A presentation at Devoxx Morocco 2024 in in Marrakesh, Morocco by Horacio Gonzalez
Operators to the rescue: Manage your external data and legacy APIs from Kubernetes Sébastien Blanc Horacio Gonzalez
Who are we? Sébastien Blanc Horacio Gonzalez DevRel DevRel @sebi2706 @LostInBrittany
Kubernetes operators Helping to tame the complexity of K8s Ops
Taming microservices with Kubernetes
What about complex deployments
Tools like Helm helps with complexity
Helm Charts are configuration Operating is more than installs & upgrades
Kubernetes is about automation How about automating human operators?
Kubernetes Operators A Kubernetes version of the human operator
Building operators Basic K8s elements: Custom Resources & Controllers
Custom Resource Definitions Extending Kubernetes API
Extending Kubernetes API By defining new types of resources, internal or external to the cluster
With a CRD you can create CR in the cluster They are the blueprints of the Custom Resources
Custom Resources are simply data All the logic must be in the Controller
Kubernetes Controllers Keeping an eye on the resources
A reconcile loop Controllers watch the state of the cluster, and make or request changes where needed
Kubernetes Operator Automating operations
What’s a Kubernetes Operator?
Example: databases Things like adding an instance to a pool, doing a backup, sharding…
Knowledge encoded in CRDs and Controllers
Custom Controllers for Custom Resources Operators implement and manage Custom Resources using custom reconciliation logic
Operator Capability Model Gauging the operator maturity
Operators aren’t limited to K8s They can be used to pilot external APIs, i.e. non K8s software
Don’t put everything into Kubernetes
Operators simplify Kubernetes integration
A real, open-source example The Clever Operator
Available on Operator Hub & GitHub https://operatorhub.io/operator/clever-operator https://github.com/CleverCloud/clever-operator
Exposing Clever Cloud resources as CRD Allowing your apps to use our DBs as if they were in K8s
Many possible use-cases ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● External Service Health Monitor Operator External API Token Rotation Operator Database Synchronization Operator Legacy System Configuration Management Operator File Transfer Operator (FTP/SFTP Automation) Cloud Billing/Cost Monitoring Operator DNS Management Operator …
How can we write Operators? Which language? Any framework?
They are simply pods and manifests You can simply call Kubernetes APIs or use a compatible client
The Operator Framework Open source framework to accelerate the development of an Operator
Hey Devoxx Morocco, operators ❤ Java
Let’s build an operator together Why? Because we can!
Let’s choose a use-case External Service Health Monitor Operator
Exposing Clever Cloud resources as CRD Allowing your apps to use our DBs as if they were in K8s
Let’s look at a real operator Dealing with external databases
Clever Cloud operator Allowing your apps to use our DBs as if they were in K8s
Operators can get lots of options Should devs need to know all of them?
Operators simplify Kubernetes integration
So you have a bunch of operators… Too many options again…
So many things to learn…
Managing the self-service commodity
Shift left and Cognitive Load
How about an operator to operate operators? One operator to rule them all
How about a Platform Engineering framework?
How about using an internal developer portal? Platform Stakeholders Developers Dev Manager VP Engineering DevOps CISO Internal developer portal
Portal’s main pillars Dashboards Software Catalog Scorecards Self-service RBAC Workflow automations
In the dynamic world of software development, managing external data and legacy APIs can be a daunting task. Enter Kubernetes Operators—a powerful tool that can simplify and automate these processes. Join us for a deep dive session where you’ll learn to harness the full potential of Kubernetes Operators. In this in-depth presentation, we’ll walk through the essentials of Kubernetes Operators, even if you have no prior experience. We’ll cover foundational Kubernetes concepts before diving into: Understanding what a Kubernetes Operator is and its significance in modern DevOps. Writing a simple operator from scratch. Using operators to efficiently control and manage external APIs. Leveraging Kratix and ArgoCD to package and streamline operators, making them accessible and user-friendly for developers. Our live coding demonstration will provide you with a clear, step-by-step guide to building and integrating Kubernetes Operators in your projects. By the end of this session, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to create and use Kubernetes Operators to manage complex external systems seamlessly within your Kubernetes environment. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your development workflow and master the art of Kubernetes Operators!
