What is krkn-operator?

Kubernetes Operator for Krkn Chaos Engineering

Overview

krkn-operator is a Kubernetes Operator that orchestrates Krkn-based chaos scenarios using Kubernetes as the execution platform instead of Docker/Podman as krknctl does.

Cloud-Native Architecture

krkn-operator is built following cloud-native best practices:

All component interactions happen through Kubernetes Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs)
Fully declarative configuration
Native integration with Kubernetes security model

Important: Multi-Cluster Design

A critical architectural principle of krkn-operator is that the cluster running the operator does NOT execute chaos scenarios against itself. Instead:

The control plane cluster runs krkn-operator and orchestrates chaos execution
Target clusters are where chaos scenarios are actually injected
This design preserves the original Krkn architecture where chaos testing is performed from an external control point

This separation ensures that chaos experiments cannot destabilize the orchestration layer itself.

Security Benefits

One of the major advantages of krkn-operator over previous approaches (krknctl, krkn-hub containers) is enhanced credential security:

Previous Approach (krknctl / krkn-hub)

Users needed direct access to target cluster credentials (kubeconfig files, service account tokens)
Credential sharing made user onboarding/offboarding complex and risky
Each user managed their own credentials, increasing the attack surface

krkn-operator Approach

Target cluster credentials are configured once by the krkn-operator administrator
Users are granted access through the KrknUser CRD, a custom resource that manages user permissions
No cluster credentials are shared with end users
User permissions are managed declaratively through KrknUser resources
Simplified and secure onboarding/offboarding process

INFO

Security Model: Users interact with krkn-operator through CRDs. The operator holds the credentials and executes chaos on their behalf, eliminating the need to distribute sensitive cluster access tokens.

Modular Design

krkn-operator features a modular, extensible architecture that supports integration with various target providers:

Exposes well-defined interfaces for target provider integration operators
Allows extending chaos capabilities to different cluster management platforms
Example: krkn-operator-acm provides integration with Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management (ACM) and Open Cluster Management (OCM)

This design enables organizations to integrate krkn-operator with their existing cluster management infrastructure seamlessly.

Getting Started

Documentation for installation and configuration is coming soon.