Create secret with invalid base64 data gives unhelpful error message

[erictune]

This works:
kubectl create -f examples/secrets/secret.yaml

But, modify one of the base64 encoded fields to be invalid (such as by adding an extra = at the end), and try again. You get this error message which is completely unhelpful:
error: no objects passed to create.

[feihujiang]

I tried "kubectl create -f examples/secrets/secret.yaml" in version 19+,
the error message is:
error: unable to load file "examples/secrets/secret.yaml": unable to load "examples/secrets/secret.yaml": illegal base64 data at input byte 16
error: no objects passed to create

@erictune Is this error message helpful? Or do we need to improve it?

[adalinesimonian]

The error for invalid keys is equally confusing:

$ kubectl create -f secret.yml
The Secret "mysecret" is invalid:
* data[cookieSecret]: invalid value 'cookieSecret': must have at most 253 characters and match regex \.?[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?(\.[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?)*

This makes it seem as though the base64 data is invalid because it reads invalid value instead of invalid key. Certainly sent me off on a wild goose chase until I read up on the restrictions for the keys.

[nikhita]

I think this issue can be closed now.

1. As @feihujiang mentioned, the error gives a helpful message that there is invalid base64 data (along with the position). If there is any improvement required to the error message, I'd like to work on it!

2. For invalid keys, the error message is now:

# secrets "mysecret" was not valid:
# * data[user*name]: Invalid value: "user*name": a valid config key must consist of alphanumeric characters, '-', '_' or '.' (e.g. 'key.name',  or 'KEY_NAME',  or 'key-name', regex used for validation is '[-._a-zA-Z0-9]+')

Now it clearly mentions that the key is invalid and not the value. Ref: https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/master/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/validation/validation.go#L281

[erictune]

Thanks for verifying this is fixed, @nikinath! Closing.