Instances Overview

Open edX instances run in dedicated Kubernetes namespaces and are managed via ArgoCD and Tutor-generated manifests. Each instance has its own configuration, databases, and storage.

Topics

• Provisioning - Creating a new instance (databases, storage, namespace, ArgoCD application)
• Deprovisioning - Deleting an instance and cleaning up resources
• Configuration - Instance config files (e.g. config.yml), Tutor settings, and secrets
• Docker Images - Building and publishing images with Picasso
• Auto-scaling - Scaling instance workloads
• Tracking Logs - Accessing and following instance logs
• Logging - Log aggregation and storage
• Monitoring - Metrics and health checks for instances
• Debugging - Common issues and troubleshooting

Lifecycle

1. Create - launchpad_create_instance or GitHub Actions “Create Instance” workflow
2. Build - Trigger image builds (e.g. openedx, MFE) via Picasso/GitHub Actions
3. Deploy - ArgoCD syncs the instance application from the cluster repo
4. Operate - Configure, scale, monitor, and debug as needed
5. Delete - launchpad_delete_instance or “Delete Instance” workflow when the instance is no longer needed

Related Documentation

• Introduction - Documentation home
• Infrastructure Overview - Cluster components (ArgoCD, Argo Workflows, Tutor, Picasso, Drydock)
• Provisioning - Creating a new instance
• Deprovisioning - Deleting an instance

See Also

• Configuration - Instance config and manifests
• Docker Images - Building images with Picasso
• Cluster Overview - Cluster operations
• User Guides Overview - Task-based guides