OpenShift 4.5: Making Operators Easy to Find

Operators are a top priority for OpenShift and we are dedicated to constantly improving the user experience around operators in the Console.

For OpenShift 4.5, we focused on adding clarity to the Installed Operators page by consolidating the ‘all projects’ list view and improving filters on OperatorHub. Cluster admins can now clearly see where an operator is installed and what namespaces can use them. In addition, Catalog Sources now have their own unique entries for Provider Type, and a new filtering category, Infrastructure Features, was added

Bringing Clarity to the All Projects View on Installed Operators

With the latest design, cluster admins can easily view all operators on the cluster in the All Projects view of Installed Operators. Historically, the All Projects view created duplicate entries for every namespace an operator could be used in. This made it difficult to sift through the clutter and understand which operators had been installed on the cluster.

In 4.5, the List View is much more concise. Operators maintain a single entry and cluster admins can easily view where an operator was installed (existing Namespace column) and which namespaces it manages (new Managed Namespaces column).

In addition to the Installed Operators page, a Managed Namespaces field has been added to the Operator Details page under the ClusterServiceVersion Details, as illustrated below:

Unique Display Names for Provider Type Filters in OperatorHub

Adding custom Provider Type filters to OperatorHub will now create unique entries instead of combining them under the same Custom filter. This allows organizations to highlight sets of operators as desired.

In the past, when any custom CatalogSouce was added, it was added to the Custom filter under the Provider Type category. A new annotation has been added to the CatalogSource to allow users to specify a unique display name. This unique display name will appear as the filter under the Provider Type category. If a display name isn’t specified, the actual CatalogSource Name will be used, as displayed here:

OperatorHub Infrastructure Features and Valid Subscriptions

Operators now have the ability to describe the following infrastructure features they support: disconnected, FIPS mode, and proxy. These properties are available as filters in OperatorHub under the new Infrastructure Features category. By tagging operators with the proper attributes, users can quickly filter and view the operators supported by their disconnected/secured cluster.

In addition to the new filtering capabilities, a new line item has been added to the Operator Install Details that designates which subscriptions, if any, the operator requires:

Keep Improving

Making sure operators are easy to find and install are top priorities for OperatorHub in OpenShift, and we are continuing to work towards those goal with features that improve the installation process. In the future, we will be adding more features that improve ways to find your ideal operators and clarify the operator installation process.

If you are just getting started with OpenShift or want to try these features now, visit the newly revamped Try OpenShift site to get instant access to a cluster. If you’d like to learn more about what the OpenShift design team is up to, check out our github design repo. If you are interested in providing any feedback on any of the new 4.4 features or have suggestions for the future, please take this brief 3-minute survey.