⚡ Operator Fundamentals

Operator Concepts

Master the Kubernetes Operator pattern and learn how to build intelligent controllers that manage complex applications automatically.

Prerequisites

What You Should Know Before Starting

Essential knowledge for understanding Operator concepts

  • Understanding of CRDs and Custom Resources
  • Basic knowledge of Go programming
  • Experience with Kubernetes controllers
  • Familiarity with event-driven programming

Learning Topics

Operator Pattern

3-4 hours

Understanding the Kubernetes Operator pattern and its benefits

Learning Objectives:

  • Operator Architecture
  • Controller Pattern
  • Reconciliation Loop
  • Event-driven Design
  • State Management

Controller Development

4-5 hours

Building controllers to manage custom resources

Learning Objectives:

  • Controller Framework
  • Event Handling
  • Reconciliation Logic
  • Error Handling
  • Testing Strategies

Operator SDK

3-4 hours

Using the Operator SDK for rapid operator development

Learning Objectives:

  • SDK Installation
  • Project Scaffolding
  • Code Generation
  • Testing Tools
  • Deployment

Operator Lifecycle

2-3 hours

Managing operator deployment, updates, and maintenance

Learning Objectives:

  • Deployment Strategies
  • Version Management
  • Rolling Updates
  • Monitoring
  • Troubleshooting

Key Concepts

Operator Pattern

A method of packaging, deploying, and managing Kubernetes applications.

  • • Application-specific controllers
  • • Domain knowledge encoding
  • • Automated operations
  • • Self-healing capabilities

Controller Logic

The core logic that watches and reconciles desired state.

  • • Event-driven architecture
  • • Reconciliation loops
  • • State management
  • • Error handling

Operator SDK

Framework for building operators with best practices.

  • • Code generation tools
  • • Testing frameworks
  • • Deployment automation
  • • Best practice templates

Lifecycle Management

Managing operator deployment and maintenance.

  • • Deployment strategies
  • • Version management
  • • Monitoring and alerting
  • • Troubleshooting techniques

Operator Development Process

1. Design

Design the operator architecture and resource model.

Architecture

2. Develop

Implement the controller logic and reconciliation.

Controller Code

3. Test

Test the operator with various scenarios and edge cases.

Testing

4. Deploy

Deploy and monitor the operator in production.

Production

Ready to Continue?

Master Operator concepts, then explore real-world operators like Prometheus Operator.