# operator-framework/operator-sdk

SDK for building Kubernetes applications. Provides high level APIs, useful abstractions, and project scaffolding.

Repository: https://github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/operator-sdk
Homepage: https://sdk.operatorframework.io
Language: Go
License: Apache-2.0
License Family: permissive
Topics: operator, kubernetes, sdk
Last push: 2026-08-24T04:52:27+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 92/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 78, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3129, "days_push": 9, "days_rel": 68, "gap_med": 63, "n_releases_24m": 12}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 7674, forks 1778 (observed 2026-08-28T04:10:02.337625+00:00)

## What it is
The Operator SDK is a framework and CLI for building Kubernetes Operators, part of the Operator Framework. It provides high-level APIs built on controller-runtime, project scaffolding, and code generation for developing operators in Go, Ansible, or Helm.

## Use cases
- scaffold a new kubernetes operator project
- build a kubernetes operator in go
- create an ansible-based operator
- create a helm-based operator
- package and bundle an operator for OLM
- generate CRDs and controllers for custom resources
- automate managing stateful apps on kubernetes

## When to choose
- you are building Kubernetes Operators and want scaffolding, code generation, and OLM integration
- you want to encode operational logic (scaling, upgrades, backups) as Kubernetes controllers
- you prefer Go, Ansible, or Helm for writing reconciliation logic

## When to avoid
- you only need to deploy existing apps without custom controllers - use plain Helm or manifests
- you are not working with Kubernetes
- you need a lightweight controller without scaffolding - use controller-runtime or kubebuilder directly

## Facets
- artifact type: framework
- maturity: stable
- function: sdk, cli, build-tool, developer-tools, workflow-automation
- domain: developer-tools, cloud-computing, infrastructure-as-code
- platform: go, cli, cross-platform, windows
- tags: kubernetes, operator-pattern, controller-runtime, olm, project-scaffolding, crd, helm-operators, ansible-operators, code-generation, devops, containers, automation, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- operator-framework/operator-sdk (main) score 92

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:02.337625+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:36:03.381344+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/operator-framework/operator-sdk (fetched 2026-08-28T04:10:02.337625+00:00, sha 9adfc9303b73)
  - homepage: https://sdk.operatorframework.io (fetched 2026-08-29T08:31:46.011112+00:00, sha da0a48f41a6a)
  - site_page: https://sdk.operatorframework.io/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T08:31:46.020624+00:00, sha 5f1d017fcf2f)
  - site_page: https://sdk.operatorframework.io/docs/building-operators/golang/quickstart (fetched 2026-08-29T08:31:46.022557+00:00, sha faada9a86fc3)
  - site_page: https://sdk.operatorframework.io/docs/building-operators/ansible/quickstart (fetched 2026-08-29T08:31:46.024319+00:00, sha a09726223789)
  - site_page: https://sdk.operatorframework.io/docs/building-operators/helm/quickstart (fetched 2026-08-29T08:31:46.025847+00:00, sha 65e2136dadcd)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.