Kubernetes CRD Schema Explained: Versions, Validation, and Status Subresource

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Kubernetes CRDs & Operators: Extending the API, Episode 3
What Is a CRD? · CRDs You Already Use · CRD Anatomy · Write Your First CRD · CEL Validation · Controller Loop · Build an Operator · CRD Versioning · Admission Webhooks · CRDs in Production

TL;DR

  • The Kubernetes CRD schema is defined in spec.versions[].schema.openAPIV3Schema — the API server uses it to validate every custom resource create and update before storing in etcd
    (OpenAPI v3 schema = a JSON Schema dialect that describes the structure, types, and constraints of your resource’s fields)
  • spec.versions is a list — CRDs can serve multiple API versions simultaneously; exactly one version must have storage: true
  • scope: Namespaced vs scope: Cluster controls whether custom resources live inside a namespace or at cluster level (like PersistentVolume vs PersistentVolumeClaim)
  • spec.names defines the plural, singular, kind, and optional shortNames used in kubectl and RBAC
  • The status subresource (subresources.status: {}) separates user writes (spec) from controller writes (status) — enabling optimistic concurrency and kubectl status support
  • The scale subresource (subresources.scale) makes your custom resource compatible with kubectl scale and the HorizontalPodAutoscaler

The Big Picture

  ANATOMY OF A CUSTOMRESOURCEDEFINITION

  apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
  kind: CustomResourceDefinition
  metadata:
    name: {plural}.{group}        ← MUST be exactly this format
  spec:
    group: {group}                ← API group (e.g. storage.example.com)
    scope: Namespaced | Cluster   ← where instances live
    names:                        ← how kubectl refers to this resource
      plural: backuppolicies
      singular: backuppolicy
      kind: BackupPolicy
      shortNames: [bp]
    versions:                     ← can be a list; one must have storage: true
      - name: v1alpha1
        served: true              ← API server responds to this version
        storage: true             ← etcd stores objects in this version
        schema:
          openAPIV3Schema:        ← validation schema for ALL objects of this type
            type: object
            properties:
              spec: {...}
              status: {...}
        subresources:
          status: {}              ← enables separate status write path
          scale:                  ← enables kubectl scale + HPA
            specReplicasPath: .spec.replicas
            statusReplicasPath: .status.replicas
        additionalPrinterColumns: ← extra columns in kubectl get output
          - name: Schedule
            type: string
            jsonPath: .spec.schedule

Understanding the Kubernetes CRD schema is the prerequisite for writing a CRD that behaves correctly in production — validation catches bad data at the API boundary, the status subresource prevents controller race conditions, and scope determines your entire RBAC and multi-tenancy model.

spec.group and metadata.name

The group is a reverse-DNS identifier for your API. Convention:

storage.example.com     ← domain you control + functional area
monitoring.myteam.io
databases.platform.company.com

The CRD’s metadata.name must be exactly {plural}.{group}:

metadata:
  name: backuppolicies.storage.example.com
spec:
  group: storage.example.com
  names:
    plural: backuppolicies

If these do not match, the API server rejects the CRD with a validation error. This is the most common first-timer mistake.

spec.scope: Namespaced vs Cluster

  SCOPE DETERMINES WHERE INSTANCES LIVE

  Namespaced (scope: Namespaced)       Cluster (scope: Cluster)
  ─────────────────────────────         ──────────────────────────
  kubectl get backuppolicies -n prod    kubectl get clusterbackuppolicies
  kubectl get backuppolicies -A         (no -n flag, no namespace)

  Analogous to: Pod, Deployment,        Analogous to: PersistentVolume,
                ConfigMap                             ClusterRole, Node

Namespaced: Use when instances are per-tenant or per-application. Users with namespace-scoped RBAC can manage their own instances without cluster-admin. Most CRDs should be namespaced.

Cluster-scoped: Use when instances represent cluster-wide configuration — a ClusterIssuer (cert-manager), ClusterSecretStore (ESO), a StorageClass-like concept. Requires cluster-level RBAC to create/modify.

You cannot change scope after a CRD is created without deleting and recreating it (which deletes all instances). Choose carefully.

spec.versions: Serving Multiple API Versions

spec:
  versions:
    - name: v1alpha1
      served: true
      storage: false       # not stored; converted on read
      schema:
        openAPIV3Schema: {...}
    - name: v1beta1
      served: true
      storage: false
      schema:
        openAPIV3Schema: {...}
    - name: v1
      served: true
      storage: true        # etcd stores in this version
      schema:
        openAPIV3Schema: {...}

Rules:
– served: true means the API server accepts requests at this version
– served: false means the API server returns 404 for that version — use to deprecate
– Exactly one version must have storage: true — this is what gets written to etcd
– When a client requests a non-storage version, the API server converts on the fly (or calls your conversion webhook — see EP08)

Early in development, start with v1alpha1 storage: true. Promote to v1 when the schema is stable. EP08 covers how to do this without losing data.

spec.names: What kubectl Sees

spec:
  names:
    plural:     backuppolicies     # kubectl get backuppolicies
    singular:   backuppolicy       # kubectl get backuppolicy (also works)
    kind:       BackupPolicy       # used in YAML apiVersion/kind
    listKind:   BackupPolicyList   # optional; auto-derived if omitted
    shortNames:                    # kubectl get bp
      - bp
    categories:                    # kubectl get all includes this type
      - all

categories is worth noting: if you add all to categories, your custom resources appear when someone runs kubectl get all -n mynamespace. Most CRDs deliberately do not add this — it clutters get all output. Only add it if your resource is a primary operational concern.

schema.openAPIV3Schema: Validation

The schema is where you define field types, required fields, constraints, and descriptions. The API server validates every create and update against this schema before writing to etcd.

schema:
  openAPIV3Schema:
    type: object
    required: ["spec"]
    properties:
      spec:
        type: object
        required: ["schedule", "retentionDays"]
        properties:
          schedule:
            type: string
            description: "Cron expression for backup schedule"
            pattern: '^(\*|[0-9,\-\/]+)\s+(\*|[0-9,\-\/]+)\s+(\*|[0-9,\-\/]+)\s+(\*|[0-9,\-\/]+)\s+(\*|[0-9,\-\/]+)$'
          retentionDays:
            type: integer
            minimum: 1
            maximum: 365
          storageClass:
            type: string
            default: "standard"        # default value (Kubernetes 1.17+)
          targets:
            type: array
            maxItems: 10
            items:
              type: object
              required: ["name"]
              properties:
                name:
                  type: string
                namespace:
                  type: string
                  default: "default"
      status:
        type: object
        x-kubernetes-preserve-unknown-fields: true   # controllers write arbitrary status

Field types available

Type Usage
string Text values; supports format, pattern, enum, minLength, maxLength
integer Whole numbers; supports minimum, maximum
number Floating point
boolean true/false
object Nested structure; use properties to define fields
array List; use items to define element schema; supports minItems, maxItems

x-kubernetes-preserve-unknown-fields: true

This tells the API server not to prune fields it does not know about. Use it on status (controllers write whatever they need) and on fields that are intentionally free-form (like a config field that accepts arbitrary YAML). Avoid it on spec — it bypasses validation.

Validation behavior in practice

# This will fail with a clear error:
kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: storage.example.com/v1alpha1
kind: BackupPolicy
metadata:
  name: bad
  namespace: default
spec:
  schedule: "not-a-cron"    # fails pattern validation
  retentionDays: 500         # fails maximum: 365
EOF

The BackupPolicy "bad" is invalid:
  spec.schedule: Invalid value: "not-a-cron": spec.schedule in body should match
    '^(\*|[0-9,\-\/]+)\s+...'
  spec.retentionDays: Invalid value: 500: spec.retentionDays in body should be
    less than or equal to 365

Schema validation catches configuration mistakes at apply time, not at runtime inside a pod. This is one of the core advantages of expressing domain configuration as CRDs rather than ConfigMaps.

additionalPrinterColumns: What kubectl get Shows

By default, kubectl get backuppolicies shows only NAME and AGE. You can add columns:

additionalPrinterColumns:
  - name: Schedule
    type: string
    jsonPath: .spec.schedule
    description: Cron schedule for backups
  - name: Retention
    type: integer
    jsonPath: .spec.retentionDays
    priority: 1          # 0 = always shown; 1 = only with -o wide
  - name: Ready
    type: string
    jsonPath: .status.conditions[?(@.type=='Ready')].status
  - name: Age
    type: date
    jsonPath: .metadata.creationTimestamp

Result:

NAME        SCHEDULE      READY   AGE
nightly     0 2 * * *     True    3d
weekly      0 0 * * 0     False   7d

Good printer columns turn kubectl get into a useful operational dashboard. Include Ready (from status conditions) so operators can immediately see which custom resources are healthy without running kubectl describe.

The Status Subresource

subresources:
  status: {}

Without the status subresource, spec and status are part of the same object. Any user with update permission on the CRD can modify both. Controllers write status through the same path as users write spec.

With the status subresource enabled:
– kubectl apply / kubectl patch only update spec — the status block is stripped
– Controllers use the /status subresource endpoint to write status
– RBAC can grant update on backuppolicies (spec) independently from update on backuppolicies/status

  WITHOUT status subresource:         WITH status subresource:
  ─────────────────────────            ──────────────────────────
  PUT /backuppolicies/nightly          PUT /backuppolicies/nightly
  → updates spec AND status            → updates spec only

                                       PUT /backuppolicies/nightly/status
                                       → updates status only (controller path)

Always enable the status subresource on production CRDs. The split between spec and status is fundamental to the Kubernetes API contract. Without it, a controller updating status can accidentally overwrite spec changes made by a user at the same time.

The Scale Subresource

subresources:
  scale:
    specReplicasPath: .spec.replicas
    statusReplicasPath: .status.replicas
    labelSelectorPath: .status.labelSelector

This makes your custom resource compatible with:

kubectl scale backuppolicy nightly --replicas=3

And with HorizontalPodAutoscaler targeting your custom resource. If your CRD manages something replica-based (workers, shards, connections), enabling the scale subresource lets it plug into the standard Kubernetes autoscaling ecosystem without extra plumbing.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Forgetting x-kubernetes-preserve-unknown-fields: true on status. If you validate the status field with a strict schema but do not add this, the API server will prune any status fields the controller writes that are not in the schema. The controller’s status updates will silently lose fields. Either define the full status schema or use x-kubernetes-preserve-unknown-fields: true.

Using scope: Cluster for resources that should be namespaced. Once a CRD is created as cluster-scoped, you cannot make it namespaced without deleting and recreating it. Plan scope before deploying to production.

Not enabling the status subresource. Without it, controllers writing status can race with users updating spec. It also means kubectl patch --subresource=status does not work and some tooling behaves unexpectedly. Enable it from the start.

Loose schema with no required fields. An openAPIV3Schema with no required constraint accepts objects with empty spec. This usually means your controller gets called with a resource that is missing mandatory configuration. Define required fields and validate them at the API boundary, not inside the controller.

Quick Reference

# Inspect the full schema of a CRD
kubectl get crd backuppolicies.storage.example.com -o yaml | \
  yq '.spec.versions[0].schema'

# Check what subresources are enabled
kubectl get crd certificates.cert-manager.io -o jsonpath=\
  '{.spec.versions[0].subresources}'

# See all served versions for a CRD
kubectl get crd prometheuses.monitoring.coreos.com \
  -o jsonpath='{.spec.versions[*].name}'

# Check which version is the storage version
kubectl get crd certificates.cert-manager.io \
  -o jsonpath='{.spec.versions[?(@.storage==true)].name}'

# Describe the printer columns for a CRD
kubectl get crd scaledobjects.keda.sh \
  -o jsonpath='{.spec.versions[0].additionalPrinterColumns}'

Key Takeaways

  • spec.versions allows serving and storing multiple API versions; only one version has storage: true
  • scope (Namespaced vs Cluster) cannot be changed after creation — choose deliberately
  • openAPIV3Schema validates every CR at the API boundary, before etcd storage
  • The status subresource separates the user write path (spec) from the controller write path (status) — always enable it
  • additionalPrinterColumns makes kubectl get operationally useful; include a Ready column from status conditions

What’s Next

EP04: Write Your First Kubernetes CRD puts the anatomy into practice — a complete hands-on walkthrough building a BackupPolicy CRD from scratch, applying it to a cluster, creating instances, and verifying validation, RBAC, and status behavior.

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