Kubernetes Resource Orchestrator (KRO) Episode Summary

Podcast Information:

• Title: Kubernetes Podcast from Google
• Hosts: Abdel Sghiouar, Kazlyn Fields
• Description: A weekly podcast focused on the latest happenings in the Kubernetes community, covering Kubernetes, cloud-native applications, and ecosystem developments.
• Episode Title: Kubernetes Resource Orchestrator (KRO) with Jesse Butler and Nic Slattery
• Release Date: April 1, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of the Kubernetes Podcast from Google, hosts Abdel Sghiouar and Kazlyn Fields engage in an in-depth conversation with Jesse Butler, Principal Product Manager at AWS, and Nick Slattery, Product Manager at Google. The discussion centers around the newly announced Kubernetes Resource Orchestrator (KRO), a cloud-agnostic tool designed to simplify Kubernetes resource grouping for developers and platform administrators.

Podcast Hosts Introduce the Guests and Topic

[00:15] Abdel Sghiouar:
"Jesse is a Principal Product Manager at AWS and Nick is a Product Manager at Google. We talked about the Kubernetes Resource Orchestrator, or CRO for short. CRO is a new cloud-agnostic tool meant to simplify Kubernetes resources grouping for developers and platforms Admin."

[01:35] Abdel Sighiwar:
"Today we welcome Jesse Butler and Nick Slattery. [...] Kubernetes Resource Orchestrator is a new cloud-agnostic tool meant to simplify Kubernetes resource management for developers and platform admins."

Understanding Kubernetes Resource Orchestrator (KRO)

What is KRO?

[02:49] Nick Slattery:
"Most of our customers are building internal developer platforms on Kubernetes and they were struggling with the orchestration layer. [...] CRO provides that mechanism to group resources and so platform teams can use CRO to define repeatable patterns for how services should be consumed across their organizations."

[04:53] Jesse Butler:
"We were both collaborating through a mutual customer and realized we had the same problems. [...] We decided to align our efforts to build something native to Kubernetes without introducing new complexities."

Goals and Philosophy Behind KRO

[06:09] Jesse Butler:
"We wanted to keep it simple and not build multiple new tools that customers would have to choose from. Instead, we focused on making it a Kubernetes feature that is easy to integrate and manage."

[08:18] Abdel Sighiwar:
"I want to answer why resource grouping is important. Why is being able to group resources under an umbrella resource or a meta-resource important?"

[08:45] Nick Slattery:
"Our goals were simplicity and focus. We wanted to provide a simple way for platform teams to offer a streamlined experience to their end users while leveraging Kubernetes' native capabilities."

Comparing KRO with Existing Tools

Terraform vs. KRO

[13:12] Jesse Butler:
"Terraform allows you to build modules that abstract abstractions, but when you apply it within Kubernetes, you encounter portability issues. KRO differs by being native to Kubernetes, avoiding the context switching that tools like Terraform introduce."

KRO vs. Helm and Crossplane

[15:04] Abdel Sighiwar:
"How is KRO different from tools like Helm, KPT, or Crossplane?"

[15:14] Nick Slattery:
"CRO is not about building a new templating language or extending Kubernetes in new ways. Instead, it uses CRDs and existing templating languages like Cell to focus on specific problems without adding new layers of complexity."

[16:07] Nick Slattery:
"Helm is excellent for distributing third-party software, but it's not designed for creating internal developer platforms. Managing Helm charts for internal use can become complicated due to dependency management and troubleshooting challenges."

[17:09] Abdel Sighiwar:
"Helm doesn't handle reconciliation like KRO does. If a deployment is accidentally deleted, Kubernetes alone won't recreate it, but KRO, being an operator, will ensure reconciliation."

Practical Use Cases and Examples

Simplifying Deployment Configurations

[29:14] Abdel Sighiwar:
"With KRO, you can define a Resource Graph Definition (RGD) that consolidates complex YAML configurations into a simplified, human-readable format. For example, deploying a WordPress site becomes a matter of defining minimal parameters instead of managing extensive deployment files."

[40:22] Abdel Sighiwar:
"For instance, instead of handling multiple YAML files for deployment, service, and ingress, you can create an RGD that abstracts this complexity, reducing a multi-line configuration to a concise, manageable definition."

Automating Complex Resource Management

[28:03] Nick Slattery:
"KRO allows platform engineers to offer services like storage buckets as native Kubernetes resources. Developers can provision these services without needing to understand the underlying infrastructure, maintaining compatibility with GitOps pipelines and monitoring tools."

[30:31] Jesse Butler:
"Even for solo developers deploying applications like WordPress, KRO reduces repetitive configuration tasks by abstracting complex settings into simple, reusable definitions."

Community and Future Directions

Open and Collaborative Development

[32:15] Abdel Sighiwar:
"The project is fully vendor agnostic, adopting CNCF governance to ensure a meritocratic and open community. Contributions from independent developers are encouraged to foster a diverse ecosystem."

[32:40] Nick Slattery:
"KRO is not owned by any single cloud provider. It's a community-driven project where contributions from anyone, including independent developers, are welcomed and valued."

Getting Involved

[31:39] Jesse Butler:
"Join the community meetings, participate in the Kubernetes Slack channel for CRO, and contribute via GitHub. The project thrives on open collaboration and community input."

[33:03] Abdel Sighiwar:
"The project's independence ensures that it remains a collaborative effort among major cloud providers, making it a robust and versatile tool for the Kubernetes community."

Conclusion and Call to Action

[43:09] Kazlyn Fields:
"If you’re interested in simplifying your Kubernetes resource management, explore KRO. Visit GitHub to contribute or learn more, and join the community meetings to stay updated on the latest developments."

[43:25] Abdel Sighiwar:
"Thank you, Jesse and Nick, for shedding light on KRO. Your insights have been invaluable."

Notable Quotes

• Jesse Butler [04:53]:
  "We realized we had the same problems and decided to align our efforts to build something native to Kubernetes without introducing new complexities."

• Nick Slattery [08:45]:
  "We wanted to provide a simple way for platform teams to offer a streamlined experience to their end users while leveraging Kubernetes' native capabilities."

• Jesse Butler [13:12]:
  "Terraform works great for infrastructure as code, but within Kubernetes, it introduces context switching that KRO avoids by being native to Kubernetes."

• Nick Slattery [15:47]:
  "Helm is excellent for distributing third-party software, but it's not designed for creating internal developer platforms."

• Jesse Butler [28:03]:
  "KRO allows platform engineers to offer services like storage buckets as native Kubernetes resources, maintaining compatibility with GitOps pipelines and monitoring tools."

Additional Resources

• GitHub Repository: github.com/CrowRun/CRO
• Kubernetes Slack Channel: CRO Channel
• Community Meetings: Every other Wednesday at 9 AM Eastern Time
• Project Website: kro.run

Subscribe to the Kubernetes Podcast from Google for more insightful discussions on Kubernetes and the cloud-native ecosystem. Follow the hosts on Twitter @KubernetesPod or reach out via email at kubernetespodcast@google.com for feedback and suggestions.