.. _operator-about-intro:

=========
|co-long|
=========

.. meta::
   
   :title: Kubernetes Confluent Operator
   :keywords: Kubernetes Operator, Confluent Operator
   :description: This guide provides instructions for configuring Confluent Operator (a Kubernetes Operator) for public cloud and private cloud environments. The guide uses the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Kubernetes Engine (GKE) and OpenShift as deployment examples.

|co-long| allows you to deploy and manage |cp| as a cloud-native, stateful
container application on Kubernetes and OpenShift. The automation provided by
Kubernetes, |co|, and Helm greatly simplifies provisioning and minimizes the
burden of operating and managing |cp| clusters. |co| also provides you with the
portability to use |ak-tm| in multiple provider zones and across both your
private and public cloud environments.

.. include:: includes/upgrade-note-helm-cp.rst

.. include:: includes/openshift-note-helm2.rst

Introduction to |co-long|
-------------------------

The following video provides an introduction to |co-long|. See :ref:`co-videos` for additional Kubernetes and |co-long| videos.

.. raw:: html

    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P_DEreC4ECw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

.. _co-features:

Features
--------

Deploying
   * Automates |cp| deployment using Helm.
   * Automates |cp| management.
   * Uses default Kubernetes `StorageClass-based <https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/storage/storage-classes/>`__ provisioners for persistent volume storage (such as Google persistent disks, AWS EBS, and Azure disk storage).
   * Automates cluster authentication and security configuration using:

     * SASL/PLAIN with TLS certificates
     * TLS two-way (mutual) authentication
     * TLS in-transit encryption for all deployed components.
     
Updating and upgrading
   * Provides automated rolling updates for configuration changes.
   * Provides automated rolling upgrades with no impact to |ak| availability.
   
Scaling
   Provides elastic scaling for new |cp| components (with manual rebalancing).
   
Resiliency 
   Restores a |ak| pod with the same |ak| broker ID, configuration, and persistent storage volumes if a failure occurs.
   
Monitoring
   * Supports metrics aggregation using JMX/Jolokia.
   * Supports aggregated metrics export to Prometheus.
   
.. _operator-supported-environments:

Supported environments
----------------------

|co| |co_release| is released with |cp| |version|. For the compatibility
information with any other versions of |cp|, see
:ref:`operator-cp-compatibility`.

|co-long| automates the deployment and management of |cp| in the following
environments:

* Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) cluster running on |aws-long| (|aws|)
* |az| Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster running on |az-long| (|az|)
* Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster running on |gcp-long| (|gcp|)
* Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform (3.11 or later) (see note below)
* Pivotal Container Service (PKS) (1.2 to 1.6)
* Vanilla Kubernetes (1.11 to 1.15) cluster

.. include:: includes/openshift-note-helm2.rst

Architecture
------------

The following shows the high-level architecture of |co| and |cp| components in a
Kubernetes cluster.

.. image:: ../../images/co-architecture.png
   :width: 800px

Licensing
---------

You can use |co-long| and |c3| for a 30-day trial period without a license key. 

After 30 days, |co| and |c3-short| require a license key. Confluent issues keys
to subscribers, along with providing `enterprise-level support <https://www.confluent.io/subscription/>`__ for |cp| and |co-long|. If you are a
subscriber, please contact Confluent Support at support@confluent.io for more
information.

See :ref:`co-license-key` if you have received a key for |co-long|.

Documentation
-------------



Refer to the following sections for detailed information about |co-long| and how to deploy |co| and |cp| in a Kubernetes or OpenShift cluster.

.. toctree::
   :maxdepth: 1

   Operator and Kubernetes 101 (videos) <co-videos>
   Sizing Recommendations <co-env-capacity>
   Operator Quick Start <co-quickstart>
   Manual Deployment Instructions <co-deployment>
   Endpoints and Networking <co-endpoints>
   Operator Security <co-security>
   Upgrades and Component Updates <co-upgrading>
   Deployment Management <co-management>
   Other Deployment Configurations <co-examples>
   Troubleshooting <co-troubleshooting>

.. include:: includes/kubernetes-demos-tip.rst
   
.. note::
   
   You should have experience using Linux and experience configuring Kubernetes
   or OpenShift before using these instructions. Detailed information about
   installing and configuring Kubernetes and OpenShift is not provided. For an introduction to Kubernetes and |co-long|, see :ref:`co-videos`.