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kube-bind Usage Guide

This section provides comprehensive documentation on how to use kube-bind's core APIs and concepts. Whether you're a service provider looking to export APIs or a consumer wanting to bind to services, this guide covers the essential workflows and components.

Core Concepts

kube-bind operates on three fundamental concepts:

Service Provider

The cluster that exports APIs and resources, making them available for other clusters to consume. Service providers create templates and handle permission claims.

Service Consumer

The cluster that imports and uses APIs from service providers. Consumers bind to templates and get access to resources through a secure, controlled process.

Konnector Agent

The component that establishes and maintains the secure connection between provider and consumer clusters, synchronizing resources and handling permissions.

Key API Types

APIServiceExportTemplate

Purpose: Defines a reusable service template that groups related CRDs and permission claims. Used by: Service providers Scope: Template definition for multiple consumers

APIServiceExport

Purpose: Represents an active export of a specific CRD to consumer clusters. Used by: Automatically created by konnector agents Scope: Per-CRD export instance

APIServiceExportRequest

Purpose: Consumer's request to bind to a specific service template. Used by: Service consumers (via CLI/UI) Scope: Per-binding request

APIServiceNamespace

Purpose: Manages namespace mapping and isolation between provider and consumer clusters. Used by: Automatically managed by konnector agents Scope: Per-namespace sync

Documentation Structure

API Concepts

Deep dive into the core API types, their relationships, and how they work together in the kube-bind ecosystem.

Template References

Advanced guide for using dynamic resource selection through references in templates.

Common Workflows

For Service Providers

  1. Create templates defining what APIs and resources to export, including permission claims
  2. Implement service to act on the synced/bound objects so it can be returned to the consumer/user.

For Service Consumers

  1. Authenticate to the kube-bind backend
  2. Discover available templates through the web UI or CLI
  3. Request bindings to specific templates
  4. Authenticate and authorize access through OAuth2 flows
  5. Use imported APIs in their local cluster

For Platform Operators

  1. Deploy kube-bind infrastructure on both provider and consumer sides (if using GitOps)
  2. Configure authentication and security policies
  3. Monitor connections and resource synchronization

Getting Started

If you're new to kube-bind:

  1. Start with the Quickstart Guide for a hands-on introduction
  2. Review API Concepts to understand the fundamental types
  3. Check the Reference Documentation for complete API specifications

The konnector agents establish a secure, authenticated connection that allows:

  • API schema synchronization from provider to consumer
  • Resource data flow based on permission claims
  • Namespace isolation and mapping
  • Authentication and authorization enforcement