OpenShift reference architecture · v1.0.0

Build around the contract.

A working reference architecture for contract-first delivery: design and publish an API independently, build providers and consumers against it, then release and promote through reviewable Git state.

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Developer Hub captures intent · Git records · Argo CD reconciles

Consumer

Producer

Contract

Reference architecture, expressed in three parts.

Contract-First IDP is published as a set of complementary reference artifacts. Together they show how the developer experience, trusted runtime implementation, and shared platform can fit together while keeping Git as the durable contract between layers.

Developer experience reference

Golden paths show how Developer Hub can capture catalog relationships and lifecycle intent as reviewable Git changes for APIs, Components, Resources, activation, and promotion.

Backstage → tenant Git

software-templates

Runtime implementation reference

Reusable charts show how reviewed tenant intent can be interpreted into namespaces, API publication, builds, workloads, releases, and managed resources.

tenant Git → desired state

developer-charts

Platform installation reference

The OpenShift reference target demonstrates the shared services and controllers that support the lifecycle: GitOps, Pipelines, Developer Hub, Dev Spaces, Quay, Registry, Microcks, identity, secrets, and operators.

Argo CD → OpenShift

platform-components

Latest from the blog

The architecture has been developed in the open. The older essays explain the principles; the v1.0.0 release shows where those ideas landed in a working reference implementation.

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Featured · Release August 2026

Contract-First IDP v1.0.0: Ready to Build On

v1.0.0 marks the point where Contract-First IDP becomes a tested, versioned reference architecture with clearer boundaries for users and contributors.

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May 2025