ack-policy-external-provider overview and change history
ack-policy-external-provider is an ACK extension component that lets Gatekeeper policies reference and access other Kubernetes resources in the cluster (external data outside the policy definition). This topic describes the component capabilities and change history.
Overview
By default, Gatekeeper evaluates each resource in isolation — it cannot see other cluster resources. This limits policies that depend on cross-resource state, such as checking whether a referenced ConfigMap exists or validating quota usage across namespaces.
ack-policy-external-provider implements the Gatekeeper community's Provider specification, letting Gatekeeper query other Kubernetes resources during policy evaluation:
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Cross-resource validation, for example, checking resources referenced by the object under review
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Policy scenarios beyond single-resource rules
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Security controls based on cluster-wide state
To install, see Manage components. For usage, see Use ack-policy-external-provider to implement cross-resource validation.
Change history
December 2025
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Version number |
Registry Address |
Change time |
Change description |
Impact |
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0.1.0 |
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December 10, 2025 |
Extends Gatekeeper policy capabilities. Gatekeeper can now access other cluster resources when making admission decisions. |
A failed upgrade may cause cluster resource changes to fail. Upgrade during off-peak hours. |