feat(operator): have Scaling Adapter disabled by default (#5180)

deploy/helm/charts/crds/templates/nvidia.com_dynamocomponentdeployments.yaml

@@ -10191,7 +10191,7 @@ spec:
                 replicas:
                   description: |-
                     Replicas is the desired number of Pods for this component.
-                    When scalingAdapter is enabled (default), this field is managed by the
+                    When scalingAdapter is enabled, this field is managed by the
                     DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter and should not be modified directly.
                   format: int32
                   minimum: 0
@@ -10276,15 +10276,15 @@ spec:
                 scalingAdapter:
                   description: |-
                     ScalingAdapter configures whether this service uses the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter.
-                    When enabled (default), replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale
+                    When enabled, replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale
                     the service using the Scale subresource. When disabled, replicas can be modified directly.
                   properties:
-                    disable:
+                    enabled:
                       default: false
                       description: |-
-                        Disable indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be disabled for this service.
-                        When false (default), a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.
-                        When true, no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD.
+                        Enabled indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be enabled for this service.
+                        When true, a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.
+                        When false (default), no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD.
                       type: boolean
                   type: object
                 serviceName:

deploy/helm/charts/crds/templates/nvidia.com_dynamographdeployments.yaml

@@ -10326,7 +10326,7 @@ spec:
                       replicas:
                         description: |-
                           Replicas is the desired number of Pods for this component.
-                          When scalingAdapter is enabled (default), this field is managed by the
+                          When scalingAdapter is enabled, this field is managed by the
                           DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter and should not be modified directly.
                         format: int32
                         minimum: 0
@@ -10411,15 +10411,15 @@ spec:
                       scalingAdapter:
                         description: |-
                           ScalingAdapter configures whether this service uses the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter.
-                          When enabled (default), replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale
+                          When enabled, replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale
                           the service using the Scale subresource. When disabled, replicas can be modified directly.
                         properties:
-                          disable:
+                          enabled:
                             default: false
                             description: |-
-                              Disable indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be disabled for this service.
-                              When false (default), a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.
-                              When true, no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD.
+                              Enabled indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be enabled for this service.
+                              When true, a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.
+                              When false (default), no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD.
                             type: boolean
                         type: object
                       serviceName:

deploy/operator/api/v1alpha1/common.go

@@ -125,13 +125,13 @@ type ExtraPodSpec struct {
 }
 
 // ScalingAdapter configures whether a service uses the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter
-// for replica management. When enabled (default), the DGDSA owns the replicas field and
+// for replica management. When enabled, the DGDSA owns the replicas field and
 // external autoscalers (HPA, KEDA, Planner) can control scaling via the Scale subresource.
 type ScalingAdapter struct {
-	// Disable indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be disabled for this service.
-	// When false (default), a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.
-	// When true, no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD.
+	// Enabled indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be enabled for this service.
+	// When true, a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.
+	// When false (default), no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD.
 	// +optional
 	// +kubebuilder:default=false
-	Disable bool `json:"disable,omitempty"`
+	Enabled bool `json:"enabled,omitempty"`
 }

deploy/operator/api/v1alpha1/dynamocomponentdeployment_types.go

@@ -111,14 +111,14 @@ type DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec struct {
 	// ReadinessProbe to signal when the container is ready to receive traffic.
 	ReadinessProbe *corev1.Probe `json:"readinessProbe,omitempty"`
 	// Replicas is the desired number of Pods for this component.
-	// When scalingAdapter is enabled (default), this field is managed by the
+	// When scalingAdapter is enabled, this field is managed by the
 	// DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter and should not be modified directly.
 	// +kubebuilder:validation:Minimum=0
 	Replicas *int32 `json:"replicas,omitempty"`
 	// Multinode is the configuration for multinode components.
 	Multinode *MultinodeSpec `json:"multinode,omitempty"`
 	// ScalingAdapter configures whether this service uses the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter.
-	// When enabled (default), replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale
+	// When enabled, replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale
 	// the service using the Scale subresource. When disabled, replicas can be modified directly.
 	// +optional
 	ScalingAdapter *ScalingAdapter `json:"scalingAdapter,omitempty"`

deploy/operator/config/crd/bases/nvidia.com_dynamocomponentdeployments.yaml

@@ -10191,7 +10191,7 @@ spec:
                 replicas:
                   description: |-
                     Replicas is the desired number of Pods for this component.
-                    When scalingAdapter is enabled (default), this field is managed by the
+                    When scalingAdapter is enabled, this field is managed by the
                     DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter and should not be modified directly.
                   format: int32
                   minimum: 0
@@ -10276,15 +10276,15 @@ spec:
                 scalingAdapter:
                   description: |-
                     ScalingAdapter configures whether this service uses the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter.
-                    When enabled (default), replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale
+                    When enabled, replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale
                     the service using the Scale subresource. When disabled, replicas can be modified directly.
                   properties:
-                    disable:
+                    enabled:
                       default: false
                       description: |-
-                        Disable indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be disabled for this service.
-                        When false (default), a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.
-                        When true, no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD.
+                        Enabled indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be enabled for this service.
+                        When true, a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.
+                        When false (default), no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD.
                       type: boolean
                   type: object
                 serviceName:

deploy/operator/config/crd/bases/nvidia.com_dynamographdeployments.yaml

@@ -10326,7 +10326,7 @@ spec:
                       replicas:
                         description: |-
                           Replicas is the desired number of Pods for this component.
-                          When scalingAdapter is enabled (default), this field is managed by the
+                          When scalingAdapter is enabled, this field is managed by the
                           DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter and should not be modified directly.
                         format: int32
                         minimum: 0
@@ -10411,15 +10411,15 @@ spec:
                       scalingAdapter:
                         description: |-
                           ScalingAdapter configures whether this service uses the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter.
-                          When enabled (default), replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale
+                          When enabled, replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale
                           the service using the Scale subresource. When disabled, replicas can be modified directly.
                         properties:
-                          disable:
+                          enabled:
                             default: false
                             description: |-
-                              Disable indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be disabled for this service.
-                              When false (default), a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.
-                              When true, no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD.
+                              Enabled indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be enabled for this service.
+                              When true, a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.
+                              When false (default), no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD.
                             type: boolean
                         type: object
                       serviceName:

deploy/operator/internal/controller/dynamographdeployment_controller.go

@@ -684,15 +684,15 @@ func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler) reconcilePVCs(ctx context.Context, dyn
 }
 
 // reconcileScalingAdapters ensures a DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter exists for each service in the DGD
-// that has scaling adapter enabled (default). Services with scalingAdapter.disable=true will not have a DGDSA.
+// that has scaling adapter explicitly enabled. Services without scalingAdapter.enabled=true will not have a DGDSA.
 // This enables pluggable autoscaling via HPA, KEDA, or Planner.
 func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler) reconcileScalingAdapters(ctx context.Context, dynamoDeployment *nvidiacomv1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeployment) error {
 	logger := log.FromContext(ctx)
 
 	// Process each service - SyncResource handles create, update, and delete via toDelete flag
 	for serviceName, component := range dynamoDeployment.Spec.Services {
-		// Check if scaling adapter is disabled for this service
-		scalingAdapterDisabled := component.ScalingAdapter != nil && component.ScalingAdapter.Disable
+		// Check if scaling adapter is enabled for this service (disabled by default)
+		scalingAdapterEnabled := component.ScalingAdapter != nil && component.ScalingAdapter.Enabled
 
 		// Get current replicas (default to 1 if not set)
 		currentReplicas := int32(1)
@@ -721,8 +721,8 @@ func (r *DynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler) reconcileScalingAdapters(ctx context.C
 					},
 				},
 			}
-			// Return toDelete=true if scaling adapter is disabled
-			return adapter, scalingAdapterDisabled, nil
+			// Return toDelete=true if scaling adapter is not enabled
+			return adapter, !scalingAdapterEnabled, nil
 		})
 
 		if err != nil {

deploy/operator/internal/controller/dynamographdeployment_controller_test.go

@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler_reconcileScalingAdapters(t *testing.T)
 		expectDeleted        []string         // adapter names that should be deleted
 	}{
 		{
-			name: "creates adapters for all services",
+			name: "creates adapters for services with scalingAdapter.enabled=true",
 			dgd: &v1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeployment{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
 					Name:      "test-dgd",
@@ -64,9 +64,15 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler_reconcileScalingAdapters(t *testing.T)
 					Services: map[string]*v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
 						"Frontend": {
 							Replicas: ptr.To(int32(2)),
+							ScalingAdapter: &v1alpha1.ScalingAdapter{
+								Enabled: true,
+							},
 						},
 						"decode": {
 							Replicas: ptr.To(int32(3)),
+							ScalingAdapter: &v1alpha1.ScalingAdapter{
+								Enabled: true,
+							},
 						},
 					},
 				},
@@ -86,7 +92,11 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler_reconcileScalingAdapters(t *testing.T)
 				},
 				Spec: v1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeploymentSpec{
 					Services: map[string]*v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
-						"worker": {},
+						"worker": {
+							ScalingAdapter: &v1alpha1.ScalingAdapter{
+								Enabled: true,
+							},
+						},
 					},
 				},
 			},
@@ -96,7 +106,7 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler_reconcileScalingAdapters(t *testing.T)
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			name: "skips adapter creation when disabled",
+			name: "skips adapter creation when not enabled",
 			dgd: &v1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeployment{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
 					Name:      "test-dgd",
@@ -106,12 +116,13 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler_reconcileScalingAdapters(t *testing.T)
 					Services: map[string]*v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
 						"Frontend": {
 							Replicas: ptr.To(int32(2)),
+							ScalingAdapter: &v1alpha1.ScalingAdapter{
+								Enabled: true,
+							},
 						},
 						"decode": {
 							Replicas: ptr.To(int32(3)),
-							ScalingAdapter: &v1alpha1.ScalingAdapter{
-								Disable: true,
-							},
+							// No ScalingAdapter or Enabled=false means no adapter created
 						},
 					},
 				},
@@ -133,6 +144,9 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler_reconcileScalingAdapters(t *testing.T)
 					Services: map[string]*v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
 						"Frontend": {
 							Replicas: ptr.To(int32(2)),
+							ScalingAdapter: &v1alpha1.ScalingAdapter{
+								Enabled: true,
+							},
 						},
 					},
 				},
@@ -194,7 +208,7 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler_reconcileScalingAdapters(t *testing.T)
 			expectDeleted: []string{"test-dgd-removed"},
 		},
 		{
-			name: "deletes adapter when scalingAdapter.disable is set to true",
+			name: "deletes adapter when scalingAdapter.enabled is not set",
 			dgd: &v1alpha1.DynamoGraphDeployment{
 				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
 					Name:      "test-dgd",
@@ -205,9 +219,7 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler_reconcileScalingAdapters(t *testing.T)
 					Services: map[string]*v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
 						"Frontend": {
 							Replicas: ptr.To(int32(2)),
-							ScalingAdapter: &v1alpha1.ScalingAdapter{
-								Disable: true,
-							},
+							// No ScalingAdapter means adapter should be deleted
 						},
 					},
 				},
@@ -253,6 +265,9 @@ func TestDynamoGraphDeploymentReconciler_reconcileScalingAdapters(t *testing.T)
 					Services: map[string]*v1alpha1.DynamoComponentDeploymentSharedSpec{
 						"MyService": {
 							Replicas: ptr.To(int32(1)),
+							ScalingAdapter: &v1alpha1.ScalingAdapter{
+								Enabled: true,
+							},
 						},
 					},
 				},

deploy/operator/internal/webhook/validation/dynamographdeployment.go

@@ -110,14 +110,11 @@ func (v *DynamoGraphDeploymentValidator) validateReplicasChanges(old *nvidiacomv
 	var errs []error
 
 	for serviceName, newService := range v.deployment.Spec.Services {
-		// Check if scaling adapter is enabled for this service (enabled by default)
-		scalingAdapterEnabled := true
-		if newService.ScalingAdapter != nil && newService.ScalingAdapter.Disable {
-			scalingAdapterEnabled = false
-		}
+		// Check if scaling adapter is enabled for this service (disabled by default)
+		scalingAdapterEnabled := newService.ScalingAdapter != nil && newService.ScalingAdapter.Enabled
 
 		if !scalingAdapterEnabled {
-			// Scaling adapter is disabled, users can modify replicas directly
+			// Scaling adapter is not enabled, users can modify replicas directly
 			continue
 		}
 

docs/kubernetes/api_reference.md

@@ -199,9 +199,9 @@ _Appears in:_
 | `extraPodSpec` _[ExtraPodSpec](#extrapodspec)_ | ExtraPodSpec allows to override the main pod spec configuration.<br />It is a k8s standard PodSpec. It also contains a MainContainer (standard k8s Container) field<br />that allows overriding the main container configuration. |  |  |
 | `livenessProbe` _[Probe](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/generated/kubernetes-api/v1.28/#probe-v1-core)_ | LivenessProbe to detect and restart unhealthy containers. |  |  |
 | `readinessProbe` _[Probe](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/generated/kubernetes-api/v1.28/#probe-v1-core)_ | ReadinessProbe to signal when the container is ready to receive traffic. |  |  |
-| `replicas` _integer_ | Replicas is the desired number of Pods for this component.<br />When scalingAdapter is enabled (default), this field is managed by the<br />DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter and should not be modified directly. |  | Minimum: 0 <br /> |
+| `replicas` _integer_ | Replicas is the desired number of Pods for this component.<br />When scalingAdapter is enabled, this field is managed by the<br />DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter and should not be modified directly. |  | Minimum: 0 <br /> |
 | `multinode` _[MultinodeSpec](#multinodespec)_ | Multinode is the configuration for multinode components. |  |  |
-| `scalingAdapter` _[ScalingAdapter](#scalingadapter)_ | ScalingAdapter configures whether this service uses the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter.<br />When enabled (default), replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale<br />the service using the Scale subresource. When disabled, replicas can be modified directly. |  |  |
+| `scalingAdapter` _[ScalingAdapter](#scalingadapter)_ | ScalingAdapter configures whether this service uses the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter.<br />When enabled, replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale<br />the service using the Scale subresource. When disabled, replicas can be modified directly. |  |  |
 
 
 #### DynamoComponentDeploymentSpec
@@ -237,9 +237,9 @@ _Appears in:_
 | `extraPodSpec` _[ExtraPodSpec](#extrapodspec)_ | ExtraPodSpec allows to override the main pod spec configuration.<br />It is a k8s standard PodSpec. It also contains a MainContainer (standard k8s Container) field<br />that allows overriding the main container configuration. |  |  |
 | `livenessProbe` _[Probe](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/generated/kubernetes-api/v1.28/#probe-v1-core)_ | LivenessProbe to detect and restart unhealthy containers. |  |  |
 | `readinessProbe` _[Probe](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/generated/kubernetes-api/v1.28/#probe-v1-core)_ | ReadinessProbe to signal when the container is ready to receive traffic. |  |  |
-| `replicas` _integer_ | Replicas is the desired number of Pods for this component.<br />When scalingAdapter is enabled (default), this field is managed by the<br />DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter and should not be modified directly. |  | Minimum: 0 <br /> |
+| `replicas` _integer_ | Replicas is the desired number of Pods for this component.<br />When scalingAdapter is enabled, this field is managed by the<br />DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter and should not be modified directly. |  | Minimum: 0 <br /> |
 | `multinode` _[MultinodeSpec](#multinodespec)_ | Multinode is the configuration for multinode components. |  |  |
-| `scalingAdapter` _[ScalingAdapter](#scalingadapter)_ | ScalingAdapter configures whether this service uses the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter.<br />When enabled (default), replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale<br />the service using the Scale subresource. When disabled, replicas can be modified directly. |  |  |
+| `scalingAdapter` _[ScalingAdapter](#scalingadapter)_ | ScalingAdapter configures whether this service uses the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter.<br />When enabled, replicas are managed via DGDSA and external autoscalers can scale<br />the service using the Scale subresource. When disabled, replicas can be modified directly. |  |  |
 
 
 #### DynamoGraphDeployment
@@ -747,7 +747,7 @@ _Appears in:_
 
 
 ScalingAdapter configures whether a service uses the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter
-for replica management. When enabled (default), the DGDSA owns the replicas field and
+for replica management. When enabled, the DGDSA owns the replicas field and
 external autoscalers (HPA, KEDA, Planner) can control scaling via the Scale subresource.
 
 
@@ -758,7 +758,7 @@ _Appears in:_
 
 | Field | Description | Default | Validation |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
-| `disable` _boolean_ | Disable indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be disabled for this service.<br />When false (default), a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.<br />When true, no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD. | false |  |
+| `enabled` _boolean_ | Enabled indicates whether the ScalingAdapter should be enabled for this service.<br />When true, a DGDSA is created and owns the replicas field.<br />When false (default), no DGDSA is created and replicas can be modified directly in the DGD. | false |  |
 
 
 #### ServiceReplicaStatus

docs/kubernetes/autoscaling.md

@@ -115,9 +115,9 @@ kubectl patch dgd sglang-agg --type=merge -p '{"spec":{"services":{"decode":{"re
 #        use 'kubectl scale dgdsa/sglang-agg-decode --replicas=3' or update the DynamoGraphDeploymentScalingAdapter instead
 ```
 
-## Disabling DGDSA for a Service
+## Enabling DGDSA for a Service
 
-If you want to manage replicas directly in the DGD (without autoscaling), you can disable the scaling adapter per service:
+By default, no DGDSA is created for services, allowing direct replica management via the DGD. To enable autoscaling via HPA, KEDA, or Planner, explicitly enable the scaling adapter:
 
 ```yaml
 apiVersion: nvidia.com/v1alpha1
@@ -127,24 +127,24 @@ metadata:
 spec:
   services:
     Frontend:
-      replicas: 2
-      scalingAdapter:
-        disable: true    # ← No DGDSA created, direct edits allowed
+      replicas: 2        # ← No DGDSA by default, direct edits allowed
 
     decode:
-      replicas: 1        # ← DGDSA created by default, managed via adapter
+      replicas: 1
+      scalingAdapter:
+        enabled: true    # ← DGDSA created, managed via adapter
 ```
 
-**When to disable DGDSA:**
-- You want simple, manual replica management
-- You don't need autoscaling for that service
-- You prefer direct DGD edits over adapter-based scaling
-
-**When to keep DGDSA enabled (default):**
+**When to enable DGDSA:**
 - You want to use HPA, KEDA, or Planner for autoscaling
 - You want a clear separation between "desired scale" (adapter) and "deployment config" (DGD)
 - You want protection against accidental direct replica edits
 
+**When to keep DGDSA disabled (default):**
+- You want simple, manual replica management
+- You don't need autoscaling for that service
+- You prefer direct DGD edits over adapter-based scaling
+
 ## Autoscaling with Dynamo Planner
 
 The Dynamo Planner is an LLM-aware autoscaler that optimizes scaling decisions based on inference-specific metrics like Time To First Token (TTFT), Inter-Token Latency (ITL), and KV cache utilization.
@@ -612,15 +612,14 @@ If you've disabled the scaling adapter for a service, edit the DGD directly:
 kubectl patch dgd sglang-agg --type=merge -p '{"spec":{"services":{"decode":{"replicas":3}}}}'
 ```
 
-Or edit the YAML:
+Or edit the YAML (no `scalingAdapter.enabled: true` means direct edits are allowed):
 
 ```yaml
 spec:
   services:
     decode:
       replicas: 3
-      scalingAdapter:
-        disable: true
+      # No scalingAdapter.enabled means replicas can be edited directly
 ```
 
 ## Best Practices