The Mixer configuration is driven through Istio primitives, which are deployed in Kubernetes through custom resource definitions. The Mixer primitives are as follows:

• Handlers: handlers.config.istio.io
• Instances: instances.config.istio.io
• Rules: rules.config.istio.io
• Adapters: adapters.config.istio.io
• Templates: templates.config.istio.io

The adapters and templates Mixer primitives are used by vendors to integrate their products with the Istio framework. Before we understand handlers, instances, and rules, it is necessary to understand the purpose of attributes.