Capability Layer

Go up to Terms and Definitions

A Capability Layer is an Image Layer that adds a defined operational, platform, service, or workload capability to a source Machine Image.

The layer may add software packages, runtime services, configuration, policies, agents, orchestration components, monitoring tools, or workload-specific dependencies.

A Capability Layer separates capability-specific content from the operating-system, guest-configuration, and security-hardening layers on which it depends. This separation supports controlled change, reuse, comparison, and independent maintenance of the capability.

Applying a Capability Layer produces a Capability Image.

image layer that adds a defined operational, platform, service, or workload capability to a source machine image

Generalized from layered machine-image, platform-engineering, configuration-management, and workload-image usage and specialized for the Crucible architecture and operational model.

A Capability Layer identifies the controlled changes used to add a capability. A Capability Image identifies the resulting Machine Image after those changes have been applied.

A Capability Layer may depend on a specific operating-system family, processor architecture, security posture, or preceding Image Layer.

A Kubernetes Capability Layer adds container-runtime packages, Kubernetes services, node configuration, network components, and cluster-management tools to a Hardened Image.