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Operations

Operations in Crossplane v2 are a way to run declarative, task-based workflows that run to completion (like a Job) instead of continuously reconciling resources. They use the same function pipeline model as Compositions.

Use cases:

  • Certificate expiry checks and alerts
  • Rolling upgrades or maintenance windows
  • Scheduled backups or reports
  • Reacting to resource changes (e.g. annotate or trigger a job when a resource is updated)

Status: Operations are alpha in Crossplane v2.

Operation types

Kind When it runs
Operation Once (on create or when triggered).
CronOperation On a schedule (cron expression).
WatchOperation When selected resources change.

All use a pipeline of composition functions. The pipeline runs to completion and reports results (e.g. in status or events), rather than managing a set of composed resources forever.

CronOperation example

Run a pipeline on a schedule (e.g. daily at 6 AM):

apiVersion: ops.crossplane.io/v1alpha1
kind: CronOperation
metadata:
  name: cert-monitor
spec:
  schedule: "0 6 * * *"   # Cron: daily 6 AM
  mode: Pipeline
  pipeline:
    - step: check-certificates
      functionRef:
        name: crossplane-contrib-function-python
  # Function would read certs, check expiry, write result to status or events
  • schedule: Standard cron (e.g. "0 * * * *" = every hour).
  • pipeline: Same idea as Composition: list of steps, each with functionRef and optional input / requirements.

WatchOperation (conceptual)

WatchOperation runs the pipeline when selected resources change (e.g. when a specific Deployment or XR is updated). You define:

  • Which resources to watch (e.g. by kind, label, namespace).
  • The pipeline to run when a change is observed.

(Exact API may differ; check Operations docs for your version.)

Operation vs Composition

Composition Operation
Trigger Create/update XR Schedule or event (or one-off)
Goal Keep composed resources in sync with XR Run a task to completion, report result
Model Continuous reconciliation Run pipeline once per trigger
Typical output Created/updated K8s resources Status, events, or optional resource changes

Enabling and using Operations

  1. Feature gate: Operations are alpha; ensure your Crossplane version supports them and any required flags are set (see Installation).
  2. Functions: Use the same Function packages as Compositions (e.g. function-python). The function receives a request and returns a response; for Operations the response might indicate “task done” and optional state changes.
  3. RBAC: The Operation controller needs permission to run the pipeline and, if the pipeline reads/writes resources, appropriate access to those resources.

Practical notes

  • Prefer CronOperation for periodic checks (certs, backups, reports).
  • Use WatchOperation when you want to react to specific resource changes.
  • Use a single Operation for one-off or manually triggered runs.
  • Keep pipeline steps idempotent where possible; the same Operation may be retried or run again on the next schedule.

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