Executive Summary

China Mobile Cloud has successfully leveraged KubeBlocks to streamline database operations across their massive cloud infrastructure, serving 35,000+ customers and managing 130,000+ database clusters. This implementation demonstrates significant efficiency gains with 50% reduced development effort and 71% less code required for new database integrations.

I. Operational Challenges at Scale

Platform Overview

China Mobile Cloud operates one of the largest DBaaS platforms in the industry, supporting:

• Customer Base: 35,000+ enterprises across 9 major sectors (government, telecommunications, finance, healthcare, education)
• Infrastructure Scale: 15 regions, 31 availability zones
• Database Fleet: 130,000+ cluster instances
• Architecture: Cloud-native, Kubernetes-based deployment

Database Portfolio

The platform manages a comprehensive database ecosystem:

• Transactional Databases: Mission-critical OLTP workloads
• Analytics & Search: Data warehousing and real-time analytics
• NoSQL Solutions: Document, key-value, and graph databases
• Proprietary Engines: Custom-developed database solutions

Core Challenges

1. Operator Fragmentation

Each database engine required a dedicated Operator, creating several issues:

• Knowledge Silos: Developers couldn't easily transition between different database Operators
• Resource Inefficiency: Inflexible team allocation across database projects
• Maintenance Overhead: Multiple codebases with divergent architectures

2. High Development Barriers

Operator development demanded expertise in both:

• Deep database engine internals
• Complex Kubernetes Operator frameworks
• Specialized container orchestration patterns

3. New Engine Integration Bottlenecks

For internally-developed database engines:

• Ground-up Development: No existing Operators available
• Specialized Teams Required: Scarce talent with dual database/Kubernetes expertise
• Significant Code Duplication: Similar logic rewritten for each engine
• Extended Time-to-Market: Lengthy development cycles for new database services

II. Solution Architecture with KubeBlocks

Why KubeBlocks?

KubeBlocks addresses China Mobile's core challenges through its unified approach:

Universal Operator Framework

• Single Operator manages multiple database types
• Unified CRD set across all engines
• Shared knowledge base and development practices
• Flexible resource allocation across teams

Low-Code Development Model

• Addon-Based Integration: Helm charts with CR objects replace custom Operators
• Declarative Configuration: YAML-based engine definitions
• Simplified Scripting: Minimal functional scripts required
• Reduced Complexity: Focus on database logic, not orchestration framework

Database-Optimized Platform

Comprehensive coverage of database management operations:

• Lifecycle management
• Backup and recovery
• Configuration management
• High availability
• Extensible architecture for custom operations

III. Implementation H-DB Addon

Project Context

China Mobile developed H-DB, a cloud-native distributed database with compute-storage separation architecture. This complex system presented an ideal test case for KubeBlocks capabilities.

Development Process

Phase 1: Foundation Setup

• Designed cluster topology with compute and data node components
• Created initial ClusterDefinition framework
• Configured ClusterVersion with container images
• Validated basic Pod startup and addon installation

Phase 2: Core Functionality

• Enhanced ClusterDefinition with proper configuration parameters
• Developed cluster bootstrap scripts
• Implemented ConfigMap-based parameter management
• Achieved functional cluster deployment

Phase 3: Advanced Features

• Integrated backup and recovery through ActionSet CRs
• Implemented ConfigConstraint for dynamic parameter control
• Enabled high availability with role detection
• Added observability sidecars for metrics and logging

Phase 4: Production Readiness

• Created multiple ClusterVersions for different kernel releases
• Completed comprehensive testing and validation
• Deployed production-ready addon

Results and Metrics

Development Efficiency

• Timeline: 2 months vs. estimated 6 months for traditional Operator
• Team Size: 1 developer vs. typical 3-person specialized team
• Code Volume: 2,000 lines vs. 7,000+ lines for equivalent Operator
• Resource Savings: 67% reduction in development effort

Quality Improvements

• Reduced bug potential through less custom code
• Accelerated integration timeline for new engines
• Standardized development practices across teams

IV. Strategic Impact and Future Vision

Immediate Benefits

• Accelerated Time-to-Market: Faster database service launches
• Resource Optimization: More efficient allocation of development talent
• Operational Consistency: Unified management across database types
• Risk Reduction: Less custom code means fewer potential issues

Future Roadmap

Expanded Integration

• Additional database engines planned for KubeBlocks migration
• Comprehensive platform evaluation and upgrade planning
• Advanced feature adoption as KubeBlocks evolves

Unified Cloud-Native DBaaS Vision

Target architecture includes:

• Multi-Cloud Orchestration: Consistent deployment across infrastructure types
• Unified API Layer: Single interface for all database operations
• Serverless Kubernetes: On-demand, elastic database deployment
• Universal Management: Support for public, private, dedicated, and edge clouds

Long-Term Projections

• 50% Development Resource Savings across all database engines
• Standardized Operations reducing training and onboarding time
• Enhanced Agility enabling rapid response to market demands
• Improved Reliability through battle-tested, community-driven framework

Conclusion

China Mobile's KubeBlocks implementation demonstrates how modern orchestration frameworks can transform large-scale database operations. By reducing complexity, standardizing practices, and accelerating development cycles, the platform enables China Mobile to focus on core business value while maintaining operational excellence at an unprecedented scale.

The success with H-DB integration validates KubeBlocks as a strategic foundation for China Mobile's evolving cloud-native database platform, positioning the company for continued innovation and market leadership.