ReadyStatus

ReadyStatus is a designation used in software systems to reflect whether an entity—such as a service, component, or resource—is prepared to handle work or participate in a workflow. It is typically represented as a status object or flag that can be observed by orchestration layers, schedulers, and automations.

ReadyStatus gates actions that would affect routing, deployment, or execution. A ready state signals that prerequisites are met, dependencies are initialized, and health checks have passed, allowing the item to be considered for traffic or task assignment. It is commonly used to control when a resource can receive requests or be included in a workload.

A ReadyStatus object may include a boolean ready, a timestamp for the last change, and optional fields such as reason, message, and a list of sub-conditions describing sub-systems (for example, database connectivity or external service availability). This structure helps operators diagnose why a resource is not yet ready and what remains to be done.

Lifecycle models for ReadyStatus typically include states such as ready and not_ready, with transitional states like initializing, starting, stopping, or degraded. Some implementations also include unknown during startup or maintenance. Transitions are usually driven by health checks, readiness probes, or dependency signals.

Patterns and implications: Readiness is used by load balancers to route traffic, by deployment systems to gate rollouts, and by workflows to advance to dependent steps. It can be implemented through periodic health endpoints, event signaling, or declarative configuration, depending on the system’s needs.

See also: Kubernetes Ready condition; health check; readiness probe; service discovery.