# Seldon Core — ML Model Serving on Kubernetes

> An MLOps framework for deploying, monitoring, and managing machine learning models at scale on Kubernetes.

## Install

Save the content below to `.claude/skills/` or append to your `CLAUDE.md`:

# Seldon Core — ML Model Serving on Kubernetes

## Quick Use
```bash
helm install seldon-core seldon-core-operator --repo https://storage.googleapis.com/seldon-charts --namespace seldon-system --create-namespace
kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: machinelearning.seldon.io/v1
kind: SeldonDeployment
metadata:
  name: iris-model
spec:
  predictors:
  - graph:
      implementation: SKLEARN_SERVER
      modelUri: gs://seldon-models/v1.19.0-dev/sklearn/iris
      name: classifier
    name: default
    replicas: 1
EOF
```

## Introduction
Seldon Core is an open-source platform for deploying machine learning models on Kubernetes. It converts trained models into production REST/gRPC microservices with built-in monitoring, A/B testing, and canary deployments, bridging the gap between data science and production operations.

## What Seldon Core Does
- Deploys ML models as Kubernetes-native microservices via custom resources
- Supports pre-built servers for scikit-learn, XGBoost, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Triton
- Provides inference graphs for multi-model pipelines with routers, combiners, and transformers
- Enables A/B testing and canary rollouts with traffic splitting
- Integrates with Prometheus and Grafana for request metrics and model monitoring

## Architecture Overview
Seldon Core runs as a Kubernetes operator that watches SeldonDeployment custom resources. When a deployment is created, the operator generates the required pods, services, and Istio/Ambassador virtual services. Each inference server wraps the model in a standardized REST/gRPC interface. An orchestrator sidecar routes requests through multi-step inference graphs, handling request transformation and response aggregation.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Install via Helm into any Kubernetes cluster (1.18+)
- Requires an ingress controller (Istio or Ambassador) for external access
- Define models as SeldonDeployment YAML manifests with modelUri pointing to S3, GCS, or PVC
- Configure autoscaling with Kubernetes HPA or KEDA
- Enable request logging by routing prediction payloads to Elasticsearch

## Key Features
- Language-agnostic model wrapping with pre-built and custom inference servers
- Inference graph DSL for chaining models, transformers, and routers
- Drift and outlier detection via Alibi Detect integration
- Explainability endpoints using Alibi Explain for model transparency
- V2 inference protocol compatible with KServe and Triton standards

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **KServe** — lighter-weight serverless inference; Seldon Core offers richer inference graph composition
- **BentoML** — packaging-focused with BentoCloud; Seldon Core is Kubernetes-native from the start
- **Triton Inference Server** — NVIDIA runtime engine; Seldon Core orchestrates Triton as one backend
- **Ray Serve** — Python-first with Ray ecosystem; Seldon Core uses Kubernetes-native deployment model

## FAQ
**Q: Which model frameworks does Seldon Core support?**
A: scikit-learn, XGBoost, TensorFlow, PyTorch, ONNX, Triton, and custom Python/Java/Go servers.

**Q: Can I run Seldon Core without Istio?**
A: Yes. Ambassador or nginx ingress controllers work as alternatives to Istio.

**Q: How does Seldon Core handle model versioning?**
A: Deploy multiple model versions as separate predictors with traffic-split percentages for gradual rollout.

**Q: Is there a managed cloud offering?**
A: Yes. Seldon Deploy provides an enterprise platform with a management UI, audit trails, and enhanced monitoring.

## Sources
- https://github.com/SeldonIO/seldon-core
- https://docs.seldon.io

---
Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/seldon-core-ml-model-serving-kubernetes-f0a44fcc
Author: AI Open Source