From 1833175f8390ff8151c718f09473ce6f6e5aeaab Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Zach Callahan <zach@zmc.dev> Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2025 11:24:15 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] docs(blog): added blog post explaining operatorless istio changes Apply 3 suggestion(s) to 1 file(s) Co-authored-by: Christopher O'Connell <coconnell@bridgephase.com> --- blog/.pages | 1 + blog/bb-3-0-operatorless-istio-migration.md | 124 ++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 125 insertions(+) create mode 100644 blog/bb-3-0-operatorless-istio-migration.md diff --git a/blog/.pages b/blog/.pages index dc8c057167..e85172b373 100644 --- a/blog/.pages +++ b/blog/.pages @@ -1,4 +1,5 @@ nav: + - Big Bang 3.0 - Operatorless Istio Migration: bb-3-0-operatorless-istio-migration.md - Big Bang 2.42 Release and Team Updates: 2-42-Release.md - Big Bang 2.41 Release and Team Updates: 2-41-Release.md - Introducing Headlamp a UI for your k8s Cluster management: UI-for-your-K8s-Cluster.md diff --git a/blog/bb-3-0-operatorless-istio-migration.md b/blog/bb-3-0-operatorless-istio-migration.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..bdfe91d353 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/bb-3-0-operatorless-istio-migration.md @@ -0,0 +1,124 @@ +# Big Bang 3.0 - Operatorless Istio Migration + +It has been nearly two years since the Big Bang 2.0 release, and the project has +grown significantly in that time. The Big Bang engineering team is proud of the +product that we have built alongside our growing community. Your support and +feedback have been essential in shaping the platform your missions rely on. + +In line with our mission-first principles, we want to share updates on the +direction of Big Bang and what it means for you as Big Bang operators. + +## Istio Operator Deprecation + +In August 2024, the Istio project +[announced](https://istio.io/latest/blog/2024/in-cluster-operator-deprecation-announcement/) +the deprecation of the Istio Operator in Istio 1.24. The Istio Operator was +created to address many of the problems with Helm 2. Helm 3 resolved many of +those issues. Additionally, the Istio project's data showed that less than 10% +of installations used the operator, with most relying on istioctl for initial +deployment and upgrades. Big Bang uses a declarative approach to application +deployments. With 3.0, we've included a declarative approach for installing +Istio into Kubernetes clusters without the operator or istioctl. + +Istio 1.23 has a +[generous EOL timeline](https://istio.io/latest/docs/releases/supported-releases/#support-status-of-istio-releases), +giving Big Bang engineers ample time to work through the migration. We've merged +initial packages to enable operatorless Istio. + +These packages are currently in an **alpha** state and subject to change. Big +Bang consumers are **advised to avoid running these packages in production +environments**. However, if users want to test the new packages with their +custom configurations, they are available in Big Bang’s most recent release +under `istioCore`, `istioGatewayPublic`, and `istioGatewayPassthrough` at the +time of writing. + +Because this new deployment paradigm is fundamentally incompatible with previous +Istio deployments in Big Bang, this transition is marked as a **breaking +change**. The Istio upstream project has set **May 2025** as the EOL point for +Istio 1.23 (including the Operator), so Big Bang is aiming for a **3.0 +transition on or before that date**. + +## Migration Considerations + +The Big Bang team is dedicated to making this transition as smooth as possible. +We are actively working on migration documentation and automation where +applicable. + +Here are some key architectural changes you should be aware of: + +### **Mesh Operations** + +✅ **No impact on existing mesh configurations** + +- Your existing Istio CRs will continue to work **as-is** post-migration. +- `PeerAuthentication`, `ServiceEntry`, and `AuthorizationPolicy` remain + unchanged. +- `istiod` continues to manage mesh operations—**the operator removal does not + affect this**. + +### **Gateways** + +🚨 **Significant changes to Gateway deployments** + +- Previously, `Gateway` configurations were embedded in `IstioOperator` CRs and + managed by the operator. +- **In 3.0, Gateways must be installed via their own standalone Helm charts.** +- We are exposing the Istio gateway chart's API directly to Big Bang consumers + rather than continuing with an abstraction layer. + +✅ **Simplified Deployment with Iterable Helm Releases** + +- We are developing an iterable `istioGateway` package to ease deployment. +- Users can still deploy custom `Gateway` resources manually, but our new + package will reduce friction. +- More details on this feature will be shared in the coming weeks. + +🔠**Exploring Kubernetes-native Gateway API** + +- We are researching the + [K8s-native Gateway API](https://gateway-api.sigs.k8s.io/) as a potential + primary ingress/egress configuration resource. +- This transition would increase flexibility and potentially support alternative + service mesh implementations in the future. + +### **Ambient Mode** + +We want to be clear that our transition to operatorless Istio is **not** a +transition to Istio’s ambient mode. + +We think ambient Istio is promising and are researching how best to support it. +However, this migration **only focuses on removing the Istio Operator**. If and +when we have a clear path for ambient mode, we’ll share updates. + +## Migration Timeline + +**Planned milestones for Big Bang 3.0:** + +- **March 2025** – Operatorless Istio reaches beta status for broader testing. +- **April 2025** – Final testing phase for community feedback. +- **May 2025** – Big Bang 3.0 release, aligning with Istio 1.23 EOL. + +We are not currently tracking any other major changes for the 3.0 release. We +may introduce some QoL improvements, but nothing is roadmapped yet. If any +additional changes are planned, we will announce them here and in our release +notes—so stay tuned! + +## What You Need to Do + +✅ **Test the new operatorless Istio packages in non-production environments.** + +✅ **Review your Gateway configurations and prepare for standalone Helm-based +deployment.** + +✅ **Keep an eye out for migration documentation and automation tools.** + +✅ **Engage with the community to provide feedback or raise concerns.** + +## Community Thanks + +As always, we want to thank our community for their continued support. We build +Big Bang for you, and our mission is to simplify and enable yours. If you have +any feedback or concerns, please share them in +[our community Slack](https://bigbanguniver-ft39451.slack.com/archives/C051A2BPS0K), +on Mattermost, or by +[making an issue](https://repo1.dso.mil/big-bang/bigbang/-/issues/new) in repo1. -- GitLab