Make complex apps operate themselves. Encode operational expertise as software with Operators — build them with the SDK, manage them with OLM, and share them on OperatorHub.

Welcome to Operator Framework: Building Kubernetes Operators.

The Operator Framework is the CNCF toolkit for building, packaging, distributing, and managing Kubernetes Operators — software that encodes app-specific operational expertise (clustering, backups, failover, upgrades) so complex applications operate themselves. This free book teaches it from the ground up: the application operations problem and what the framework is, the operator pattern and Kubernetes extensibility, the framework's architecture (SDK, OLM, OperatorHub), the operator pattern (CRDs, controllers, reconciliation), the Operator SDK, building operators with Go, Helm, and Ansible, the Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM), packaging, bundles, and OperatorHub, capability levels and best practices, and using the framework in practice. Ten focused chapters with clear diagrams that make Operators concrete — define a declarative app API (CRDs), write reconciliation logic that automates day-2 operations, package and distribute as bundles, and manage on clusters with OLM — turning operational expertise into automated, self-operating applications on Kubernetes.

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

Contents

1. Chapter 1 — What the Operator Framework Is
2. Chapter 2 — The Operator Pattern and Kubernetes Extensibility
3. Chapter 3 — Operator Framework Architecture
4. Chapter 4 — The Operator Pattern: CRDs, Controllers, and Reconciliation
5. Chapter 5 — The Operator SDK
6. Chapter 6 — Building Operators with Go, Helm, and Ansible
7. Chapter 7 — The Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM)
8. Chapter 8 — Packaging, Bundles, and OperatorHub
9. Chapter 9 — Capability Levels and Best Practices
10. Chapter 10 — The Operator Framework in Practice