Skip to main content

Workflows

This page explains how Educates works from a workflow perspective, covering the lifecycle of workshops and sessions.

Workshop Deployment Workflow​

The following diagram illustrates how workshops are deployed and made available:

Step-by-Step Process​

  1. Workshop Definition: An administrator creates a Workshop Custom Resource that defines:

    • Workshop content location (Git repo or container image)
    • Resource requirements
    • Required capabilities
    • RBAC permissions

  2. Training Portal Creation: An administrator creates a TrainingPortal resource that:

    • References one or more workshops
    • Configures authentication
    • Sets up the web interface

  3. Workshop Environment Setup: The operator creates a WorkshopEnvironment for each workshop:

    • Sets up a namespace for the workshop
    • Deploys shared resources (common to all sessions)
    • Configures the environment according to workshop requirements

  4. Portal Registration: The workshop becomes available in the Training Portal catalog

User Session Workflow​

When a user accesses a workshop, the following workflow is triggered:

Session Creation Process​

  1. Session Request: User selects a workshop from the Training Portal
  2. Session Allocation: Portal checks for available pre-created sessions or creates a new one
  3. Namespace Creation: Session Manager creates a dedicated namespace for the session
  4. Resource Setup:
    • RBAC policies are applied
    • Resource quotas are set
    • Required secrets are injected
  5. Capability Deployment: Required capabilities are started:
    • Web terminal
    • VS Code editor
    • Kubernetes console
    • File server, Git server, etc.
  6. Per-Session Resources: Workshop-specific resources are deployed to the session namespace
  7. Session Access: User is redirected to the workshop session dashboard

Workshop Content Workflow​

The workflow for creating and publishing workshop content:

Content Development Process​

  1. Content Creation: Workshop authors write content in Markdown or AsciiDoc
  2. Local Testing: Content is tested using the local Educates environment
  3. Image Building: Content is packaged into an OCI container image
  4. Image Publishing: Image is pushed to a container registry
  5. Workshop Deployment: Workshop CR is created referencing the image
  6. Content Updates: For content-only changes, sessions can be updated without recreating

Session Lifecycle​

The lifecycle of a workshop session:

Session States​

  • Requested: User has requested access to a workshop
  • Allocating: Portal is finding or creating a session
  • Creating: Session resources are being created
  • Starting: Capabilities are being started
  • Ready: Session is ready but not yet accessed
  • Active: User is actively using the session
  • Idle: Session is active but user is inactive
  • Expired: Session has reached its time limit
  • Terminating: Session is being cleaned up

Resource Management Workflow​

How resources are managed across the platform:

Resource Hierarchy​

  1. Workshop Environment Resources: Deployed once per workshop, shared by all sessions
  2. Session Resources: Deployed per session, isolated to each user
  3. Resource Quotas: Applied at the session level to limit resource usage
  4. RBAC Policies: Applied at the session level to control access

Authentication and Authorization Workflow​

How users are authenticated and authorized:

Content Update Workflow​

How workshop content updates are handled:

Update Scenarios​

  1. Content-Only Updates: When only Markdown content changes:

    • Content can be updated in running sessions
    • No need to recreate workshop environments
    • Faster iteration during development

  2. Configuration Changes: When workshop configuration changes:

    • New container image must be built
    • Workshop CR must be updated
    • Workshop environments may need to be recreated
    • Existing sessions continue until they expire

Local Development Workflow​

The workflow for developing workshops locally:

Local Development Benefits​

  • Fast Iteration: Content updates can be tested immediately
  • Isolated Environment: No impact on production
  • Full Feature Set: Local environment includes all capabilities
  • Easy Debugging: Direct access to cluster and resources