></aside></div><p>The Istio operator provides an installation path without needing the <code>istioctl</code> binary.
This can be used for simplified upgrade workflows where running an in-cluster privileged controller is not a concern.
This method is suitable where strict auditing or augmentation of output manifests is not needed.</p><p>Pros:</p><ul><li>Same API as <code>istioctl install</code> but actuation is through a controller pod in the cluster with a fully declarative operation.</li><li>Uses the <code