Automating stateful apps with Kubernetes Operators

What are Kubernetes Operators? Difference between traditional Kubernetes Controllers and Operators How Kubernetes Operators work 1. Set up a Custom Resource 2. Deploy the Operator into the Kubernetes cluster 3. Continuous monitoring of CR by the Operator. 4. Reconciliation loop: Operator compares desired vs actual state 5. Error handling Use cases of Kubernetes Operators Handling stateful apps Messaging systems Monitoring and logging stacks Automating infrastructure Why do we need Operators? Challenges without Operators Kubernetes Operators benefits Conclusion Posted on October 15, 2025 by Keval Bhogayata, Middleware CNCF projects highlighted in this post Member post originally published on the Middleware blog by Keval Bhogayata , covering Automating Stateful Apps with Kubernetes Operators. If you’ve ever had issues with scaling databases or automating upgrades in Kubernetes, Operators can help by saving you time and effort. Handling complex Kubernetes applications like databases, message queues, and distributed systems can be really difficult. Kubernetes handles simple workloads well, while big apps suffer with failover, scaling, backups, and automated updates. These activities often demand operational expertise. If you’re new to container orchestration, you may want to start by understanding the difference between Kubernetes vs Docker This is where you need Kubernetes Operators, which we’ll cover in this article.