The Consumer calls the Provider with `start(did, algorithm, additionalDIDs)`. It returns job id `XXXX`. The Provider oversees the rest of the work. At any point, the Consumer can query the Provider for the job status via `getJobDetails(XXXX)`.
Here's how Provider works. First, it ensures that the Consumer has sent the appropriate datatokens to get access. Then, it calls asks the Operator-Service (a microservice) to start the job, which passes on the request to Operator-Engine (the actual compute system). Operator-Engine runs Kubernetes compute jobs etc as needed. Operator-Engine reports when to Operator-Service when the job has finished.
As with [the `access` service](../datanft-and-datatoken/access-control-tools.md), the `compute` service requires the **Ocean Provider** as a component handled by Publishers. Ocean Provider is in charge of interacting with users and managing the basics of a Publisher's infrastructure to integrate this infrastructure into Ocean Protocol. The direct interaction with the infrastructure where the data resides happens through this component only.
The **Operator Engine** is in charge of orchestrating the compute infrastructure using Kubernetes as backend where each compute job runs in an isolated [Kubernetes Pod](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/workloads/pods/). Typically the Operator Engine retrieves the workflows created by the Operator Service in Kubernetes, and manage the infrastructure necessary to complete the execution of the compute workflows.
The Operator Engine is in charge of retrieving all the workflows registered in a K8s cluster, allowing to: