WebSocket Operator for Kubernetes

Operator to manager distributed websocket in Kubernetes Environment. Inspired by this article and by the fact that I solved the same issue. Should be experimental.

Intro

The websocket-operator is a Kubernetes operator designed to manage stateful WebSocket connections within a Kubernetes environment. It automates the deployment and scaling of WebSocket proxies alongside application pods, facilitating efficient handling of long-lived connections and message routing.

Features

• SideCar Deployment: Automatically injects a WebSocket Proxy SideCar into application pods based on annotations or labels.
• Load Balancing: Utilizes a LoadBalancer App to distribute WebSocket connections across multiple pods using Rendezvous Hashing.
• Extensible Proxying: Initially supports HTTP proxying - optimizations in the Roadmap
• Controller Automation: Manages the lifecycle and configuration of WebSocket Sidecars within the Kubernetes cluster.

Architecture

The operator comprises the following components:

1. WebSocket Proxy SideCar: Handles WebSocket connections, manages routing keys, and proxies messages via HTTP requests.
2. Load Balancer Service: Distributes incoming WebSocket Connections using same algorithm from SideCar.
3. Controller: Automates the injection and management of the WebSocket Proxy SideCar in application pods.

Getting Started

To deploy the WebSocket Operator in your Kubernetes cluster:

1. Annotate Deployments: Add label ws.operator/enable: true to your Deployment to enable SideCar injection.
2. Expose ws-proxy-headless Headless Service
3. Deploy the Operator: Apply the operator manifests to your cluster to activate the controller and related resources.

WIP: Architecture Diagram

Future Enhancements

• Plugin Support: Develop and integrate plugins for alternative proxying methods beyond HTTP.
• Metrics Exposure: Implement metrics to monitor connection success and failure rates.
• Enhanced Routing: Improve routing algorithms for more efficient message distribution.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please fork the repository and submit a pull request with your changes.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.