Kubernetes Cluster API (CAPI) has emerged as the standard for declarative, GitOps-driven management of Kubernetes clusters. In this session, we will peel back the layers of the CAPI to reveal how its core controllers, webhooks and CRDs work together to reconcile your desired cluster state. You’ll discover how Machine and Infrastructure Providers translate high-level specifications into real infrastructure—whether on AWS, Azure, vSphere or even bare-metal. We’ll examine the mechanisms that enable automated cluster creation, scaling and rolling upgrades, and explore health-checking machines so that failures are detected and remediated automatically. By the end of the session, you will understand why Cluster API is far more than a collection of CRDs, and you will leave with concrete examples and code snippets ready to integrate into your CI/CD pipelines, empowering you to manage production-grade clusters with confidence and precision.
We'll also scratch the surface of next steps on enabling true platform engineering utilizing CAPI and its friends in the ecosystem.
In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn the theory behind ClusterAPI and gain real hands-on experience via a pre-created lab environment. To complete the lab exercises, you'll only need your browser.
The presentation will take place in Ballroom A on Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 10:00 to 13:00
