Reuse existing operators

The platform depends on three Kubernetes operators — cert-manager, a Redis operator, and CloudNativePG. By default the chart installs them for you. If your cluster already runs compatible versions, you can reuse them instead and avoid duplicates.

Who this is for

Platform engineers integrating the gateway into an existing cluster that already has shared operators.

The three toggles

certManager:
  enabled: false     # reuse the cert-manager already on the cluster
redisOperator:
  enabled: false     # reuse an existing Redis operator
cnpg:
  enabled: false     # reuse an existing CloudNativePG operator

Each toggle controls only whether the operator is installed. The platform's own custom resources (the certificate, the Redis instance, the PostgreSQL clusters) are always created by the chart and run against the operator that's present.

Toggle	Reuses	Required when
certManager.enabled	cert-manager	tls.mode is letsencrypt or selfsigned
redisOperator.enabled	Redis operator	redis.enabled: true
cnpg.enabled	CloudNativePG	postgres.enabled: true or keycloak.enabled: true

Match the tested versions

A reused operator must be a version compatible with the one the chart would have installed. The tested versions are part of the product's component matrix — check them against what's on your cluster before disabling a toggle. See Upgrades.

When to reuse vs. let the chart install

• Reuse when these operators are shared cluster infrastructure managed by another team, or when you're minimizing the image set for an air-gapped install.
• Let the chart install (the default) when this is a dedicated cluster or you want the platform to be fully self-contained and reproducible from one chart.

Custom resources still belong to the platform

Even with all three toggles off, the chart still owns and reconciles its certificate, Redis instance, and PostgreSQL clusters. You manage the operators; the platform manages its resources. This keeps the gateway reproducible from the chart while fitting into your existing operator landscape.

Next steps

• Air-gapped install — fewer operators means fewer images to mirror.
• High availability — how the database and Redis clusters scale.
• Backup & DR — protecting CloudNativePG data.