operator-versioning

# Operator Version Mapping The operator is built from `operator/` in this repo and ships on the Calico version stream, so from master and any release branch cut after v3.32 there is no separate operator branch to map. Everything below is for v3.32 and earlier, where the operator was built from tigera/operator. The tigera/operator repo uses its own versioning (release-v1.X) that does NOT have a simple 1:1 offset with Calico versions. Some operator branches correspond to Calico OSS releases, others to Calico Enterprise releases, and the mapping changes over time. Never guess the mapping — always look it up. ## Calico version → operator branch The authoritative source is the `OPERATOR_BRANCH` variable in `metadata.mk`, which those release branches still carry: 1. **Calico OSS (projectcalico/calico)**: check `metadata.mk` on the `release-vX.Y` branch. ```bash git show origin/release-vX.Y:metadata.mk | grep OPERATOR_BRANCH ``` 2. **Calico Enterprise (tigera/calico-private)**: check `metadata.mk` on the appropriate `release-calient-*` branch. The branch naming convention is `release-calient-vX.Y-Z` where `-Z` is the EP (engineering preview) number (e.g., `release-calient-v3.23-1` = v3.23 EP1). List matching branches to find the right one: ```bash git branch -r | grep "release-calient-vX.Y" git show origin/release-calient-vX.Y-Z:metadata.mk | grep OPERATOR_BRANCH ``` 3. **Confirm** by checking `config/calico_versions.yml` or `config/enterprise_versions.yml` on the operator branch (in tigera/operator) — the `title` field shows the Calico/enterprise version that branch ships: ```bash git show origin/release-v1.XX:config/calico_versions.yml | head -3 git show origin/release-v1.XX:config/enterprise_versions.yml | head -3 ``` If you don't have the calico or calico-private repo locally, you can work backwards from the operator side: check `config/calico_versions.yml` on several candidate operator branches until you find the one whose `title` matches the target Calico version. ## Operator branch → Calico version Check the version files on the operator branch directly: ```bash git show origin/release-v1.XX:config/calico_versions.yml | head -3 git show origin/release-v1.XX:config/enterprise_versions.yml | head -3 ``` The `title` field in each file gives the Calico OSS and enterprise versions respectively. ## Important notes - Multiple operator branches can ship the same Calico OSS version (e.g., one paired with an OSS release, another with an enterprise release). The `metadata.mk` approach is definitive for a given Calico/enterprise release stream. - The GitHub releases page for tigera/operator can also help — it shows which operator versions were released from which branches and what Calico versions they include.