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docs: surface Redpanda Connect pipelines for operator users (DOC-2275)#1808

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docs: surface Redpanda Connect pipelines for operator users (DOC-2275)#1808
JakeSCahill wants to merge 10 commits into
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doc-2275-connect-pipelines-discovery

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@JakeSCahill

@JakeSCahill JakeSCahill commented Jul 17, 2026

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The Pipeline CRD ships as a beta feature in the 26.2 GA operator (redpanda-operator#1677 merged to main July 22). Merge together with redpanda-data/rp-connect-docs#457: the Next steps cross-link to connect:install:kubernetes-operator.adoc resolves once #457 publishes.

Documents the Pipeline resource (redpanda-operator#1677) for operator users. Originally a discovery-only PR; now expanded into the full operator-side guide, per review feedback, covering every flow in the eng PR description with worked, e2e-validated examples.

Pages

  1. manage:kubernetes/k-connect-pipelines.adoc (nav: "Redpanda Connect Pipelines") — full guide:
    • When to choose the Pipeline resource over Kafka Connect
    • Enable the Connect controller (connectController.enabled + enterprise.licenseSecretRef)
    • First pipeline (inline configYaml), lint-gated startup, config/credential checksum rollouts, pause
    • Flow A — cluster-bound: cluster.clusterRef + userRef with a scoped User CR, the rendered-config injection contract (seed_brokers/tls/sasl + top-level shared client), user-keys-win escape hatch, ACL-scoping guidance
    • Flow B — external/BYOC: cluster.staticConfiguration with Secret/ConfigMap-backed TLS CA, inline SASL, CEL exclusivity with userRef
    • Flow C — per-pipeline cloud IAM: serviceAccountName + IRSA worked example (RDS IAM auth, no DB password anywhere)
    • Flow D — valueSources: all four source types (inline/secretKeyRef/configMapKeyRef/externalSecretRef) in one fan-out example
    • Workload knobs (image precedence, node pinning, extraInitContainers), monitoring (PodMonitor), license behavior, status/conditions reference, troubleshooting. Uses the standard shared:partial$enterprise-license.adoc notice and states that the license must include the Redpanda Connect product (matches the operator's IncludesProduct(ProductConnect) check).
  2. manage:kubernetes/k-autoscale-connect-pipelines.adoc (new, nav: nested "Autoscaling") — step-by-step autoscaling through the scale subresource, grounded in manifests validated e2e on EKS (HPA cpu 1→4; KEDA kafka-lag 1→6; KEDA prometheus input_received 1→3):
    • kubectl scale + raw /scale smoke test
    • HPA on cpu/memory (metrics-server, requests, behavior windows, real kubectl get hpa output)
    • KEDA: consumer-group lag trigger (with TriggerAuthentication for TLS/SASL listeners, partition-count capping), Prometheus trigger on Connect-emitted metrics (connectController.monitoring.enabled + PodMonitor), scale-to-zero
    • Interaction semantics: paused precedence, explicit replicas: 0, GitOps ownership of replicas, one autoscaler per pipeline
  3. Licensing overview (get-started:licensing/overview.adoc): new "Redpanda Operator enterprise features" section with its own table (matching the Redpanda/Console/Connect sections) covering both operator-gated features — Stretch Clusters (multicluster operator requires a valid license to start; LicenseValid condition + status.licenseStatus report expiry/violations on running clusters) and Connect pipelines (missing/expired license or missing Connect product entitlement → new pipelines report License: False and get no workload; running pipelines keep processing but stop receiving updates; recovery is automatic once a valid license is applied). Also adds a "Manage licenses for the Redpanda Operator" section (enterprise.licenseSecretRef chart values + per-cluster licensing via the Redpanda/StretchCluster enterprise field).
  4. What's new (get-started:release-notes/operator.adoc): "Redpanda Connect pipelines (beta)" entry under the v26.2.x section.
  5. CRD index row + TIP on Manage Kafka Connect: unchanged discovery surfaces, but the CRD index now routes to the local guide instead of the unpublished connect-docs page.

Build note

The two previously-expected broken-xref warnings for connect:install:kubernetes-operator.adoc are gone: all routing now targets the local pages. origin/beta has been merged into the branch.

Before un-drafting (GA batch)

  • Fill in the exact minimum operator version — done: the page states Redpanda Operator v26.2.1 or later
  • When rp-connect-docs#457 publishes, add a Next-steps cross-link to connect:install:kubernetes-operator.adoc (comment markers in place)

Part of DOC-2275; eng feature is redpanda-operator#1677.

Preview pages

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Three discovery surfaces for the 26.2 Pipeline CRD (DOC-2275):
- new Manage > Kubernetes page routing to the full guide in the
  Connect docs, positioned next to Manage Kafka Connect
- Pipeline row in the CRD reference index
- TIP on Manage Kafka Connect pointing at the first-class alternative
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@JakeSCahill

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Update: the Redpanda Connect operator support (Pipeline CRD, redpanda-operator#1677) is expected to slip past 26.2, most likely to 26.3. This PR stays in draft until the CRD ships in a released operator. Do not merge for the 26.2 GA on July 28.

@david-yu

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PR is merged redpanda-data/redpanda-operator#1677, this will go out as Beta for the 26.2 date. Could you ensure that examples are provided with examples of how to use HPA and KEDA for autoscaling?

david-yu and others added 2 commits July 24, 2026 10:49
…censing, and what's new (DOC-2275)

Turn the discovery page into a full operator-side guide covering every flow
from redpanda-operator#1677: enable the Connect controller, first pipeline,
clusterRef+userRef cluster binding (with the rendered-config injection
contract), staticConfiguration for external clusters, per-pipeline cloud IAM
via serviceAccountName (IRSA worked example), and valueSources with all four
source types. Adds status/condition reference and troubleshooting.

Add a dedicated autoscaling page with step-by-step HPA (cpu/memory) and KEDA
(consumer-group lag, Connect metrics via Prometheus, scale-to-zero) examples,
all grounded in manifests validated end-to-end on EKS.

Document the no-license/expired-license behavior for pipelines in the
licensing overview, and add the operator what's-new entry (version section
marked TODO until the ship vehicle is confirmed).

Route the CRD index row to the local guide instead of the unpublished
connect-docs page, which removes the two expected broken-xref warnings.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
@david-yu
david-yu marked this pull request as ready for review July 24, 2026 18:09
@david-yu
david-yu requested a review from a team as a code owner July 24, 2026 18:10
david-yu and others added 3 commits July 24, 2026 11:12
The feature ships with operator v26.2.x, not v26.3.x. Drop the provisional
v26.3.x section and its TODO.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
…ing overview

Give the operator its own enterprise-features table, matching the Redpanda /
Console / Connect sections: Stretch Clusters (multicluster operator refuses to
start without a valid license; LicenseValid condition + status.licenseStatus
on running clusters) and Connect pipelines (moved out of the Connect table).
Add a 'Manage licenses for the Redpanda Operator' section covering
enterprise.licenseSecretRef and per-cluster licensing via the Redpanda and
StretchCluster resources.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
…ect product entitlement

Replace the bespoke license sentence on the pipelines page with the shared
enterprise-license partial, and state everywhere the license is discussed
(notice, prerequisites, license behavior, troubleshooting, licensing overview
table) that the license must include the Redpanda Connect product — matching
the operator's IncludesProduct(ProductConnect) check.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
david-yu and others added 2 commits July 24, 2026 14:16
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
The Pipeline resource ships as a beta feature in the 26.2 GA operator
(redpanda-operator#1677 merged to main on July 22), so remove the
draft-hold markers and keep the release-note section under v26.2.x.

Also apply standards review fixes:

- Rename the page to 'Run Redpanda Connect Pipelines in Kubernetes'
  (verb phrase for a how-to)
- Use the standard beta notice on both pipeline pages, including the
  autoscaling page, which set page-beta without an in-body disclosure
- Mark the feature (beta) at its other discovery surfaces: the CRD
  index row, the licensing overview row, and the Kafka Connect page
- Replace list-bullet double hyphens with colons in the release notes
- Split semicolon-joined sentences, fix a passive section opener,
  avoid starting a sentence with inline code, spell out IAM on first
  use, and add lead-in sentences before the status command and the
  troubleshooting table
- Cross-link the Redpanda Connect operator install guide from Next
  steps (resolves when rp-connect-docs#457 merges)
@JakeSCahill
JakeSCahill requested a review from david-yu July 27, 2026 07:43
Register the shared badge inline macro in the playbook (already used
by cloud-docs; the docs playbook never registered it, which is why no
page here could use it) and apply badge::[label=beta] at the places
where beta status applies to a feature mention inside a GA page: the
CRD index row, the licensing overview row, and the Kafka Connect page
cross-link. Whole-page beta status stays on the page-beta attribute.
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