Observability via OpenTelemetry (uniform traces/metrics/logs) shipped by the Collector.
- Supply-chain security: sign images with cosign, emit in-toto provenance, target SLSA levels, ship CycloneDX SBOMs.
Why LCNC + Containers + Kubernetes?
LCNC accelerates delivery but can create drift: different runtimes, brittle plugins, inconsistent infra. Packaging LCNC apps as OCI images yields a single, portable artifact (code, runtime, dependencies) that you can run anywhere a container can run—on a laptop, AKS/EKS/GKE, or an on-prem cluster.
Kubernetes gives you a uniform operations model (Deployments, Services, Ingress/Gateway, HPAs, Jobs) in every environment. You codify desired state and let the platform reconcile toward it, instead of scripting “what to do” step-by-step.
Architecture at a Glance (text sketch)
┌──────────────── Hybrid Fleet ────────────────┐
│ Cloud: AKS / EKS / GKE On-prem: EKS-A │
│ (Fleet/Arc/Anthos mgmt) or kubeadm HA │
│ ┌──────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ │
│ │ Git (Desired │ │ Container Reg. │ │
│ │ State) │ │ (OCI images) │ │
│ └─────┬────────┘ └───────┬────────┘ │
│ │ GitOps (Flux/Argo)│ │
│ ┌─────▼───────────────────▼───────┐ │
│ │ Cluster(s): K8s + Istio + │ │
│ │ Knative + KEDA + Dapr │ │
│ │ OTel Collector + Gatekeeper │ │
│ ├──────────────┬──────────────────┤ │
│ ┌────▼────┐ ┌──────▼─────┐ ┌───────▼──┐ │
│ │ LCNC App│ │ LCNC App │ │ LCNC App │ │
│ │ Pod │ │ Pod │ │ Pod │ │
│ │(image) │ │(image) │ │(image) │ │
│ └───┬─────┘ └──────┬─────┘ └───────┬──┘ │
│ Dapr│sidecar Dapr│sidecar Dapr │ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ svc-to-svc pub/sub, state secrets │
└───────┴───────────────────────────────────────┘
▲ Identity: SPIFFE/SPIRE (federate to IAM)
▲ Signing/Provenance: cosign + in-toto (SLSA)
▲ SBOM: CycloneDX
1) Build: Standardize Packaging for LCNC Apps
1.1 OCI Images, Always
- Build a Dockerfile (or Cloud Native Buildpacks) that bundles the LCNC runtime, your app package, and adapters. Tag by semver + git sha. Push to an OCI registry that supports signatures and attestations.
1.2 Sidecars for Cross-cutting Capabilities
Add a Dapr sidecar to each LCNC service to gain:
- Service invocation (HTTP/gRPC) with service discovery
- Pub/Sub to Kafka/Rabbit/SB Queues
- State APIs and secret retrieval
—without writing connector glue in the LCNC tool.
1.3 Serverless-friendly HTTP
If your Low Code No Code app is bursty (forms, webhooks, report runs), use Knative Serving for request-driven autoscaling to zero. Knative defines CRDs (Service, Route, Configuration, Revision) and handles revisioned rollouts.
2) Deliver: GitOps as the Control Plane
Treat Git as the single source of truth for cluster-desired state. Tools like Flux and Argo CD watch repos and reconcile the live cluster to match what’s in Git (Helm, Kustomize, plain YAML). This is declarative, pull-based CD—auditable, repeatable, and environment-agnostic.
- Flux: composable controllers, progressive delivery with Flagger; first-class in Azure Arc at fleet scale.
- Argo CD: Application CRs, app-of-apps pattern, teams/projects, SSO.
Example: Argo CD Application (per environment)
apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
name: religent-lcnc-app
namespace: argocd
spec:
project: default
source:
repoURL: https://git.example.com/religent/platform.git
targetRevision: main
path: apps/lcnc-app/overlays/prod
destination:
server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
namespace: apps
syncPolicy:
automated: { prune: true, selfHeal: true }
3) Run Everywhere: Hybrid/Multi-Cloud Strategy
3.1 Fleet Your Clusters
- Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes: register non-AKS clusters, apply GitOps at scale via policy, and manage fleet compliance.
- GKE Fleets / Anthos: group clusters, apply config with Config Sync, and enable multi-cluster services & service mesh.
- EKS Anywhere / Hybrid nodes: consistent EKS distro on-prem/edge, with options for Outposts or hybrid nodes.
3.2 Multi-cluster Services (east-west)
Expose a Service across clusters using the Multi-Cluster Services API (e.g., for active-active or DR). This keeps service naming consistent so consumers rely on local data, even with centralized/decentralized control planes.
4) Scale Intelligently: HPA, Knative, and KEDA
- HTTP autoscaling: Knative scales to zero on idle, scales fast on incoming demand; great for user-driven LCNC endpoints.
- Event-driven autoscaling: KEDA reacts to queue depth, stream lag, CRON, DB rows, etc., across 80+ scalers—ideal for low-code process automations and integrations.
Example: KEDA ScaledObject (scale by queue length)
apiVersion: keda.sh/v1alpha1
kind: ScaledObject
metadata:
name: lcnc-worker-scaledobject
spec:
scaleTargetRef:
name: lcnc-worker
triggers:
- type: azure-queue
metadata:
queueName: lcnc-tasks
connectionFromEnv: AZURE_STORAGE_CONN
queueLength: "50"
5) Connect & Secure: Mesh, Identity, and Policy
5.1 Service Mesh for Zero Trust
Adopt Istio to encrypt all pod-to-pod traffic with mTLS, enforce retries/timeouts/circuit-breakers, and perform canary/A-B via traffic splitting. Use permissive mode for safe migrations, then enforce mTLS mesh-wide.
5.2 Workload Identity that Travels
Issue portable identities with SPIFFE/SPIRE (workload SVIDs). Federate those identities to cloud IAM (Microsoft Entra, AWS) using OIDC so workloads access cloud APIs without long-lived secrets—critical in hybrid fleets.
SPIRE: Register an LCNC workload
# Example (conceptual) registration entry
spiffeID = "spiffe://religent.local/ns/apps/sa/lcnc-app"
parentID = "spiffe://religent.local/spire/agent/k8s/cluster1"
selector {
type = "k8s"
value = "ns:apps"
}
selector {
type = "k8s"
value = "sa:lcnc-app"
}
5.3 Policy Guardrails
Use OPA Gatekeeper or Kyverno to enforce policies (only signed images, required labels/limits, deny privileged pods). Report compliance via policy reports.
Kyverno: verify only cosign-signed images
apiVersion: kyverno.io/v1
kind: ClusterPolicy
metadata:
name: verify-images-cosign
spec:
validationFailureAction: Enforce
rules:
- name: check-sig
match:
any:
- resources:
kinds: ["Pod"]
verifyImages:
- imageReferences:
- "registry.example.com/religent/*"
attestations:
- type: cosign.sigstore.dev/attestation
verifyDigest: true
6) See Everything: OpenTelemetry-first Observability
Instrument LCNC adapters or wrappers with OpenTelemetry. Run the OpenTelemetry Collector in the cluster (DaemonSet or Deployment) to receive traces/metrics/logs and export to your backend (Grafana, New Relic, etc.). Use the official Helm chart/operator to standardize deployment.
Collector (trimmed)
receivers:
otlp:
protocols: { grpc: {}, http: {} }
exporters:
otlphttp:
endpoint: https://otel.example.com/api/v1/otlp
processors: { batch: {} }
service:
pipelines:
traces: { receivers: [otlp], processors: [batch], exporters: [otlphttp] }7) Trust the Artifacts: Supply-Chain Security
- Sign container images with sigstore cosign (keyless or key-based) and verify at deploy time—even in air-gapped environments.
- Emit in-toto attestations (build provenance) and target SLSA levels for progressive assurance.
- Generate and ship CycloneDX SBOMs for every image (compliance, CVE reachability, vendor risk).
- On Kubernetes, Tekton Chains can automate signing + provenance out of the box.
Tekton Chains (concept) + cosign
# After Tekton builds your OCI image:
cosign sign --key cosign.key registry.example.com/religent/lcnc-app@sha256:...
# Attach in-toto provenance
cosign attest --predicate provenance.json --type slsaprovenance \
--key cosign.key registry.example.com/religent/lcnc-app@sha256:...8) Data & Infra: Crossplane (Infra-as-APIs)
Provision cloud databases, queues, buckets, and VPCs from Kubernetes using Crossplane. Model your platform’s “golden” infrastructure as Composite Resource Definitions (XRDs) and publish simple CRDs your developers can request (e.g., PostgresInstance, Queue).
9) Developer Experience: Golden Paths
Adopt Backstage to give teams a self-service portal with Software Templates (scaffold a new LCNC app repo with Dockerfile, Helm/Kustomize, Dapr, OTel, CI, policy). Docs live next to code via TechDocs.
10) Reference Implementation for Religent Systems
10.1 Repository Layout (mono-repo example)
platform/
clusters/
prod/ (per-cluster kustomize)
stage/
apps/
lcnc-app/
base/ (Deployment, Service, Dapr, OTel sidecar config)
overlays/
stage/ (image tags, limits, feature flags)
prod/
policies/ (Gatekeeper/Kyverno)
mesh/ (Istio values, gateways, virtualservices)
gitops/
argocd/ (Applications)
flux/ (Kustomizations, HelmRelease)
infra/
compositions/ (Crossplane XRDs)
claims/ (dev team requests)
10.2 LCNC Workload (Deployment + Dapr)
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: lcnc-app
labels: { app: lcnc-app }
spec:
replicas: 2
selector: { matchLabels: { app: lcnc-app } }
template:
metadata:
labels: { app: lcnc-app, sidecar.dapr.io/enabled: "true" }
annotations:
dapr.io/app-id: "lcnc-app"
dapr.io/app-port: "8080"
spec:
containers:
- name: app
image: registry.example.com/religent/lcnc-app:1.3.7
ports: [{ containerPort: 8080 }]
env:
- name: OTEL_EXPORTER_OTLP_ENDPOINT
value: "http://otel-collector:4317"
(Dapr adds service-to-service calls, pub/sub, state/secrets through sidecar APIs.)
10.3 Traffic Policy (Istio canary 10/90)
apiVersion: networking.istio.io/v1beta1
kind: VirtualService
metadata: { name: lcnc-app }
spec:
hosts: ["lcnc.example.com"]
http:
- route:
- destination: { host: lcnc-app-v1.apps.svc.cluster.local, subset: stable, port: { number: 80 } }
weight: 90
- destination: { host: lcnc-app-v2.apps.svc.cluster.local, subset: canary, port: { number: 80 } }
weight: 10
10.4 Multi-cluster Service (concept)
In GKE/Anthos or upstream MCS, label and export/import the Service so consumers in cluster-B can resolve the same name as cluster-A—handy for active-active reads.
10.5 OpenTelemetry Collector (per-node DaemonSet vs centralized)
Choose DaemonSet to collect node-level logs/metrics, or Deployment for app-only traffic; both patterns are supported.
10.6 Production-grade Policies
- Image signature required, no :latest, resource limits enforced, only approved registries. Gatekeeper policy library and Kyverno samples cover most of this out of the box.
11) Rollout Plan (8–12 weeks, incremental)
Phase 0 – Foundations (Week 0–1)
- Pick your fleet mgmt: Arc, Anthos Fleets, or EKS-A/Hybrid (you can mix).
- Stand up a non-prod cluster + registry with cosign keys and OIDC configured.
Phase 1 – GitOps Core (Week 2–4)
- Bootstrap Flux or Argo CD; wire to your platform repo.
- Add one LCNC pilot app with Dapr sidecar + OTel.
Phase 2 – Security & Mesh (Week 4–6)
- Install Istio in permissive mTLS, shift to strict after sidecar rollout.
- Enforce signed images policy and SBOM generation in CI.
Phase 3 – Scale & Hybrid (Week 6–8)
- Add KEDA triggers for event-driven workers; enable Knative for bursty HTTP.
- Register a second cluster (on-prem or another cloud); trial MCS.
Phase 4 – Identity & Infra APIs (Week 8–12)
- Deploy SPIRE; federate to Entra/AWS for secretless cloud access.
- Introduce Crossplane for managed DB/queue provisioning via CRDs.
12) Ops Playbook & SRE Run-Sheet
- Everything in Git: apps, mesh, policies, infra claims—PRs are change requests.
- Progressive delivery: mesh traffic splitting or Flagger canaries; auto-rollback on SLO breach.
- Golden paths: Backstage templates stamp out repos with Dockerfile, Helm/Kustomize, Dapr, OTel, CI, policy.
- Audit & compliance: SLSA provenance and CycloneDX SBOMs archived per release; Kyverno/Gatekeeper policy reports exported.
- DR & portability: use MCS and GitOps to recreate state in another region/cluster in minutes; artifacts verified with cosign on restore.
13) Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Will LCNC “just work” in containers?
A: Most modern LCNC stacks provide container images or runtime packs. Where a platform is cloud-hosted only, wrap the app in a thin HTTP or worker adapter and externalize integrations via Dapr components.
Q: How do we keep environments consistent across clouds?
A: GitOps guarantees the same manifests/Helm values. Fleet tools (Arc, Fleets/Anthos, EKS-A/Hybrid) apply config uniformly across many clusters.
Q: What about secure inter-service calls across clusters?
A: Use Istio (or Anthos Service Mesh) with mTLS and east-west gateways; for name sameness, pair with Multi-Cluster Services.
Q: How do we avoid credential sprawl?
A: SPIFFE/SPIRE issues short-lived workload identities you can federate to Entra or AWS via OIDC—no long-lived cloud keys in pods.
Q: What’s our “minimum bar” for supply chain security?
A: Cosign-signed images verified at admission, in-toto provenance (SLSA), and CycloneDX SBOM per image—enforced via Kyverno/Gatekeeper.
14) The Religent Advantage—Why This Works for You
- Speed without sprawl: LCNC accelerates build time; containers + GitOps standardize run time.
- Security you can prove: signed artifacts, provenance, SBOMs, and policy reports satisfy enterprise buyers.
- Portability for real: fleets/Arc/Anthos/EKS-A and MCS mean hybrid isn’t a slide—it’s your normal.
- Observability from day one: OTel gives you one telemetry language across every environment.
15) Copy-paste Snippets You’ll Actually Use
Dapr pub/sub component (Kafka example)
apiVersion: dapr.io/v1alpha1
kind: Component
metadata: { name: orders-pubsub, namespace: apps }
spec:
type: pubsub.kafka
version: v1
metadata:
- name: brokers
value: kafka:9092
- name: authType
value: noneFlux Kustomization (fleet-wide policy baseline)
apiVersion: kustomize.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v1
kind: Kustomization
metadata: { name: baseline-policies, namespace: flux-system }
spec:
interval: 5m
path: "./policies/baseline"
prune: true
sourceRef: { kind: GitRepository, name: platform }
wait: true
Knative Service (scale-to-zero)
apiVersion: serving.knative.dev/v1
kind: Service
metadata: { name: lcnc-api, namespace: apps }
spec:
template:
metadata:
annotations:
autoscaling.knative.dev/minScale: "0"
spec:
containers:
- image: registry.example.com/religent/lcnc-api:1.3.7
ports: [{ containerPort: 8080 }]
16) Final Checklist
- Build every LCNC app as an OCI image
- GitOps-manage everything (apps, mesh, policies, infra)
- Fleet-register all clusters (cloud + on-prem)
- Mesh with mTLS; KEDA for events; Knative for HTTP burst
- OTel Collector in each cluster; traces everywhere
- Cosign signing + in-toto provenance + CycloneDX SBOM
- Gatekeeper/Kyverno admission policies enforced
- SPIFFE/SPIRE identities federated to cloud IAM
- Crossplane-provisioned managed data services
- Backstage templates for repeatable golden paths
