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Usage

Operational features for running chaos experiments

Usage

The operational features of Krkn Operator are available to all users, scoped by the permissions assigned to their group. This section covers the day-to-day workflow: running scenarios, designing workflows, monitoring jobs and managing files.


Permission Summary

Feature Required Permission
View Jobs View
Delete Jobs Delete
Cluster Terminal Run
Run Scenarios Run
Chaos Studio Run
File Management Group visibility

Features

  • Jobs — Monitor and inspect scenario execution results
  • Cluster Terminal — Explore target clusters with read-only commands
  • Run Scenarios — Execute single chaos scenarios
  • Chaos Studio — Design visual workflows with serial and parallel execution
  • File Management — Upload and manage configuration files

1 - Jobs

Monitor and inspect chaos experiment execution

Jobs View Delete

The Jobs list is the home screen of the platform. It displays all scenario executions for your group, with real-time status updates and access to logs and results.


Run Types

Single Run

A single scenario execution on one or more target clusters. For each run you can inspect:

  • Execution outcome (success, failure)
  • Console logs of the krkn pod that executed the scenario

Graph Run (Chaos Studio)

A workflow execution created through Chaos Studio. The execution is displayed as a graph where each node represents an individual krkn scenario. For each node you can inspect the outcome and logs independently.

Graph runs can include a Resiliency Score — a calculated metric based on PromQL queries executed during the workflow. This score measures how well the target application withstood the chaos experiment.


Visibility & Permissions

  • Only jobs from your own group are displayed
  • A cluster-wide tip shows the names of scenarios currently running across all groups (no details)
  • Deleting jobs requires Delete permission

Jobs Dashboard

Scenario Run Detail

2 - Cluster Terminal

Explore target clusters with read-only commands

Cluster Terminal Run

A built-in terminal for exploring target clusters using read-only oc and kubectl commands. Useful for inspecting cluster state before, during or after chaos experiments.


Details

  • Read-only: only read commands are available — no modifications to the cluster are possible
  • Supported commands: oc and kubectl
  • Target selection: only clusters accessible to your group are available
  • Requires Run permission

3 - Run Scenarios

Execute single chaos scenarios on target clusters

Run Scenarios Run

Execute a chaos scenario on one or more target clusters through a guided step-by-step wizard. All scenarios can run simultaneously across multiple clusters.


Execution Flow

1. Select Target Clusters

Choose one or more clusters to run the scenario on. All selected clusters execute the scenario simultaneously.

Select Target Clusters

2. Select Registry

Choose the container registry for scenario images:

Registry Description
Public (Quay.io) Default registry with all community scenarios
Private Configured by admin, only mirrored scenarios available. Visibility controlled by group permissions

Select Registry

3. Select Scenario

Browse and select a chaos scenario from the chosen registry.

Select Scenario

4. Configure Parameters

Each scenario defines its own parameter set, divided into three categories:

Category Description
Mandatory Must be configured before execution. Not all scenarios have them
Optional Fine-grained control over scenario behavior (label selectors, timing, filters)
Global Framework-level settings (Elasticsearch, Prometheus, Cerberus integration). Applied only if modified from defaults

Mandatory Parameters Optional Parameters Global Options

5. Mount Files

Optionally attach configuration files previously uploaded through File Management. Files are available via a select dropdown.

6. Preview

Review a summary of all configured parameters before execution.

Preview

7. Run

Launch the scenario. You are redirected to the Jobs page where you can monitor the execution in real time.

4 - Chaos Studio

Design visual chaos workflows with serial and parallel execution

Chaos Studio Run

A visual drag-and-drop editor for designing complex chaos workflows. Build graphs of scenarios that execute in series or parallel, and measure application resilience with the Resiliency Score.


Visual Editor

  • Nodes represent individual krkn scenarios
  • Arrows define execution order — connect nodes to create dependencies
  • Serial execution: chain nodes sequentially with single arrows
  • Parallel execution: branch from one node to multiple targets
  • Drag and drop to arrange the workflow visually

Node Configuration

Each node is configured exactly like a single scenario: select a registry, choose a scenario, set mandatory/optional/global parameters, and mount files.

Clone: duplicate a configured node to repeat the same scenario multiple times within the workflow.


Validation

The editor validates the workflow before execution:

  • Configured nodes: green arrows and connections — ready to execute
  • Unconfigured nodes: red arrows and red node border — must be configured before the workflow can run

Only fully configured nodes can be connected and executed.


Resiliency Score

Enable the Resiliency Score on a workflow to measure application resilience:

  1. Enable the resiliency score option on the workflow
  2. Mount a PromQL file — a special file containing PromQL queries uploaded via File Management
  3. Queries execute during the workflow and their results contribute to the final score
  4. View the score in the Jobs page alongside the graph run results

The PromQL file defines which metrics to evaluate (latency, error rate, throughput, etc.) and their expected thresholds. The score reflects how closely the application maintained its expected behavior under chaos.

5 - File Management

Upload and manage reusable configuration files

File Management

Upload and manage text-based configuration files that can be used across scenario executions and Chaos Studio workflows.


Uploading Files

Files are created by pasting content into the text input box — there is no file upload button.

Constraint Detail
Formats JSON, YAML (text only)
Input method Copy-paste into the text box
Metadata Name, description, category
Visibility Everyone or assigned to specific groups

Where Files Are Used

Context Purpose
Run Scenarios Mount as configuration file during scenario parameter setup
Chaos Studio Mount as configuration file on individual nodes
Chaos Studio — Resiliency Score Mount as PromQL query file for resiliency score calculation