a8r

Questions & Answers

What is a8r.io?

a8r.io is a convention for annotating Kubernetes services, developed by Ambassador Labs. It provides a standardized set of annotation keys to add human-readable metadata and links to external resources directly on service objects.

Who is the a8r.io annotation convention designed for?

The a8r.io annotation convention is designed for developers and operations teams managing Kubernetes services. It aims to improve clarity and discoverability of critical information associated with microservices.

How does a8r.io differ from standard Kubernetes labels or custom annotations?

While standard Kubernetes annotations are unstructured key-value pairs, a8r.io establishes a specific set of keys (e.g., a8r.io/owner, a8r.io/chat) with defined purposes. This standardization makes service metadata more consistent, discoverable, and machine-readable for tools that implement the convention.

When should I use the a8r.io convention for my Kubernetes services?

You should use the a8r.io convention when you want to make your Kubernetes services self-documenting for humans and integrate them with external tools. It's particularly useful in environments with many services where developers need quick access to owners, documentation, logs, or bug trackers.

Can you give examples of useful a8r.io annotations?

Key a8r.io annotations include a8r.io/owner for specifying the service owner (e.g., "@sallydev"), a8r.io/chat for a Slack channel link (e.g., "#my-service-chat"), and a8r.io/logs for linking to an external log viewer. Other examples include a8r.io/description, a8r.io/documentation, and a8r.io/repository.