:_mod-docs-content-type: PROCEDURE

// This assembly is included in the following assemblies:
//
// security/assembly-access-operator.adoc

[id='proc-deploy-access-operator-{context}']
= Deploying the Access Operator

[role="_abstract"]
This procedure shows how to deploy the Access Operator for access management of a Kafka cluster.
You cannot use the Access Operator with a Kafka cluster that is not managed by the Cluster Operator.  

.Prerequisites

* The Access Operator installation files must be downloaded and extracted from the latest release archive (`{ReleaseFile}`) from the {ReleaseDownload}. +
The installation files are contained in the `./install` directory.
* xref:deploying-cluster-operator-str[The Cluster Operator must be deployed.]

By default, the Access Operator is deployed in the `strimzi-access-operator` namespace. 
To deploy the operator in a different namespace, update the `namespace` property in the installation files.

.Procedure

. Deploy the Access Operator using the installation files from the `install` directory:
+
[source,shell]
kubectl create -f ./install/access-operator

. Check the status of the deployment:
+
[source,shell,subs="+quotes"]
----
kubectl get deployments
----
+
.Output shows the deployment name and readiness
[source,shell,subs="+quotes"]
----
NAME                     READY  UP-TO-DATE  AVAILABLE
strimzi-access-operator  1/1    1           1
----
+
`READY` shows the number of replicas that are ready/expected.
The deployment is successful when the `AVAILABLE` output shows `1`.
