// Module included in the following assemblies:
//
// * operators/understanding/olm-what-operators-are.adoc

:_mod-docs-content-type: CONCEPT
[id="olm-operator-framework_{context}"]
= Operator Framework

[role="_abstract"]
The Operator Framework is a set of open source tools for building, testing, delivering, and updating Operators. It includes Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM), the Operator Registry, and the software catalog.

Operator Lifecycle Manager::
Operator Lifecycle Manager (OLM) controls the installation, upgrade, and role-based access control (RBAC) of Operators in a cluster. It is deployed by default in 
ifndef::openshift-rosa,openshift-rosa-hcp,openshift-dedicated[]
{product-title} {product-version}.
endif::openshift-rosa,openshift-rosa-hcp,openshift-dedicated[]
ifdef::openshift-rosa,openshift-rosa-hcp,openshift-dedicated[]
{product-title}.
endif::openshift-rosa,openshift-rosa-hcp,openshift-dedicated[]

Operator Registry::
The Operator Registry stores cluster service versions (CSVs) and custom resource definitions (CRDs) for creation in a cluster and stores Operator metadata about packages and channels. It runs in a Kubernetes or OpenShift cluster to provide this Operator catalog data to OLM.

Software Catalog::
The software catalog is a web console for cluster administrators to discover and select Operators to install on their cluster. It is deployed by default in {product-title}.

These tools are designed to be composable, so you can use any that are useful to you.
