Common Kubernetes Operators Every Cluster Needs

 

Kubernetes has revolutionized how we deploy and manage applications, but complexity comes with its flexibility. To tame that, **Kubernetes Operators** are here to help. These operators automate deployment, scaling, configuration, and day-2 lifecycle management of infrastructure and application components within Kubernetes clusters.

Below are some of the most widely used and highly recommended Kubernetes operators that improve security, scalability, observability, and overall developer productivity in production-grade Kubernetes environments.

1. External Secrets Operator

This operator enables Kubernetes to securely fetch and synchronize secrets from external secret management services such as AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, Google Secret Manager, and HashiCorp Vault. It uses Kubernetes custom resources to define how secrets should be pulled and mounted into workloads. It eliminates the need to store sensitive data in plaintext ConfigMaps or Secrets. This operator is essential for enforcing security best practices and achieving secure secret injection in cloud-native architectures.

External Secrets Operator Github Repository

External Secrets OperatorHub Repository

 

2.Prometheus operator

The Prometheus Operator automates the deployment, configuration, and management of Prometheus monitoring stacks in Kubernetes. It simplifies the creation of ServiceMonitor and Alertmanager resources and supports the automatic scraping of new services. This operator ensures production-grade observability with custom rules, service discovery, and long-term metric retention, making it the foundation for most Kubernetes monitoring stacks.

Prometheus Operator Github Repository 

Prometheus OperatorHub Repository 

 

3. Confluent Operator

Confluent Operator provides a Kubernetes-native way to deploy and operate Apache Kafka and related components like Schema Registry, KSQL, Kafka Connect, and Control Center. It abstracts complex operational tasks such as rolling upgrades, scaling, and configuration propagation, enabling teams to run reliable, self-healing, and secure streaming platforms within Kubernetes.

Confluent Operator Github Repository

Confluent Operator OperatorHub Repository

 

4. ELK Operator / Elasticsearch Operator

Elastic Cloud on Kubernetes (ECK) is Elastic’s official Elasticsearch Operator. It automates the deployment and management of Elasticsearch, Kibana, APM Server, and Beats agents. With support for horizontal scaling, snapshots, and TLS encryption, ECK enables centralized log aggregation, full-text search, and observability services in Kubernetes environments with minimal manual intervention.

ELK Operator / Elasticsearch Operator GitHub Repository

 ELK Operator / Elasticsearch Operator OperatorHub Repository

 

5. Grafana Kubernetes Operator

The Grafana Operator simplifies the provisioning and management of Grafana dashboards, data sources, organizations, and user permissions. It allows teams to define dashboards as code using CRDs and integrates seamlessly with Prometheus and Loki. It is ideal for maintaining a unified and programmatically controlled observability layer across development and production clusters.

Grafana Kubernetes Operator GitHub Repository

Grafana Kubernetes Operator OperatorHub Repository

 

6. Redis / Valkey Operator

This operator helps deploy and manage Redis or Valkey in a Kubernetes-native way. It supports high availability, persistence, automatic failover, and backup scheduling. The operator abstracts complex cluster configurations and can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines for dynamic environment provisioning. 

Redis / Valkey Operator GitHub Repository

 Redis / Valkey Operator OperatorHub Repository

 

7. Fluent Bit Kubernetes Operator

Fluent Bit Operator streamlines the configuration and deployment of Fluent Bit log processors inside Kubernetes. It uses custom resources to configure inputs, parsers, filters, and outputs. Fluent Bit is lightweight and ideal for collecting container logs, parsing structured and unstructured data, and forwarding them to Elasticsearch, Loki, or other centralized logging platforms.

Fluent Bit Kubernetes Operator GitHub Repository 

Fluent Bit Kubernetes Operator OperatorHub Repository 

 

8. Postgres Kubernetes Operator (Zalando)

The Zalando Postgres Operator is a robust solution for running production-grade PostgreSQL clusters in Kubernetes. It includes features like automated failover, point-in-time recovery, backup/restore using cloud buckets, and rolling updates. It’s ideal for organizations looking to run PostgreSQL databases with high availability and disaster recovery options.

 Postgres Kubernetes Operator (Zalando) GitHub Repository

 Postgres Kubernetes Operator (Zalando) OperatorHub Repository

 

9. MySQL Kubernetes Operator

This operator simplifies the lifecycle management of MySQL clusters in Kubernetes. It automates provisioning, replica scaling, rolling updates, TLS configuration, and backup handling. The MySQL Operator reduces operational overhead and allows teams to maintain stable database environments with minimal DevOps involvement.

 MySQL Kubernetes Operator GitHub Repository

 MySQL Kubernetes Operator OperatorHub Repository

 

10. ArgoCD Operator

The ArgoCD Operator manages the installation and maintenance of ArgoCD, a declarative GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes. It supports multi-cluster setups, project-based access controls, and webhooks for automated sync. With this operator, organizations can implement infrastructure-as-code and automated Kubernetes deployments at scale.

 ArgoCD Operator GitHub Repository

 ArgoCD Operator OperatorHub Repository

 

11. Cert-Manager Operator

Cert-Manager automates issuing, renewing, and managing X.509 TLS certificates in Kubernetes. It supports integrations with Let’s Encrypt, Vault, Venafi, and other certificate authorities. The operator is critical in securing ingress resources, internal service mesh communications, and workload certificates in Kubernetes-native security workflows.

 Cert-Manager Operator GitHub Repository

 Cert-Manager Operator OperatorHub Repository

12. Hachicorp Vault Operator

Vault Operator provisions and configures HashiCorp Vault within Kubernetes to deliver secure storage and access of secrets, API keys, and credentials. It integrates with Kubernetes Auth for identity-based access. It supports dynamic secrets and secret injection via CSI drivers—a must-have for regulated environments requiring strict secret access policies and auditing.

 Vault Operator GitHub Repository

 Vault Operator OperatorHub Repository

13. RabbitMQ Operator

RabbitMQ Operator enables automated cluster setup, rolling updates, queue mirroring, and observability for RabbitMQ message brokers. It supports single and multi-node deployments with persistence, monitoring, and TLS configuration, making it ideal for microservices needing message queuing and event-driven communication patterns.

RabbitMQ Operator GitHub Repository 

RabbitMQ Operator OperatorHub Repository 

 

Using these Kubernetes Operators, you can offload critical infrastructure responsibilities, increase automation, and make your clusters more secure, observable, and scalable. Choose the right combination based on your stack and operational needs.