Override data plane cluster configurations

Cluster overrides let you customize Deployment configuration for one data plane cluster. They don’t change platform-level control-plane settings. Use Configure Astro Private Cloud if you need to decide whether a setting belongs in platform config or in a cluster override. Astro Private Cloud (APC) has two types of Deployment configurations that you can set at the data plane cluster level.

Default configuration: The base, system-provided configuration. You can override default values, but you can’t delete default keys.
Custom configuration: Your own additional keys and values. You can add, modify, or delete these keys.

Prerequisites

An APC control plane is installed and reachable.
You have System Admin permissions in the APC UI or access to the Houston API.
The data plane cluster is healthy and accessible from the control plane.

Update your cluster

You can define cluster configurations when you first register a cluster or later by updating the cluster via the UI or Houston API.

Registration: The form includes an optional Cluster Override field. You can supply initial overrides when registering.
Edit: The cluster page contains your overall cluster information and a Deployment Configuration section.
- Cluster Information: View and edit the cluster name.
- Current Configuration: Read-only view of the default configurations.
- Configuration Override: Editable area where you provide override values for base keys and/or add custom keys.
- After you add overrides, the Current Configuration shows a read-only, git-style diff of added/modified values.
Houston API: To automate cluster management, you can use the updateCluster GraphQL mutation in the Houston API playground at https://houston.<base-domain>/v1/playground or using a script that leverages curl or a GraphQL library in a programming language.

See the example mutation below, which uses query variables to pass the deploymentsConfigOverride as JSON to create a ConfigMap for each Airflow Deployment:

mutation UpdateCluster($id: Uuid!, $override: JSON) {
  updateCluster(
    id: $id
    deploymentsConfigOverride: $override
  ) {
    id
    config
  }
}

Query variables:

{
  "id": "<cluster-id>",
  "override": {
    "helm": {
      "airflow": {
        "extraObjects": [
          {
            "apiVersion": "v1",
            "kind": "ConfigMap",
            "metadata": {
              "name": "{{ .Release.Name }}-custom-config",
              "namespace": "{{ .Release.Namespace }}"
            },
            "data": {
              "my-key": "my-value"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

deploymentsConfigOverride deep-merges object keys into the existing cluster configuration, so separate API calls accumulate. Arrays, such as extraObjects, are always replaced in full. To add another array entry, re-send the complete array.

After you run the mutation, individually redeploy each affected Deployment for the changes to take effect.

Update cluster information

Only the Cluster name is editable as a cluster property in the Cluster Information section. You must use Configuration Override to make changes to Deployment configurations by overriding the base Deployment configuration.

Override base configuration

Add your own keys and values to tailor behavior per cluster. You can’t delete default keys, but you can override their values to make custom configurations.

Select cluster

In the Clusters page, select the cluster where you want to override a configuration.

Find configuration to review

Search for the configuration that you want to edit in the Current Configuration.

Use ctrl+F or cmd+F on Mac to search for the config.

Edit Configuration Override

Click Edit to unlock Configuration Override. You can now make override edits.

Add new key and value

Add your new key and value to the Configuration Override.

To delete an override or a custom property, set its value to null in the Configuration Override. Do not remove the key; setting it to null removes the property. If you try to configure a default key with null in your Configuration Override, Astro Private Cloud does not allow you to save your changes, and prompts you to update your overrides with an accepted value.
Base Configuration keys cannot be deleted. You can only override their values because base configurations are the operational defaults.

Carefully check your configuration updates before you update your cluster, as these configuration changes can impact all cluster users.

Apply changes

Click Update cluster to apply your changes.

Deployment config updates are not applied until each Deployment is individually updated.

Verify changes

Confirm cluster status is Healthy on the Clusters page in the Astro UI.
For Airflow Deployments in your updated cluster, trigger a small change and confirm Commander applies it as expected.
In Prometheus on the control plane, verify the cluster appears in federated targets.

Additional notes

Cluster overrides apply to deployments.* values for the selected data plane cluster.
In APC 1.x, cluster override is the only override layer after platform config.
Settings outside deployments.* stay in values.yaml, typically under astronomer.houston.config, and require a Helm upgrade.
Use Apply a config change for platform-level values and Configure Astro Private Cloud for the full hierarchy.

Best practices

Keep overrides minimal. Prefer Base Config unless a cluster truly deviates.
Use consistent naming and comments for custom keys.
Review the diff in Current Configuration to validate the final effective settings before you Update Cluster.

Overview

Architecture

Upgrade to Astro Private Cloud

Install Astro Private Cloud

Develop Dags

Airflow administration

Airflow 3

Deploy Dags

Manage Deployments

Platform administration

Manage Platform resources

Security and compliance

Houston API

Platform Observability

Release notes

Version compatibility

Reference

Override data plane cluster configurations

Prerequisites

Update your cluster

Update cluster information

Override base configuration

Additional notes

Best practices

​Prerequisites

​Update your cluster

​Update cluster information

​Override base configuration

​Additional notes

​Best practices

Prerequisites

Update your cluster

Update cluster information

Override base configuration

Additional notes

Best practices