Consuming Patterns

3 min read

Before writing a single YAML file, check whether the pattern you need already exists in the registry. The consumption flow is: browse → inspect → pull → import.

Browse: ork patterns

ork patterns

Orkestra Registry
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
NAME              LATEST  KIND     E2E  TAGS                    DESCRIPTION
postgres          v1.0.0  Katalog  ✓    postgres, database,...  Declarative PostgreSQL...
redis             v1.0.0  Katalog  ✓    redis, cache,...        Declarative Redis...
web-service       v1.1.0  Motif    -    web, deployment,...     Deployment + Service +...
data-store        v1.0.0  Motif    -    statefulset, storage    StatefulSet + PVC + cr...

The E2E column shows whether the published artifact carries a verified E2E result. - for Motifs — Motifs have no E2E gate (they have no CRD to verify against; the proof lives in the Katalog that imports them).

Filter by kind or tag:

ork patterns --katalogs           # katalogs only
ork patterns --motifs             # motifs only
ork patterns --tag database       # any pattern tagged "database"

Browse a specific registry (not the default):

ork patterns oci://ghcr.io/myorg/katalogs

Inspect: read the quality signal before pulling

ork inspect fetches metadata from the registry without downloading any files. Use it to read simulate and E2E status, digest, and the exact import snippet — before committing to a pull.

ork inspect postgres:v1.0.0

postgres:v1.0.0
  Registry:    ghcr.io/orkspace/orkestra-registry/patterns/katalogs
  Kind:        Katalog
  Digest:      sha256:a3f1c8d20e4b7f9c1234567890abcdef...
  Pushed:      2026-05-24T10:00:00Z
  Size:        14.2 KB

  Description: Declarative PostgreSQL deployment operator

  Tags:        postgres, database, statefulset
  Author:      orkspace
  License:     Apache-2.0
  Simulate:    ✓ Verified · 3ms · tested 2 days ago
  E2E:         ✓ Verified · 48s · tested 2 days ago

  Files:
    katalog.yaml    5.1 KB
    crd.yaml        3.2 KB
    cr.yaml         512 B
    simulate.yaml   1.1 KB
    e2e.yaml        2.4 KB
    README.md       4.8 KB

To pull:
  ork pull postgres:v1.0.0

To import:
  imports:
    registry:
      - oci://ghcr.io/orkspace/orkestra-registry/patterns/katalogs/postgres:v1.0.0

The quality signals are baked into the OCI artifact as annotations. ork inspect reads them without downloading the layer content — fast and zero-cost.

For a motif:

ork inspect web-service:v1.1.0 --motif

View a specific file without pulling the full artifact:

ork inspect postgres:v1.0.0 --view simulate.yaml
ork inspect postgres:v1.0.0 --view katalog.yaml,cr.yaml

This lets you read the simulate assertions — the exact behavioral proof the author published — before deciding to import.

Pull: cache locally

ork pull postgres:v1.0.0

Downloaded to ~/.orkestra/registry/<registry>/<name>/<version>/. The CLI resolves the short name against ORK_REGISTRY.

Pull a motif:

ork pull web-service:v1.1.0 --motif

Pull all imports declared in a file:

ork pull -f komposer.yaml      # pulls every registry import in komposer.yaml
ork pull -f katalog.yaml       # pulls OCI motif imports

Extract to a local directory (for inspection or local editing):

ork pull postgres:v1.0.0 -o ./local-postgres

Force a re-download even if the version is already cached:

ork pull postgres:v1.0.0 --refresh

Import: use the pattern in a Komposer

The “To import:” snippet from ork inspect is the exact YAML to add to your Komposer:

# komposer.yaml
imports:
  registry:
    - oci://ghcr.io/orkspace/orkestra-registry/patterns/katalogs/postgres:v1.0.0

Override any CRD-level setting without modifying the upstream pattern:

imports:
  registry:
    - oci://ghcr.io/orkspace/orkestra-registry/patterns/katalogs/postgres:v1.0.0

spec:
  crds:
    postgres:
      workers: 8          # override the upstream default
      resync: 30s

Your inline spec.crds always wins over imported values. This is how platform teams customize community patterns for their environment.

Re-run the simulate assertions yourself

The artifact contains simulate.yaml. You can pull it and run the same assertions the author ran before publishing:

ork pull postgres:v1.0.0 -o ./postgres-pattern
cd ./postgres-pattern
ork simulate
# ✓ 3/3 assertions passed

This is the trust model: the author proved these assertions before publishing. You can verify the proof applies to your environment too — no cluster needed.

Try it

ork init --pack registry-guide
cd 00-consume
cat komposer.yaml          # imports postgres from the official registry
ork inspect postgres:v1.0.0
ork pull -f komposer.yaml