Akri: Exposing Edge Devices to Kubernetes
Shriira Press
Bring the edge's leaf devices into Kubernetes. Discover IP cameras, USB sensors, and OPC UA devices and expose them as resources workloads can request and use.
Welcome to Akri: Exposing Edge Devices to Kubernetes.
Akri is the CNCF project that exposes heterogeneous leaf devices (IP cameras, USB sensors, OPC UA servers, and more) as resources in a Kubernetes cluster — discovering edge devices, advertising each as a Kubernetes resource, and automatically deploying workloads to use them, handling the dynamic appearance and disappearance of devices. This free book teaches it from the ground up: the leaf device problem and what Akri is, edge devices and the device plugin framework, Akri's architecture (Agent, Controller, Discovery Handlers, CRDs), Configurations (declaring what to discover), Discovery Handlers (finding devices per protocol — ONVIF, udev, OPC UA), Instances (devices as resources), brokers (workloads that use devices), using devices in workloads (broker vs direct), custom discovery and extensibility (supporting any device), and using Akri in practice. Ten focused chapters with clear diagrams that make edge device orchestration concrete — discover the heterogeneous, dynamic leaf devices around you, expose them as requestable Kubernetes resources, and automate their use with brokers and services — completing the edge Kubernetes stack with a device layer (a device plugin for the edge).
This title is part of the ShriIra library and is free to read in full, right here — our small contribution to making world-class knowledge easy to reach.
A note on reading it: open the Contents menu at the top of the reader to jump between chapters, use the Aa menu to set a comfortable text size, theme (light, sepia, or night), and single- or two-page layout. Your place is saved automatically, so you can always pick up where you left off.
We hope it serves you well.
— Shriira Press