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Components

Control Plane Components

Explore the key components and resource hierarchy of the Control Plane platform

Platform composition

The Control Plane consists of multiple specialized components that work together to provide a complete platform for API management and workload orchestration. These components are organized in a hierarchical structure.

Resource Hierarchy​

Resource model

The Control Plane uses a hierarchical resource model with three main resource types that interact with each other. This model provides clear separation of concerns while enabling powerful resource relationships.

Resource Types​

Admin Resources​

Admin resources are platform-level resources managed by administrators that define the operational environment of the Control Plane.

Environment

Logical groupings of zones and clusters that provide a high-level organizational structure for deployment targets.

Zone

Represent deployment targets with specific capabilities. Zones are where workloads can be scheduled and executed.

Remote Organization

References to organizations in remote clusters, enabling cross-cluster communication and resource sharing.

Organization Resources​

Organization resources handle team and project management to establish clear ownership and responsibilities.

Group

Logical groupings of teams that enable hierarchical organization of development and operational units.

Team

Represent development or operational teams with members, defining who has access to and responsibility for workload resources.

Workload Resources​

Workload resources are application and API resources that represent the services deployed and managed by the Control Plane.

Application

Collections of related services that form a logical business function or capability.

Rover

Deployable units that can be scheduled on clusters, representing the runtime aspects of applications.

API Specification

Formal definitions of APIs using standards like OpenAPI, defining the interface contract for services.

API

Service interfaces with specifications that enable service discovery and integration.

API Exposure

Configurations that define how APIs are exposed to consumers, including authentication and authorization settings.

API Subscription

Definitions of service consumer relationships, managing access to APIs with appropriate permissions.

API Servers​

API Servers

API Servers provide RESTful interfaces for managing Kubernetes custom resources. They enable programmatic interaction with Control Plane resources through standard HTTP methods.

Secret Manager

RESTful API for managing secrets. It allows you to store, retrieve, and delete secrets securely.

Documentation →

Rover Server

RESTful API for managing Rover resources such as Rover Exposures and Subscriptions as well as ApiSpecifications.

Documentation →

Organization Server

RESTful API for managing Organization resources such as Groups and Teams.

Documentation →

File Manager

RESTful API for managing files. It allows you to store and retrieve files, keeping large data outside of Kubernetes.

Documentation →

Controlplane API

RESTful API for reading custom resources from the control plane from all domains.

Documentation →

Libraries​

Shared code

The Control Plane uses several shared libraries to provide common functionality across different components.

Common

A core library that provides shared code and utilities used across the different Control Plane projects. Includes common types, helpers, and utilities.

Documentation →

Common-Server

Module used to dynamically create REST-APIs for Kubernetes-CRDs. Provides consistent API generation and handling across multiple components.

Documentation →

Component Interactions​

The Control Plane components interact with each other through well-defined interfaces:

  1. Resource Ownership: Teams own Applications, which contain Rovers
  2. Scheduling: Zones determine where Rovers can be scheduled
  3. API Management: Rovers provide APIs through API Specifications
  4. Access Control: API Exposures and Subscriptions control access to APIs

For a detailed view of how these components interact, see the Architecture page.

  • Operators: Learn about the specialized controllers that manage Control Plane resources
  • Architecture: See how components interact in the overall system design
  • Infrastructure: Explore the underlying infrastructure components required by the Control Plane