Controllers: Make available as a target (#110357)

* Controllers: Add to build process
* Allow setting through env variables

.gitignore

@@ -94,6 +94,8 @@ example-apiserver/
 /devenv/docker/blocks/auth/openldap/certs/
 
 conf/custom.ini
+conf/operator.ini
+conf/storage.ini
 
 /conf/provisioning/**/*.yaml
 !/conf/provisioning/**/sample.yaml

apps/provisioning/cmd/job-controller/Makefile

@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-.PHONY: build clean test
-BINARY_NAME=job-controller
-BUILD_DIR=bin
-LDFLAGS=-w -s
-
-build:
-	@echo "Building $(BINARY_NAME)..."
-	@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
-	go build -ldflags="$(LDFLAGS)" -o $(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_NAME) .
-
-clean:
-	@echo "Cleaning..."
-	@rm -rf $(BUILD_DIR)
-run:
-	@echo "Running $(BINARY_NAME)..."
-	./$(BUILD_DIR)/$(BINARY_NAME)
-
-install:
-	@echo "Installing $(BINARY_NAME)..."
-	go install .
-
-help:
-	@echo "Available targets:"
-	@echo "  build   - Build the binary"
-	@echo "  clean   - Clean build artifacts"
-	@echo "  run     - Run the binary"
-	@echo "  install - Install the binary"
-	@echo "  help    - Show this help"

apps/provisioning/cmd/job-controller/main.go

@@ -1,234 +0,0 @@
-package main
-
-import (
-	"context"
-	"crypto/x509"
-	"flag"
-	"fmt"
-	"log/slog"
-	"net/http"
-	"os"
-	"os/signal"
-	"syscall"
-	"time"
-
-	"github.com/grafana/authlib/authn"
-	"github.com/grafana/grafana-app-sdk/logging"
-	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
-	"k8s.io/client-go/rest"
-	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/cache"
-	"k8s.io/client-go/transport"
-
-	authrt "github.com/grafana/grafana/apps/provisioning/pkg/auth"
-	"github.com/grafana/grafana/apps/provisioning/pkg/controller"
-	client "github.com/grafana/grafana/apps/provisioning/pkg/generated/clientset/versioned"
-	informer "github.com/grafana/grafana/apps/provisioning/pkg/generated/informers/externalversions"
-)
-
-var (
-	token                 = flag.String("token", "", "Token to use for authentication")
-	tokenExchangeURL      = flag.String("token-exchange-url", "", "Token exchange URL")
-	provisioningServerURL = flag.String("provisioning-server-url", "", "Provisioning server URL")
-	tlsInsecure           = flag.Bool("tls-insecure", true, "Skip TLS certificate verification")
-	tlsCertFile           = flag.String("tls-cert-file", "", "Path to TLS certificate file")
-	tlsKeyFile            = flag.String("tls-key-file", "", "Path to TLS private key file")
-	tlsCAFile             = flag.String("tls-ca-file", "", "Path to TLS CA certificate file")
-)
-
-func main() {
-	app := &cli.App{
-		Name:  "job-controller",
-		Usage: "Watch provisioning jobs and manage job history cleanup",
-		Flags: []cli.Flag{
-			&cli.StringFlag{
-				Name:        "token",
-				Usage:       "Token to use for authentication",
-				Value:       "",
-				Destination: token,
-			},
-			&cli.StringFlag{
-				Name:        "token-exchange-url",
-				Usage:       "Token exchange URL",
-				Value:       "",
-				Destination: tokenExchangeURL,
-			},
-			&cli.StringFlag{
-				Name:        "provisioning-server-url",
-				Usage:       "Provisioning server URL",
-				Value:       "",
-				Destination: provisioningServerURL,
-			},
-			&cli.BoolFlag{
-				Name:        "tls-insecure",
-				Usage:       "Skip TLS certificate verification",
-				Value:       true,
-				Destination: tlsInsecure,
-			},
-			&cli.StringFlag{
-				Name:        "tls-cert-file",
-				Usage:       "Path to TLS certificate file",
-				Value:       "",
-				Destination: tlsCertFile,
-			},
-			&cli.StringFlag{
-				Name:        "tls-key-file",
-				Usage:       "Path to TLS private key file",
-				Value:       "",
-				Destination: tlsKeyFile,
-			},
-			&cli.StringFlag{
-				Name:        "tls-ca-file",
-				Usage:       "Path to TLS CA certificate file",
-				Value:       "",
-				Destination: tlsCAFile,
-			},
-			&cli.DurationFlag{
-				Name:  "history-expiration",
-				Usage: "Duration after which HistoricJobs are deleted; 0 disables cleanup. When the Provisioning API is configured to use Loki for job history, leave this at 0.",
-				Value: 0,
-			},
-		},
-		Action: runJobController,
-	}
-
-	if err := app.Run(os.Args); err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: %v\n", err)
-		os.Exit(1)
-	}
-}
-
-func runJobController(c *cli.Context) error {
-	// TODO: Wire notifications into a ConcurrentJobDriver when a client-backed Store and Workers are available.
-	// For now, just log notifications to verify events end-to-end.
-	logger := logging.NewSLogLogger(slog.NewJSONHandler(os.Stdout, &slog.HandlerOptions{
-		Level: slog.LevelDebug,
-	})).With("logger", "provisioning-job-controller")
-	logger.Info("Starting provisioning job controller")
-
-	tokenExchangeClient, err := authn.NewTokenExchangeClient(authn.TokenExchangeConfig{
-		TokenExchangeURL: *tokenExchangeURL,
-		Token:            *token,
-	})
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create token exchange client: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	tlsConfig, err := buildTLSConfig()
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to build TLS configuration: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	config := &rest.Config{
-		APIPath: "/apis",
-		Host:    *provisioningServerURL,
-		WrapTransport: transport.WrapperFunc(func(rt http.RoundTripper) http.RoundTripper {
-			return authrt.NewRoundTripper(tokenExchangeClient, rt)
-		}),
-		TLSClientConfig: tlsConfig,
-	}
-
-	provisioningClient, err := client.NewForConfig(config)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create provisioning client: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
-	defer cancel()
-
-	sigChan := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
-	signal.Notify(sigChan, syscall.SIGINT, syscall.SIGTERM)
-	go func() {
-		<-sigChan
-		fmt.Println("Received shutdown signal, stopping controllers")
-		cancel()
-	}()
-
-	// Jobs informer and controller (resync ~60s like in register.go)
-	jobInformerFactory := informer.NewSharedInformerFactoryWithOptions(
-		provisioningClient,
-		60*time.Second,
-	)
-	jobInformer := jobInformerFactory.Provisioning().V0alpha1().Jobs()
-	jobController, err := controller.NewJobController(jobInformer)
-	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create job controller: %w", err)
-	}
-
-	logger.Info("jobs controller started")
-	notifications := jobController.InsertNotifications()
-	go func() {
-		for {
-			select {
-			case <-ctx.Done():
-				return
-			case <-notifications:
-				logger.Info("job create notification received")
-			}
-		}
-	}()
-
-	// Optionally enable history cleanup if a positive expiration is provided
-	historyExpiration := c.Duration("history-expiration")
-	var startHistoryInformers func()
-	if historyExpiration > 0 {
-		// History jobs informer and controller (separate factory with resync == expiration)
-		historyInformerFactory := informer.NewSharedInformerFactoryWithOptions(
-			provisioningClient,
-			historyExpiration,
-		)
-		historyJobInformer := historyInformerFactory.Provisioning().V0alpha1().HistoricJobs()
-		_, err = controller.NewHistoryJobController(
-			provisioningClient.ProvisioningV0alpha1(),
-			historyJobInformer,
-			historyExpiration,
-		)
-		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("failed to create history job controller: %w", err)
-		}
-		logger.Info("history cleanup enabled", "expiration", historyExpiration.String())
-		startHistoryInformers = func() { historyInformerFactory.Start(ctx.Done()) }
-	} else {
-		startHistoryInformers = func() {}
-	}
-
-	// Start informers
-	go jobInformerFactory.Start(ctx.Done())
-	go startHistoryInformers()
-
-	// Optionally wait for job cache sync; history cleanup can rely on resync events
-	if !cache.WaitForCacheSync(ctx.Done(), jobInformer.Informer().HasSynced) {
-		return fmt.Errorf("failed to sync job informer cache")
-	}
-
-	<-ctx.Done()
-	return nil
-}
-
-func buildTLSConfig() (rest.TLSClientConfig, error) {
-	tlsConfig := rest.TLSClientConfig{
-		Insecure: *tlsInsecure,
-	}
-
-	// If client certificate and key are provided
-	if *tlsCertFile != "" && *tlsKeyFile != "" {
-		tlsConfig.CertFile = *tlsCertFile
-		tlsConfig.KeyFile = *tlsKeyFile
-	}
-
-	// If CA certificate is provided
-	if *tlsCAFile != "" {
-		caCert, err := os.ReadFile(*tlsCAFile)
-		if err != nil {
-			return tlsConfig, fmt.Errorf("failed to read CA certificate file: %w", err)
-		}
-
-		caCertPool := x509.NewCertPool()
-		if !caCertPool.AppendCertsFromPEM(caCert) {
-			return tlsConfig, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse CA certificate")
-		}
-
-		tlsConfig.CAData = caCert
-	}
-
-	return tlsConfig, nil
-}

apps/provisioning/pkg/operators/README.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 > [!WARNING]
 > This controller has current limitations:
 >
-> - This binary does not start the ConcurrentJobDriver yet. Notifications are logged but not consumed by workers here.
+> - Does not start the ConcurrentJobDriver yet. Notifications are logged but not consumed by workers here.
 > - Job processing (claim/renew/update/complete) isn't implemented yet as it requires refactoring of some components.
 
 ### Behavior
@@ -43,55 +43,62 @@ This binary currently wires informers and emits job-create notifications. In the
 
 ### How to run
 
-1. Build from this folder:
+1. Build grafana:
    - `make build`
 2. Ensure the following services are running locally: provisioning API server, secrets service API server, repository controller, unified storage, and auth.
+3. Create a operator.ini file:
+```
+[operator]
+provisioning_server_url = https://localhost:6446
+tls_insecure = true
+
+[grpc_client_authentication]
+token = ProvisioningAdminToken
+token_exchange_url = http://localhost:6481/sign/access-token
+# Uncomment to enable history cleanup via Loki. First ensure the Provisioning API is configured with Loki for job history (see `createJobHistoryConfigFromSettings` in `pkg/registry/apis/provisioning/register.go`).
+# history_expiration = 24h  
+```
 3. Start the controller:
-   - Using Loki for job history:
+  - `GF_DEFAULT_TARGET=operator GF_OPERATOR_NAME=provisioning-jobs ./bin/darwin-arm64/grafana server target --config=conf/operator.ini`
-     - Ensure the Provisioning API is configured with Loki for job history (see `createJobHistoryConfigFromSettings` in `pkg/registry/apis/provisioning/register.go`).
-     - Run without history cleanup:
-       - `./bin/job-controller --token-exchange-url=http://localhost:6481/sign/access-token --token=ProvisioningAdminToken --provisioning-server-url=https://localhost:6446`
-   - Without Loki (local/dev or when Loki is unavailable):
-     - Run without cleanup:
-       - `./bin/job-controller --token-exchange-url=http://localhost:6481/sign/access-token --token=ProvisioningAdminToken --provisioning-server-url=https://localhost:6446`
-     - Or enable local HistoricJobs cleanup with a retention window:
-       - `./bin/job-controller --token-exchange-url=http://localhost:6481/sign/access-token --token=ProvisioningAdminToken --provisioning-server-url=https://localhost:6446 --history-expiration=30s`
 
 #### TLS Configuration Examples
 
 - **Production with proper TLS verification**:
+```
+[operator]
+provisioning_server_url = https://localhost:6446
+tls_insecure = false
+tls_ca_file = /path/to/ca-cert.pem
 
-  ```bash
+[grpc_client_authentication]
-  ./bin/job-controller \
+token = ProvisioningAdminToken
-    --token-exchange-url=http://localhost:6481/sign/access-token \
+token_exchange_url = http://localhost:6481/sign/access-token
-    --token=ProvisioningAdminToken \
+```
-    --provisioning-server-url=https://provisioning.example.com:6446 \
-    --tls-insecure=false \
-    --tls-ca-file=/path/to/ca-cert.pem
-  ```
 
 - **Mutual TLS authentication**:
+```
+[operator]
+provisioning_server_url = https://localhost:6446
+tls_insecure = false
+tls_ca_file = /path/to/ca-cert.pem
+tls_cert_file = /path/to/client-cert.pem 
+tls_key_file = /path/to/client-key.pem
 
-  ```bash
+[grpc_client_authentication]
-  ./bin/job-controller \
+token = ProvisioningAdminToken
-    --token-exchange-url=http://localhost:6481/sign/access-token \
+token_exchange_url = http://localhost:6481/sign/access-token
-    --token=ProvisioningAdminToken \
+```
-    --provisioning-server-url=https://provisioning.example.com:6446 \
-    --tls-insecure=false \
-    --tls-ca-file=/path/to/ca-cert.pem \
-    --tls-cert-file=/path/to/client-cert.pem \
-    --tls-key-file=/path/to/client-key.pem
-  ```
 
 - **Development with self-signed certificates (insecure)**:
+```
+[operator]
+provisioning_server_url = https://localhost:6446
+tls_insecure = true
 
-  ```bash
+[grpc_client_authentication]
-  ./bin/job-controller \
+token = ProvisioningAdminToken
-    --token-exchange-url=http://localhost:6481/sign/access-token \
+token_exchange_url = http://localhost:6481/sign/access-token
-    --token=ProvisioningAdminToken \
+```
-    --provisioning-server-url=https://localhost:6446 \
-    --tls-insecure=true
-  ```
 
 ### Expected behavior
 

apps/provisioning/pkg/operators/register.go

@@ -0,0 +1,210 @@
+package operators
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"crypto/x509"
+	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
+	"net/http"
+	"os"
+	"os/signal"
+	"syscall"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/grafana/authlib/authn"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana-app-sdk/logging"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/rest"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/tools/cache"
+	"k8s.io/client-go/transport"
+
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/server"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/apiserver/standalone"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/setting"
+
+	authrt "github.com/grafana/grafana/apps/provisioning/pkg/auth"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/apps/provisioning/pkg/controller"
+	client "github.com/grafana/grafana/apps/provisioning/pkg/generated/clientset/versioned"
+	informer "github.com/grafana/grafana/apps/provisioning/pkg/generated/informers/externalversions"
+)
+
+func init() {
+	server.RegisterOperator(server.Operator{
+		Name:        "provisioning-jobs",
+		Description: "Watch provisioning jobs and manage job history cleanup",
+		RunFunc:     runJobController,
+	})
+}
+
+type controllerConfig struct {
+	provisioningClient *client.Clientset
+	historyExpiration  time.Duration
+}
+
+func runJobController(opts standalone.BuildInfo, c *cli.Context, cfg *setting.Cfg) error {
+	logger := logging.NewSLogLogger(slog.NewJSONHandler(os.Stdout, &slog.HandlerOptions{
+		Level: slog.LevelDebug,
+	})).With("logger", "provisioning-job-controller")
+	logger.Info("Starting provisioning job controller")
+
+	controllerCfg, err := setupFromConfig(cfg)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to setup operator: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+
+	sigChan := make(chan os.Signal, 1)
+	signal.Notify(sigChan, syscall.SIGINT, syscall.SIGTERM)
+	go func() {
+		<-sigChan
+		fmt.Println("Received shutdown signal, stopping controllers")
+		cancel()
+	}()
+
+	// Jobs informer and controller (resync ~60s like in register.go)
+	jobInformerFactory := informer.NewSharedInformerFactoryWithOptions(
+		controllerCfg.provisioningClient,
+		60*time.Second,
+	)
+	jobInformer := jobInformerFactory.Provisioning().V0alpha1().Jobs()
+	jobController, err := controller.NewJobController(jobInformer)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create job controller: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	logger.Info("jobs controller started")
+	notifications := jobController.InsertNotifications()
+	go func() {
+		for {
+			select {
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				return
+			case <-notifications:
+				logger.Info("job create notification received")
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+
+	var startHistoryInformers func()
+	if controllerCfg.historyExpiration > 0 {
+		// History jobs informer and controller (separate factory with resync == expiration)
+		historyInformerFactory := informer.NewSharedInformerFactoryWithOptions(
+			controllerCfg.provisioningClient,
+			controllerCfg.historyExpiration,
+		)
+		historyJobInformer := historyInformerFactory.Provisioning().V0alpha1().HistoricJobs()
+		_, err = controller.NewHistoryJobController(
+			controllerCfg.provisioningClient.ProvisioningV0alpha1(),
+			historyJobInformer,
+			controllerCfg.historyExpiration,
+		)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to create history job controller: %w", err)
+		}
+		logger.Info("history cleanup enabled", "expiration", controllerCfg.historyExpiration.String())
+		startHistoryInformers = func() { historyInformerFactory.Start(ctx.Done()) }
+	} else {
+		startHistoryInformers = func() {}
+	}
+
+	// Start informers
+	go jobInformerFactory.Start(ctx.Done())
+	go startHistoryInformers()
+
+	// Optionally wait for job cache sync; history cleanup can rely on resync events
+	if !cache.WaitForCacheSync(ctx.Done(), jobInformer.Informer().HasSynced) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to sync job informer cache")
+	}
+
+	<-ctx.Done()
+	return nil
+}
+
+func setupFromConfig(cfg *setting.Cfg) (controllerCfg *controllerConfig, err error) {
+	if cfg == nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("no configuration available")
+	}
+
+	gRPCAuth := cfg.SectionWithEnvOverrides("grpc_client_authentication")
+	token := gRPCAuth.Key("token").String()
+	if token == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("token is required in [grpc_client_authentication] section")
+	}
+	tokenExchangeURL := gRPCAuth.Key("token_exchange_url").String()
+	if tokenExchangeURL == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("token_exchange_url is required in [grpc_client_authentication] section")
+	}
+
+	operatorSec := cfg.SectionWithEnvOverrides("operator")
+	provisioningServerURL := operatorSec.Key("provisioning_server_url").String()
+	if provisioningServerURL == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("provisioning_server_url is required in [operator] section")
+	}
+	tlsInsecure := operatorSec.Key("tls_insecure").MustBool(false)
+	tlsCertFile := operatorSec.Key("tls_cert_file").String()
+	tlsKeyFile := operatorSec.Key("tls_key_file").String()
+	tlsCAFile := operatorSec.Key("tls_ca_file").String()
+
+	tokenExchangeClient, err := authn.NewTokenExchangeClient(authn.TokenExchangeConfig{
+		TokenExchangeURL: tokenExchangeURL,
+		Token:            token,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create token exchange client: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	tlsConfig, err := buildTLSConfig(tlsInsecure, tlsCertFile, tlsKeyFile, tlsCAFile)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to build TLS configuration: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	config := &rest.Config{
+		APIPath: "/apis",
+		Host:    provisioningServerURL,
+		WrapTransport: transport.WrapperFunc(func(rt http.RoundTripper) http.RoundTripper {
+			return authrt.NewRoundTripper(tokenExchangeClient, rt)
+		}),
+		TLSClientConfig: tlsConfig,
+	}
+
+	provisioningClient, err := client.NewForConfig(config)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to create provisioning client: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	return &controllerConfig{
+		provisioningClient: provisioningClient,
+		historyExpiration:  operatorSec.Key("history_expiration").MustDuration(0),
+	}, nil
+}
+
+func buildTLSConfig(insecure bool, certFile, keyFile, caFile string) (rest.TLSClientConfig, error) {
+	tlsConfig := rest.TLSClientConfig{
+		Insecure: insecure,
+	}
+
+	if certFile != "" && keyFile != "" {
+		tlsConfig.CertFile = certFile
+		tlsConfig.KeyFile = keyFile
+	}
+
+	if caFile != "" {
+		// caFile is set in operator.ini file
+		// nolint:gosec
+		caCert, err := os.ReadFile(caFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return tlsConfig, fmt.Errorf("failed to read CA certificate file: %w", err)
+		}
+
+		caCertPool := x509.NewCertPool()
+		if !caCertPool.AppendCertsFromPEM(caCert) {
+			return tlsConfig, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse CA certificate")
+		}
+
+		tlsConfig.CAData = caCert
+	}
+
+	return tlsConfig, nil
+}

pkg/cmd/grafana-server/commands/target.go

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import (
 func TargetCommand(version, commit, buildBranch, buildstamp string) *cli.Command {
 	return &cli.Command{
 		Name:  "target",
-		Usage: "target specific grafana dskit services",
+		Usage: "target specific grafana services",
 		Flags: commonFlags,
 		Action: func(context *cli.Context) error {
 			return RunTargetServer(standalone.BuildInfo{

pkg/cmd/grafana/main.go

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/fatih/color"
 	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 
+	_ "github.com/grafana/grafana/apps/provisioning/pkg/operators"
 	gcli "github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/cmd/grafana-cli/commands"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/cmd/grafana-server/commands"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/server"

pkg/modules/dependencies.go

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ const (
 	ZanzanaServer           string = "zanzana-server"
 	InstrumentationServer   string = "instrumentation-server"
 	FrontendServer          string = "frontend-server"
+	OperatorServer          string = "operator"
 )
 
 var dependencyMap = map[string][]string{
@@ -25,4 +26,5 @@ var dependencyMap = map[string][]string{
 	Core:                    {},
 	All:                     {Core},
 	FrontendServer:          {},
+	OperatorServer:          {InstrumentationServer},
 }

pkg/server/module_server.go

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/grafana/dskit/ring"
 	ringclient "github.com/grafana/dskit/ring/client"
 	"github.com/prometheus/client_golang/prometheus"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
 
 	"github.com/grafana/dskit/services"
 
@@ -21,6 +22,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/infra/log"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/infra/tracing"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/modules"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/apiserver/standalone"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/authz"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/featuremgmt"
 	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/frontend"
@@ -196,11 +198,40 @@ func (s *ModuleServer) Run() error {
 		return frontend.ProvideFrontendService(s.cfg, s.features, s.promGatherer, s.registerer, s.license)
 	})
 
+	m.RegisterModule(modules.OperatorServer, s.initOperatorServer)
+
 	m.RegisterModule(modules.All, nil)
 
 	return m.Run(s.context)
 }
 
+func (s *ModuleServer) initOperatorServer() (services.Service, error) {
+	operatorName := os.Getenv("GF_OPERATOR_NAME")
+	if operatorName == "" {
+		s.log.Debug("GF_OPERATOR_NAME environment variable empty or unset, can't start operator")
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+
+	for _, op := range GetRegisteredOperators() {
+		if op.Name == operatorName {
+			return services.NewBasicService(
+				nil,
+				func(ctx context.Context) error {
+					context := cli.NewContext(&cli.App{}, nil, nil)
+					return op.RunFunc(standalone.BuildInfo{
+						Version:     s.version,
+						Commit:      s.commit,
+						BuildBranch: s.buildBranch,
+					}, context, s.cfg)
+				},
+				nil,
+			).WithName("operator"), nil
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil, fmt.Errorf("unknown operator: %s. available operators: %v", operatorName, GetRegisteredOperatorNames())
+}
+
 // Shutdown initiates Grafana graceful shutdown. This shuts down all
 // running background services. Since Run blocks Shutdown supposed to
 // be run from a separate goroutine.

pkg/server/operator.go

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+package server
+
+import (
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/services/apiserver/standalone"
+	"github.com/grafana/grafana/pkg/setting"
+	"github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+)
+
+// Operator represents an app operator that is available in the Grafana binary
+type Operator struct {
+	Name        string
+	Description string
+	RunFunc     func(standalone.BuildInfo, *cli.Context, *setting.Cfg) error
+}
+
+var operatorsRegistry []Operator
+
+// RegisterOperator registers an app operator that is baked into the Grafana binary
+func RegisterOperator(operator Operator) {
+	operatorsRegistry = append(operatorsRegistry, operator)
+}
+
+// GetRegisteredOperators returns all registered operators
+func GetRegisteredOperators() []Operator {
+	return operatorsRegistry
+}
+
+// GetRegisteredOperatorNames returns the names of all registered operators
+func GetRegisteredOperatorNames() []string {
+	names := make([]string, len(operatorsRegistry))
+	for i, op := range operatorsRegistry {
+		names[i] = op.Name
+	}
+	return names
+}