Crossplane Compositions Training

Design and build production-grade infrastructure APIs with this 3-day deep dive into Crossplane Compositions. Learn advanced XRD schema design, composition functions, patch transforms, and patterns for building flexible, reusable infrastructure abstractions.

Training Details

Duration	3 days (24 hours)
Level	Intermediate
Delivery	In-person, Live online, Hybrid
Certification	N/A

Who Is This For?

• Platform engineers designing infrastructure APIs
• Crossplane users building complex compositions
• DevOps engineers creating self-service platforms
• Teams standardizing infrastructure provisioning

Learning Outcomes

After completing this training, participants will be able to:

• Design robust XRD schemas with OpenAPI validation
• Build complex Compositions with advanced patch types
• Use Composition Functions for programmatic logic
• Implement composition revision and update strategies
• Test Compositions with automated validation
• Build a library of reusable infrastructure APIs

Detailed Agenda

Day 1: Advanced XRD Design

Module 1: XRD Schema Design Patterns

• OpenAPI v3 schema best practices
• Required vs optional fields and defaults
• Enum constraints and validation
• Hands-on: Design XRDs for database, network, and application infrastructure

Module 2: Advanced Patch Transforms

• String, math, and map transforms
• Combine patches from multiple fields
• Convert and format transforms
• Hands-on: Build Compositions with complex patch logic

Module 3: Resource References and Dependencies

• Cross-resource references and selectors
• Connection details propagation
• Resource ordering and dependencies
• Hands-on: Compose multi-resource infrastructure with connection details

Day 2: Composition Functions

Module 4: Introduction to Composition Functions

• Why functions — limitations of patch-and-transform
• Function pipeline architecture
• Built-in functions (patch-and-transform, go-templating, auto-ready)
• Hands-on: Convert patch-based Compositions to function pipelines

Module 5: Go Templating Function

• Go template syntax for resource rendering
• Conditional resource creation
• Looping and dynamic resource generation
• Hands-on: Build dynamic Compositions with go-templating

Module 6: Custom Composition Functions

• Function SDK and development workflow
• Writing functions in Go or Python
• Testing and packaging functions
• Hands-on: Develop a custom Composition Function

Day 3: Production Patterns

Module 7: Composition Revisions and Updates

• Revision policies and update strategies
• Breaking vs non-breaking changes
• Migration patterns for existing resources
• Hands-on: Implement safe Composition updates

Module 8: Testing and Validation

• Unit testing Compositions with crossplane-cli render
• Integration testing with real providers
• Policy validation with Kyverno or OPA
• Hands-on: Build a CI pipeline for Composition testing

Module 9: Composition Library Design

• Organizing Compositions in packages
• Configuration packages for distribution
• Versioning and dependency management
• Hands-on: Build and publish a Composition library

Prerequisites

• Crossplane Fundamentals or equivalent experience
• Strong Kubernetes knowledge (CRDs, controllers, RBAC)
• Basic programming experience (Go or Python helpful for functions)

Delivery Formats

Format	Description
In-Person	On-site at your company's location, hands-on with direct interaction
Live Online	Interactive virtual sessions with screen sharing and real-time labs
Hybrid	Combination of on-site and remote sessions, flexible scheduling

All formats include hands-on labs, course materials, and post-training support.