Container Image Requirements

The CloudNativePG operator for Kubernetes is designed to work with any compatible PostgreSQL container image that meets the following requirements:

• PostgreSQL executables must be available in the system path:
• initdb
• postgres
• pg_ctl
• pg_controldata
• pg_basebackup
• Proper locale settings configured

Optional Components:

• PGAudit extension (only required if audit logging is needed)
• du (used for kubectl cnpg status)

No entry point or command is required in the image definition. CloudNativePG automatically overrides it with its instance manager.

The CloudNativePG community provides and maintains public PostgreSQL container images that are fully compatible with CloudNativePG. These images are published on ghcr.io.

Image Tag Requirements

To ensure the operator makes informed decisions, it must accurately detect the PostgreSQL major version. This detection can occur in two ways:

1. Utilizing the major field of the imageCatalogRef, if defined.
2. Auto-detecting the major version from the image tag of the imageName if not explicitly specified.

For auto-detection to work, the image tag must adhere to a specific format. It should commence with a valid PostgreSQL major version number (e.g., 15.6 or 16), optionally followed by a dot and the patch level.

Following this, the tag can include any character combination valid and accepted in a Docker tag, preceded by a dot, an underscore, or a minus sign.

Examples of accepted image tags:

• 12.1
• 13.3.2.1-1
• 13.4
• 14
• 15.5-10
• 16.0