# Assay > Assay is a ~9 MB static binary that runs Lua scripts in Kubernetes. It replaces 50-250 MB > Python/Node/kubectl containers. One binary handles HTTP, database, crypto, WebSocket, and 23 > Kubernetes-native service integrations. No `require()` for builtins — they are global. > Stdlib modules use `require("assay.")` then `M.client(url, opts)` → `c:method()`. > Run `assay context ` to get LLM-ready method signatures for any module. > HTTP responses are `{status, body, headers}` tables. Errors raised via `error()` — use `pcall()`. ## Getting Started - [README](https://github.com/developerinlondon/assay/blob/main/README.md): Installation, quick start, examples - [SKILL.md](https://github.com/developerinlondon/assay/blob/main/SKILL.md): LLM agent integration guide - [GitHub](https://github.com/developerinlondon/assay): Source code and issues ## Built-in Globals (no require needed) - [http](https://assay.rs/modules.html#http): HTTP client and server — http.get/post/put/patch/delete/serve - [json](https://assay.rs/modules.html#json): JSON parse and encode - [yaml](https://assay.rs/modules.html#yaml): YAML parse and encode - [toml](https://assay.rs/modules.html#toml): TOML parse and encode - [fs](https://assay.rs/modules.html#fs): Filesystem — fs.read/write - [crypto](https://assay.rs/modules.html#crypto): JWT signing, HMAC, hashing, random — crypto.jwt_sign/hash/hmac/random - [base64](https://assay.rs/modules.html#base64): Base64 encode/decode - [regex](https://assay.rs/modules.html#regex): Regex match, find, replace - [db](https://assay.rs/modules.html#db): SQL database — Postgres, MySQL, SQLite — db.connect/query/execute - [ws](https://assay.rs/modules.html#ws): WebSocket client — ws.connect/send/recv/close - [template](https://assay.rs/modules.html#template): Jinja2-compatible template rendering - [async](https://assay.rs/modules.html#async): Async task spawn and await - [assert](https://assay.rs/modules.html#assert): Assertions — assert.eq/gt/lt/contains/not_nil/matches - [log](https://assay.rs/modules.html#log): Logging — log.info/warn/error - [env](https://assay.rs/modules.html#env): Environment variables — env.get - [sleep](https://assay.rs/modules.html#sleep): Sleep for N seconds - [time](https://assay.rs/modules.html#time): Unix timestamp in seconds ## Monitoring & Observability - [assay.prometheus](https://assay.rs/modules.html#prometheus): PromQL queries, alerts, targets, rules - [assay.alertmanager](https://assay.rs/modules.html#alertmanager): Alert management, silences, receivers - [assay.loki](https://assay.rs/modules.html#loki): Log push, query, labels, series - [assay.grafana](https://assay.rs/modules.html#grafana): Health, dashboards, datasources, annotations ## Kubernetes & GitOps - [assay.k8s](https://assay.rs/modules.html#k8s): 30+ K8s resource types, CRDs, readiness checks - [assay.argocd](https://assay.rs/modules.html#argocd): ArgoCD apps, sync, health, projects - [assay.kargo](https://assay.rs/modules.html#kargo): Kargo stages, freight, promotions - [assay.flux](https://assay.rs/modules.html#flux): Flux GitRepositories, Kustomizations, HelmReleases - [assay.traefik](https://assay.rs/modules.html#traefik): Traefik routers, services, middlewares ## Security & Identity - [assay.vault](https://assay.rs/modules.html#vault): HashiCorp Vault KV, transit, PKI, auth - [assay.openbao](https://assay.rs/modules.html#openbao): OpenBao (Vault API-compatible) - [assay.certmanager](https://assay.rs/modules.html#certmanager): cert-manager certificates, issuers, ACME - [assay.eso](https://assay.rs/modules.html#eso): External Secrets Operator - [assay.dex](https://assay.rs/modules.html#dex): Dex OIDC discovery, JWKS, health - [assay.zitadel](https://assay.rs/modules.html#zitadel): Zitadel OIDC identity, JWT machine auth ## Infrastructure - [assay.crossplane](https://assay.rs/modules.html#crossplane): Crossplane providers, XRDs, compositions - [assay.velero](https://assay.rs/modules.html#velero): Velero backups, restores, schedules - [assay.temporal](https://assay.rs/modules.html#temporal): Temporal workflows, task queues, schedules - [assay.harbor](https://assay.rs/modules.html#harbor): Harbor registry, projects, vulnerability scanning ## Data & Storage - [assay.postgres](https://assay.rs/modules.html#postgres): PostgreSQL helpers, user management - [assay.s3](https://assay.rs/modules.html#s3): S3-compatible storage (AWS, R2, MinIO) with Sig V4 ## Feature Flags & Utilities - [assay.unleash](https://assay.rs/modules.html#unleash): Unleash feature flags, environments, strategies - [assay.healthcheck](https://assay.rs/modules.html#healthcheck): HTTP health checks, JSON path, latency ## Optional - [Crates.io](https://crates.io/crates/assay-lua): Use Assay as a Rust crate in your own projects - [Docker](https://github.com/developerinlondon/assay/pkgs/container/assay): ghcr.io/developerinlondon/assay:latest (~6MB compressed) - [MCP Comparison](https://assay.rs/mcp-comparison.html): How Assay replaces 42 popular MCP servers - [Agent Guides](https://assay.rs/agent-guides.html): Integration guides for Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode - [Changelog](https://github.com/developerinlondon/assay/releases): Release history