Skip to main content

Core Concepts

Konductor provides four synchronization primitives that solve common coordination problems in Kubernetes workloads.

Synchronization Primitives​

Semaphore​

Controls concurrent access to shared resources by limiting the number of permits available.

┌─────────────┐
│  Semaphore  │  Permits: 3
│(batch-jobs) │  In-Use: 2
└─────────────┘  Available: 1
      │
      ├─── [Permit 1] → Job A (running)
      ├─── [Permit 2] → Job B (running)
      └─── [Permit 3] → Available

Use Cases:

  • Limit concurrent batch Jobs (e.g., max 10 Jobs at once)
  • Throttle external API calls
  • Control database connections

Barrier​

Synchronizes multiple processes at a coordination point - all must arrive before any can proceed.

┌──────────┐     ┌──────────┐     ┌──────────┐
│  Pod A   │────▶│ Barrier  │◀────│  Pod B   │
│ (waiting)│     │ Expected:│     │ (waiting)│
└──────────┘     │    3     │     └──────────┘
                 │ Arrived: │
┌──────────┐     │    2     │
│  Pod C   │────▶│          │
│(arriving)│     └──────────┘
└──────────┘          │
                      ▼
              [All arrive → Open]

Use Cases:

  • Multi-stage ETL pipelines
  • Coordinated batch job execution
  • MapReduce-style workflows

Lease​

Provides singleton execution and leader election with automatic expiration.

┌──────────┐     ┌─────────┐     ┌──────────┐
│  Pod A   │────▶│  Lease  │     │  Pod B   │
│ (leader) │     │ Holder: │     │(standby) │
│          │     │  Pod A  │     │          │
└──────────┘     │ TTL: 30s│     └──────────┘
                 └─────────┘
                      │
              [Expires → Available]

Use Cases:

  • Singleton CronJobs (prevent overlapping executions)
  • Database migration coordination
  • Leader election for distributed Jobs

Gate​

Waits for multiple conditions to be met before allowing processes to proceed.

┌─────────────┐
│    Gate     │  Conditions:
│ (workflow)  │  ✓ Job "etl" = Complete
└─────────────┘  ✓ Job "validation" = Complete
       │         ✗ Barrier "workers" = Open
       │
       ▼
  [All met → Open]

Use Cases:

  • Job dependency management
  • Complex workflow orchestration
  • Deployment gates

Integration Patterns​

Use initContainers to gate pod startup:

initContainers:
- name: acquire-semaphore
  image: logiciq/koncli:latest
  command:
    - koncli
    - semaphore
    - acquire
    - api-quota
    - --wait
    - --ttl=10m

CLI Integration​

Use the CLI tool in your scripts:

# Acquire permit
if koncli semaphore acquire batch-limit --ttl=5m; then
  # Run your workload
  process-data
  # Release permit
  koncli semaphore release batch-limit
fi

SDK Integration​

Use the Go SDK for programmatic access:

import konductor "github.com/LogicIQ/konductor/sdk/go"

client, _ := konductor.New(nil)

// Wait for dependencies
client.WaitGate(ctx, "dependencies-ready")

// Signal completion
client.ArriveBarrier(ctx, "stage-complete")

Design Principles​

Kubernetes-Native​

  • Everything achievable via kubectl apply
  • CRDs as primary interface
  • GitOps-friendly YAML configuration
  • Controller reconciliation driven

Self-Enforced Coordination​

  • Operator provides state and arbitration, not control
  • Pods voluntarily gate their own progress
  • No external blocking or pausing of containers
  • Idempotent and crash-safe operations

Observable and Debuggable​

  • All coordination state visible via Kubernetes APIs
  • Clear ownership and TTL semantics
  • Human-readable status conditions

Next Steps​