diff --git a/bootstrapper-maven-plugin/pom.xml b/bootstrapper-maven-plugin/pom.xml
index c847096839..bcd6c2e743 100644
--- a/bootstrapper-maven-plugin/pom.xml
+++ b/bootstrapper-maven-plugin/pom.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>java-operator-sdk</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>bootstrapper</artifactId>
diff --git a/caffeine-bounded-cache-support/pom.xml b/caffeine-bounded-cache-support/pom.xml
index 394fa4aa3b..be70ab9a2e 100644
--- a/caffeine-bounded-cache-support/pom.xml
+++ b/caffeine-bounded-cache-support/pom.xml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>java-operator-sdk</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>caffeine-bounded-cache-support</artifactId>
diff --git a/micrometer-support/pom.xml b/micrometer-support/pom.xml
index a691af2324..ae3c4d0be1 100644
--- a/micrometer-support/pom.xml
+++ b/micrometer-support/pom.xml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>java-operator-sdk</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>micrometer-support</artifactId>
diff --git a/migration/pom.xml b/migration/pom.xml
index 54af000ff1..504a6a3280 100644
--- a/migration/pom.xml
+++ b/migration/pom.xml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>java-operator-sdk</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>migration</artifactId>
diff --git a/operator-framework-bom/pom.xml b/operator-framework-bom/pom.xml
index 62b2dead1e..9b874fbbcc 100644
--- a/operator-framework-bom/pom.xml
+++ b/operator-framework-bom/pom.xml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
   <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
   <artifactId>operator-framework-bom</artifactId>
-  <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+  <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   <packaging>pom</packaging>
   <name>Operator SDK - Bill of Materials</name>
   <description>Java SDK for implementing Kubernetes operators</description>
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/pom.xml b/operator-framework-core/pom.xml
index d446877a9a..2356433ca9 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/pom.xml
+++ b/operator-framework-core/pom.xml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>java-operator-sdk</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
     <relativePath>../pom.xml</relativePath>
   </parent>
 
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java
index 6ed9b7ff64..975db86787 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/api/config/ConfigurationService.java
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.dependent.kubernetes.KubernetesDependentResourceConfig;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.dependent.workflow.ManagedWorkflowFactory;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.controller.ControllerEventSource;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.informer.pool.DefaultInformerPool;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.informer.pool.InformerPool;
 
 /** An interface from which to retrieve configuration information. */
 public interface ConfigurationService {
@@ -476,4 +478,8 @@ default boolean useSSAToPatchPrimaryResource() {
   default boolean cloneSecondaryResourcesWhenGettingFromCache() {
     return false;
   }
+
+  default InformerPool informerPool() {
+    return new DefaultInformerPool(getKubernetesClient(), this);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/InformerManager.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/InformerManager.java
index 8e7054b231..67aa0f9966 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/InformerManager.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/InformerManager.java
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@
 
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.KubernetesResourceList;
-import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.dsl.FilterWatchListDeletable;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.dsl.MixedOperation;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.dsl.Resource;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.informers.ResourceEventHandler;
@@ -41,6 +40,8 @@
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.ResourceID;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.Cache;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.IndexerResourceCache;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.informer.pool.InformerClassifier;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.informer.pool.InformerPool;
 
 import static io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.Constants.WATCH_ALL_NAMESPACES;
 
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ class InformerManager<R extends HasMetadata, C extends Informable<R>>
   private final ResourceEventHandler<R> eventHandler;
   private final Map<String, Function<R, List<String>>> indexers = new HashMap<>();
   private ControllerConfiguration<R> controllerConfiguration;
+  private InformerPool informerPool;
 
   InformerManager(
       MixedOperation<R, KubernetesResourceList<R>, Resource<R>> client,
@@ -67,6 +69,7 @@ class InformerManager<R extends HasMetadata, C extends Informable<R>>
 
   void setControllerConfiguration(ControllerConfiguration<R> controllerConfiguration) {
     this.controllerConfiguration = controllerConfiguration;
+    this.informerPool = controllerConfiguration.getConfigurationService().informerPool();
   }
 
   @Override
@@ -97,11 +100,14 @@ private void initSources() {
         configuration.getInformerConfig().getEffectiveNamespaces(controllerConfiguration);
     if (InformerConfiguration.allNamespacesWatched(targetNamespaces)) {
       var source = createEventSourceForNamespace(WATCH_ALL_NAMESPACES);
+      source.start();
       log.debug("Registered {} -> {} for any namespace", this, source);
     } else {
       targetNamespaces.forEach(
           ns -> {
+            // todo should we start parallel
             final var source = createEventSourceForNamespace(ns);
+            source.start();
             log.debug("Registered {} -> {} for namespace: {}", this, source, ns);
           });
     }
@@ -111,7 +117,14 @@ public void changeNamespaces(Set<String> namespaces) {
     var sourcesToRemove =
         sources.keySet().stream().filter(k -> !namespaces.contains(k)).collect(Collectors.toSet());
     log.debug("Stopped informer {} for namespaces: {}", this, sourcesToRemove);
-    sourcesToRemove.forEach(k -> sources.remove(k).stop());
+    // todo remove event handler
+    // remove from pool
+    sourcesToRemove.forEach(
+        k -> {
+          informerPool.releaseInformer(
+              configuration.getInformerConfig().getName(), getClassifier(k));
+          sources.remove(k);
+        });
 
     var newNamespaces =
         namespaces.stream().filter(ns -> !sources.containsKey(ns)).collect(Collectors.toList());
@@ -126,66 +139,37 @@ public void changeNamespaces(Set<String> namespaces) {
             newNamespaces.stream(),
             ns -> {
               final var source = createEventSourceForNamespace(ns);
-              source.start();
               log.debug("Registered new {} -> {} for namespace: {}", this, source, ns);
               return null;
             },
             ns -> "InformerStarter-" + ns + "-" + configuration.getResourceClass().getSimpleName());
   }
 
-  private InformerWrapper<R> createEventSourceForNamespace(String namespace) {
+  private InformerWrapper<R> createEventSourceForNamespace(String namespaceIdentifier) {
     final InformerWrapper<R> source;
-    final var labelSelector = configuration.getInformerConfig().getLabelSelector();
-    final var shardSelector = configuration.getInformerConfig().getShardSelector();
-    if (namespace.equals(WATCH_ALL_NAMESPACES)) {
-      final var filteredBySelectorClient =
-          client.inAnyNamespace().withLabelSelector(labelSelector).withShardSelector(shardSelector);
-      source = createEventSource(filteredBySelectorClient, eventHandler, WATCH_ALL_NAMESPACES);
-    } else {
-      source =
-          createEventSource(
-              client
-                  .inNamespace(namespace)
-                  .withLabelSelector(labelSelector)
-                  .withShardSelector(shardSelector),
-              eventHandler,
-              namespace);
-    }
-    source.addIndexers(indexers);
-    return source;
-  }
-
-  private InformerWrapper<R> createEventSource(
-      FilterWatchListDeletable<R, KubernetesResourceList<R>, Resource<R>> filteredBySelectorClient,
-      ResourceEventHandler<R> eventHandler,
-      String namespaceIdentifier) {
-    final var informerConfig = configuration.getInformerConfig();
-
-    if (informerConfig.getFieldSelector() != null
-        && !informerConfig.getFieldSelector().getFields().isEmpty()) {
-      for (var f : informerConfig.getFieldSelector().getFields()) {
-        if (f.negated()) {
-          filteredBySelectorClient = filteredBySelectorClient.withoutField(f.path(), f.value());
-        } else {
-          filteredBySelectorClient = filteredBySelectorClient.withField(f.path(), f.value());
-        }
-      }
-    }
-
+    InformerClassifier<R> classifier = getClassifier(namespaceIdentifier);
     var informer =
-        Optional.ofNullable(informerConfig.getInformerListLimit())
-            .map(filteredBySelectorClient::withLimit)
-            .orElse(filteredBySelectorClient)
-            .runnableInformer(0);
-    Optional.ofNullable(informerConfig.getItemStore()).ifPresent(informer::itemStore);
-    var source =
+        informerPool.getInformer(configuration.getInformerConfig().getName(), classifier);
+    source =
         new InformerWrapper<>(
-            informer, controllerConfiguration.getConfigurationService(), namespaceIdentifier);
+            informer, namespaceIdentifier, controllerConfiguration.getConfigurationService());
     source.addEventHandler(eventHandler);
     sources.put(namespaceIdentifier, source);
+    source.addIndexers(indexers);
     return source;
   }
 
+  private InformerClassifier<R> getClassifier(String namespaceIdentifier) {
+    return new InformerClassifier<>(
+        configuration.getInformerConfig().getLabelSelector(),
+        configuration.getInformerConfig().getShardSelector(),
+        namespaceIdentifier,
+        configuration.getResourceClass(),
+        configuration.getInformerConfig().getFieldSelector(),
+        configuration.getInformerConfig().getInformerListLimit(),
+        configuration.getInformerConfig().getItemStore());
+  }
+
   @Override
   public void stop() {
     sources.forEach(
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/InformerWrapper.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/InformerWrapper.java
index 541068aa93..97b7da743e 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/InformerWrapper.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/InformerWrapper.java
@@ -18,9 +18,6 @@
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Optional;
-import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
-import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
-import java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException;
 import java.util.function.Function;
 import java.util.function.Predicate;
 import java.util.stream.Stream;
@@ -28,14 +25,11 @@
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
-import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.GenericKubernetesResource;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
-import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.informers.ExceptionHandler;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.informers.ResourceEventHandler;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.informers.SharedIndexInformer;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.informers.cache.Cache;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.OperatorException;
-import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.ReconcilerUtilsInternal;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config.ConfigurationService;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.health.InformerHealthIndicator;
 import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.health.Status;
@@ -55,96 +49,17 @@ class InformerWrapper<T extends HasMetadata>
 
   public InformerWrapper(
       SharedIndexInformer<T> informer,
-      ConfigurationService configurationService,
-      String namespaceIdentifier) {
+      String namespaceIdentifier,
+      ConfigurationService configurationService) {
     this.informer = informer;
     this.namespaceIdentifier = namespaceIdentifier;
     this.cache = (Cache<T>) informer.getStore();
     this.configurationService = configurationService;
   }
 
+  // todo sync running multiple informers
   @Override
-  public void start() throws OperatorException {
-    try {
-
-      // register stopped handler if we have one defined
-      configurationService
-          .getInformerStoppedHandler()
-          .ifPresent(
-              ish -> {
-                final var stopped = informer.stopped();
-                if (stopped != null) {
-                  stopped.handle(
-                      (res, ex) -> {
-                        ish.onStop(informer, ex);
-                        return null;
-                      });
-                } else {
-                  final var apiTypeClass = informer.getApiTypeClass();
-                  final var fullResourceName = HasMetadata.getFullResourceName(apiTypeClass);
-                  final var version = HasMetadata.getVersion(apiTypeClass);
-                  throw new IllegalStateException(
-                      "Cannot retrieve 'stopped' callback to listen to informer stopping for"
-                          + " informer for "
-                          + fullResourceName
-                          + "/"
-                          + version);
-                }
-              });
-      if (!configurationService.stopOnInformerErrorDuringStartup()) {
-        informer.exceptionHandler((b, t) -> !ExceptionHandler.isDeserializationException(t));
-      }
-      // change thread name for easier debugging
-      final var thread = Thread.currentThread();
-      final var name = thread.getName();
-      try {
-        thread.setName(informerInfo() + " " + thread.getId());
-        final var resourceName = informer.getApiTypeClass().getSimpleName();
-        log.debug(
-            "Starting informer for namespace: {} resource: {}", namespaceIdentifier, resourceName);
-        var start = informer.start();
-        // note that in case we don't put here timeout and stopOnInformerErrorDuringStartup is
-        // false, and there is a rbac issue the get never returns; therefore operator never really
-        // starts
-        log.trace(
-            "Waiting informer to start namespace: {} resource: {}",
-            namespaceIdentifier,
-            resourceName);
-        start
-            .toCompletableFuture()
-            .get(configurationService.cacheSyncTimeout().toMillis(), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
-        log.debug(
-            "Started informer for namespace: {} resource: {}", namespaceIdentifier, resourceName);
-      } catch (TimeoutException | ExecutionException e) {
-        if (configurationService.stopOnInformerErrorDuringStartup()) {
-          log.error("Informer startup error. Operator will be stopped. Informer: {}", informer, e);
-          throw new OperatorException(e);
-        } else {
-          log.warn("Informer startup error. Will periodically retry. Informer: {}", informer, e);
-        }
-      } catch (InterruptedException e) {
-        thread.interrupt();
-        throw new IllegalStateException(e);
-      } finally {
-        // restore original name
-        thread.setName(name);
-      }
-
-    } catch (Exception e) {
-      ReconcilerUtilsInternal.handleKubernetesClientException(
-          e, HasMetadata.getFullResourceName(informer.getApiTypeClass()));
-      throw new OperatorException(
-          "Couldn't start informer for " + versionedFullResourceName() + " resources", e);
-    }
-  }
-
-  private String versionedFullResourceName() {
-    final var apiTypeClass = informer.getApiTypeClass();
-    if (apiTypeClass.isAssignableFrom(GenericKubernetesResource.class)) {
-      return GenericKubernetesResource.class.getSimpleName();
-    }
-    return ReconcilerUtilsInternal.getResourceTypeNameWithVersion(apiTypeClass);
-  }
+  public void start() {}
 
   @Override
   public void stop() throws OperatorException {
@@ -201,7 +116,7 @@ public String toString() {
   }
 
   private String informerInfo() {
-    return "InformerWrapper [" + versionedFullResourceName() + "]";
+    return "InformerWrapper [informerInfo" + informer.getApiTypeClass().getSimpleName() + "]";
   }
 
   @Override
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/AbstractInformerPool.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/AbstractInformerPool.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3abec24fef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/AbstractInformerPool.java
@@ -0,0 +1,196 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Java Operator SDK Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *         http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.informer.pool;
+
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.concurrent.TimeoutException;
+
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.GenericKubernetesResource;
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.KubernetesClient;
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.dsl.FilterWatchListDeletable;
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.informers.ExceptionHandler;
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.informers.SharedIndexInformer;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.OperatorException;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.ReconcilerUtilsInternal;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config.ConfigurationService;
+
+import static io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.Constants.WATCH_ALL_NAMESPACES;
+
+public abstract class AbstractInformerPool implements InformerPool {
+
+  private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(AbstractInformerPool.class);
+
+  protected KubernetesClient client;
+  protected ConfigurationService configurationService;
+
+  public KubernetesClient getClient() {
+    return client;
+  }
+
+  public void setClient(KubernetesClient client) {
+    this.client = client;
+  }
+
+  public ConfigurationService getConfigurationService() {
+    return configurationService;
+  }
+
+  public void setConfigurationService(ConfigurationService configurationService) {
+    this.configurationService = configurationService;
+  }
+
+  @SuppressWarnings({"rawtypes", "unchecked"})
+  protected SharedIndexInformer createInformer(InformerClassifier<?> classifier) {
+    FilterWatchListDeletable filteredClient;
+
+    if (WATCH_ALL_NAMESPACES.equals(classifier.namespaceIdentifier())) {
+      filteredClient = client.resources(classifier.resourceClass()).inAnyNamespace();
+
+    } else {
+      filteredClient =
+          client
+              .resources(classifier.resourceClass())
+              .inNamespace(classifier.namespaceIdentifier())
+              .withLabelSelector(classifier.labelSelector())
+              .withShardSelector(classifier.shardSelector());
+    }
+
+    if (classifier.labelSelector() != null) {
+      filteredClient =
+          (FilterWatchListDeletable) filteredClient.withLabelSelector(classifier.labelSelector());
+    }
+    if (classifier.shardSelector() != null) {
+      filteredClient =
+          (FilterWatchListDeletable) filteredClient.withShardSelector(classifier.shardSelector());
+    }
+
+    if (classifier.fieldSelector() != null && !classifier.fieldSelector().getFields().isEmpty()) {
+      for (var f : classifier.fieldSelector().getFields()) {
+        if (f.negated()) {
+          filteredClient =
+              (FilterWatchListDeletable) filteredClient.withoutField(f.path(), f.value());
+        } else {
+          filteredClient = (FilterWatchListDeletable) filteredClient.withField(f.path(), f.value());
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (classifier.informerListLimit() != null) {
+      filteredClient =
+          (FilterWatchListDeletable) filteredClient.withLimit(classifier.informerListLimit());
+    }
+
+    var informer = filteredClient.runnableInformer(0);
+
+    Optional.ofNullable(classifier.itemStore()).ifPresent(informer::itemStore);
+
+    configurationService
+        .getInformerStoppedHandler()
+        .ifPresent(
+            ish -> {
+              final var stopped = informer.stopped();
+              if (stopped != null) {
+                stopped.handle(
+                    (res, ex) -> {
+                      ish.onStop(informer, (Throwable) ex);
+                      return null;
+                    });
+              } else {
+                final var apiTypeClass = informer.getApiTypeClass();
+                final var fullResourceName = HasMetadata.getFullResourceName(apiTypeClass);
+                final var version = HasMetadata.getVersion(apiTypeClass);
+                throw new IllegalStateException(
+                    "Cannot retrieve 'stopped' callback to listen to informer stopping for"
+                        + " informer for "
+                        + fullResourceName
+                        + "/"
+                        + version);
+              }
+            });
+    if (!configurationService.stopOnInformerErrorDuringStartup()) {
+      informer.exceptionHandler((b, t) -> !ExceptionHandler.isDeserializationException(t));
+    }
+    return informer;
+  }
+
+  protected void start(
+      SharedIndexInformer<? extends HasMetadata> informer,
+      InformerClassifier<?> informerClassifier) {
+    // change thread name for easier debugging
+    final var thread = Thread.currentThread();
+    final var name = thread.getName();
+    try {
+      thread.setName(
+          "InformerInfo[informerInfo"
+              + informer.getApiTypeClass().getSimpleName()
+              + "]"
+              + " "
+              + thread.getId());
+      final var resourceName = informer.getApiTypeClass().getSimpleName();
+      log.debug(
+          "Starting informer for namespace: {} resource: {}",
+          informerClassifier.namespaceIdentifier(),
+          resourceName);
+      var start = informer.start();
+      // note that in case we don't put here timeout and stopOnInformerErrorDuringStartup is
+      // false, and there is a rbac issue the get never returns; therefore operator never really
+      // starts
+      log.trace(
+          "Waiting informer to start namespace: {} resource: {}",
+          informerClassifier.namespaceIdentifier(),
+          resourceName);
+      start
+          .toCompletableFuture()
+          .get(configurationService.cacheSyncTimeout().toMillis(), TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS);
+      log.debug(
+          "Started informer for namespace: {} resource: {}",
+          informerClassifier.namespaceIdentifier(),
+          resourceName);
+    } catch (TimeoutException | ExecutionException e) {
+      if (configurationService.stopOnInformerErrorDuringStartup()) {
+        log.error("Informer startup error. Operator will be stopped. Informer: {}", informer, e);
+        throw new OperatorException(e);
+      } else {
+        log.warn("Informer startup error. Will periodically retry. Informer: {}", informer, e);
+      }
+    } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+      thread.interrupt();
+      throw new IllegalStateException(e);
+    } catch (Exception e) {
+      ReconcilerUtilsInternal.handleKubernetesClientException(
+          e, HasMetadata.getFullResourceName(informer.getApiTypeClass()));
+      throw new OperatorException(
+          "Couldn't start informer for " + versionedFullResourceName(informer) + " resources", e);
+    } finally {
+      // restore original name
+      thread.setName(name);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private String versionedFullResourceName(SharedIndexInformer<? extends HasMetadata> informer) {
+    final var apiTypeClass = informer.getApiTypeClass();
+    if (apiTypeClass.isAssignableFrom(GenericKubernetesResource.class)) {
+      return GenericKubernetesResource.class.getSimpleName();
+    }
+    return ReconcilerUtilsInternal.getResourceTypeNameWithVersion(apiTypeClass);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/AlwaysCreateInformerPool.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/AlwaysCreateInformerPool.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..22dc48202f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/AlwaysCreateInformerPool.java
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Java Operator SDK Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *         http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.informer.pool;
+
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.informers.SharedIndexInformer;
+
+@SuppressWarnings({"unchecked", "rawtypes"})
+public class AlwaysCreateInformerPool extends AbstractInformerPool {
+
+  private Map<ClassifierWithName, SharedIndexInformer> informers = new ConcurrentHashMap();
+
+  @Override
+  public <R extends HasMetadata> SharedIndexInformer<R> getInformer(
+      String name, InformerClassifier<R> classifier) {
+    var informer = createInformer(classifier);
+    start(informer, classifier);
+    informers.put(new ClassifierWithName(name, classifier), informer);
+    return informer;
+  }
+
+  // todo controller name should be added here? for better naming => referencing and have guaranteed
+  // uniqueness
+  @Override
+  public <R extends HasMetadata> void releaseInformer(
+      String name, InformerClassifier<R> classifier) {
+    informers.get(new ClassifierWithName(name, classifier)).stop();
+  }
+
+  public record ClassifierWithName<R extends HasMetadata>(
+      String name, InformerClassifier<R> classifier) {}
+}
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/DefaultInformerPool.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/DefaultInformerPool.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..fced967697
--- /dev/null
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/DefaultInformerPool.java
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Java Operator SDK Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *         http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.informer.pool;
+
+import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicInteger;
+
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.informers.SharedIndexInformer;
+
+public class DefaultInformerPool extends AbstractInformerPool {
+
+  private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(DefaultInformerPool.class);
+
+  // todo logging
+  private final Map<InformerClassifier<?>, SharedIndexInformer<?>> informers = new HashMap<>();
+  private final Map<InformerClassifier<?>, AtomicInteger> counters = new HashMap<>();
+
+  @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+  public <R extends HasMetadata> SharedIndexInformer<R> getInformer(
+      String name, InformerClassifier<R> classifier) {
+    SharedIndexInformer<R> informer = null;
+    synchronized (this) {
+      informer = (SharedIndexInformer<R>) informers.get(classifier);
+      if (informer == null) {
+        informer = createInformer(classifier);
+        informers.put(classifier, informer);
+        counters.put(classifier, new AtomicInteger(1));
+      } else {
+        counters.get(classifier).incrementAndGet();
+      }
+    }
+    start(informer, classifier);
+    return informer;
+  }
+
+  @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
+  public synchronized <R extends HasMetadata> void releaseInformer(
+      String name, InformerClassifier<R> classifier) {
+    SharedIndexInformer informer = null;
+    synchronized (this) {
+      var counter = counters.get(classifier);
+      if (counter != null && counter.decrementAndGet() == 0) {
+        informer = informers.get(classifier);
+        counters.remove(classifier);
+        informers.remove(classifier);
+      } else {
+        log.warn("No informer found in the pool.");
+      }
+    }
+    if (informer != null) {
+      informer.stop();
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/InformerClassifier.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/InformerClassifier.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c8fe98275c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/InformerClassifier.java
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Java Operator SDK Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *         http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.informer.pool;
+
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.informers.cache.ItemStore;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config.informer.FieldSelector;
+
+// todo add this to docs
+/**
+ * Indexers are not part of classifier since those can be added dynamically to an informer, also can
+ * live side by side from different controllers, just users have to avoid naming collision.
+ */
+public record InformerClassifier<R extends HasMetadata>(
+    String labelSelector,
+    String shardSelector,
+    String namespaceIdentifier,
+    Class<R> resourceClass,
+    FieldSelector fieldSelector,
+    Long informerListLimit,
+    ItemStore<R> itemStore) {}
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/InformerPool.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/InformerPool.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5a939f42b0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/pool/InformerPool.java
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright Java Operator SDK Authors
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *         http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.informer.pool;
+
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.KubernetesClient;
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.informers.SharedIndexInformer;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config.ConfigurationService;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.reconciler.Experimental;
+
+@Experimental(
+    "This is experimental only in the sense that the API could be improved in a"
+        + " non-backwards-compatible way. The feature we provide otherwise is prod ready.")
+public interface InformerPool {
+
+  <R extends HasMetadata> SharedIndexInformer<R> getInformer(
+      String name, InformerClassifier<R> classifier);
+
+  <R extends HasMetadata> void releaseInformer(String name, InformerClassifier<R> classifier);
+
+  void setClient(KubernetesClient client);
+
+  void setConfigurationService(ConfigurationService configurationService);
+}
diff --git a/operator-framework-junit/pom.xml b/operator-framework-junit/pom.xml
index 0282b515d5..aa18d5c778 100644
--- a/operator-framework-junit/pom.xml
+++ b/operator-framework-junit/pom.xml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>java-operator-sdk</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>operator-framework-junit</artifactId>
diff --git a/operator-framework/pom.xml b/operator-framework/pom.xml
index a57c8e7c18..f94dfa757d 100644
--- a/operator-framework/pom.xml
+++ b/operator-framework/pom.xml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>java-operator-sdk</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>operator-framework</artifactId>
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 57431dde1c..ae2bb24ae7 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
   <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
   <artifactId>java-operator-sdk</artifactId>
-  <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+  <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   <packaging>pom</packaging>
   <name>Operator SDK for Java</name>
   <description>Java SDK for implementing Kubernetes operators</description>
diff --git a/sample-operators/controller-namespace-deletion/pom.xml b/sample-operators/controller-namespace-deletion/pom.xml
index 3453174aad..af4be01972 100644
--- a/sample-operators/controller-namespace-deletion/pom.xml
+++ b/sample-operators/controller-namespace-deletion/pom.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>sample-operators</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>sample-controller-namespace-deletion</artifactId>
diff --git a/sample-operators/leader-election/pom.xml b/sample-operators/leader-election/pom.xml
index 42fd41b3f3..4f896485d1 100644
--- a/sample-operators/leader-election/pom.xml
+++ b/sample-operators/leader-election/pom.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>sample-operators</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>sample-leader-election</artifactId>
diff --git a/sample-operators/mysql-schema/pom.xml b/sample-operators/mysql-schema/pom.xml
index 6e62ebfde8..d2872c921a 100644
--- a/sample-operators/mysql-schema/pom.xml
+++ b/sample-operators/mysql-schema/pom.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>sample-operators</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>sample-mysql-schema-operator</artifactId>
diff --git a/sample-operators/operations/pom.xml b/sample-operators/operations/pom.xml
index 7940f54aaa..1786cf39d0 100644
--- a/sample-operators/operations/pom.xml
+++ b/sample-operators/operations/pom.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>sample-operators</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>sample-operations</artifactId>
diff --git a/sample-operators/pom.xml b/sample-operators/pom.xml
index 2236f39543..9313095584 100644
--- a/sample-operators/pom.xml
+++ b/sample-operators/pom.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>java-operator-sdk</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>sample-operators</artifactId>
diff --git a/sample-operators/tomcat-operator/pom.xml b/sample-operators/tomcat-operator/pom.xml
index bf096330f6..ea964a2b07 100644
--- a/sample-operators/tomcat-operator/pom.xml
+++ b/sample-operators/tomcat-operator/pom.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>sample-operators</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>sample-tomcat-operator</artifactId>
diff --git a/sample-operators/webpage/pom.xml b/sample-operators/webpage/pom.xml
index 707fd33d8d..d50e5ef03c 100644
--- a/sample-operators/webpage/pom.xml
+++ b/sample-operators/webpage/pom.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>sample-operators</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>sample-webpage-operator</artifactId>
diff --git a/test-index-processor/pom.xml b/test-index-processor/pom.xml
index c2c8e380e8..2ae7c5f454 100644
--- a/test-index-processor/pom.xml
+++ b/test-index-processor/pom.xml
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
   <parent>
     <groupId>io.javaoperatorsdk</groupId>
     <artifactId>java-operator-sdk</artifactId>
-    <version>5.4.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
+    <version>999-SNAPSHOT</version>
   </parent>
 
   <artifactId>test-index-processor</artifactId>