diff --git a/config/samples/child-resources/kind-cell.yaml b/config/samples/child-resources/kind-cell.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index f21897a7..00000000
--- a/config/samples/child-resources/kind-cell.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,56 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
-kind: Cell
-metadata:
-  name: kind-cell-sample
-  namespace: default
-spec:
-  # Logical name of the cell
-  name: zone-a
-
-  # Physical zone placement (use either 'zone' or 'region', not both)
-  zone: us-west-1a
-
-  # Container image for multigateway
-  multigatewayImage: ghcr.io/multigres/multigres:main
-
-  # MultiGateway deployment - query routing
-  multigateway:
-    replicas: 1
-    resources:
-      requests:
-        cpu: 50m
-        memory: 128Mi
-      limits:
-        cpu: 200m
-        memory: 256Mi
-
-  # Reference to the global topology server
-  globalTopoServer:
-    address: kind-global-topo:2379
-    rootPath: /multigres/global
-    implementation: etcd2
-
-  # Cell-local topology server configuration (optional)
-  # If specified, creates a local etcd cluster for this cell
-  topoServer:
-    etcd:
-      image: quay.io/coreos/etcd:v3.5.12
-      replicas: 1
-      storage:
-        size: 1Gi
-      resources:
-        requests:
-          cpu: 50m
-          memory: 128Mi
-        limits:
-          cpu: 200m
-          memory: 256Mi
-
-  # List of all cells in the cluster for discovery
-  allCells:
-    - zone-a
-
-  # Topology reconciliation settings
-  topologyReconciliation:
-    registerCell: true
-    prunePoolers: true
diff --git a/config/samples/child-resources/kind-shard.yaml b/config/samples/child-resources/kind-shard.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 06fb476e..00000000
--- a/config/samples/child-resources/kind-shard.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,96 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
-kind: Shard
-metadata:
-  name: kind-shard-sample
-  namespace: default
-spec:
-  # Shard identification
-  databaseName: mydb
-  tableGroupName: users
-  shardName: "0"
-
-  # Container images for shard components
-  images:
-    multiorch: ghcr.io/multigres/multigres:main
-    multipooler: ghcr.io/multigres/multigres:main
-    postgres: postgres:16-alpine
-
-  # Reference to the global topology server
-  globalTopoServer:
-    address: kind-global-topo:2379
-    rootPath: /multigres/global
-    implementation: etcd2
-
-  # MultiOrch configuration for shard orchestration
-  multiorch:
-    cells:
-      - zone-a
-    replicas: 1
-    resources:
-      requests:
-        cpu: 50m
-        memory: 64Mi
-      limits:
-        cpu: 200m
-        memory: 128Mi
-
-  # Shard pools - different types of PostgreSQL replicas
-  pools:
-    # Primary replica pool
-    primary:
-      type: readWrite
-      cells:
-        - zone-a
-      replicasPerCell: 1
-
-      # Storage configuration - kind uses local storage provisioner
-      storage:
-        size: 1Gi
-
-      # PostgreSQL container configuration - lower resources for kind
-      postgres:
-        resources:
-          requests:
-            cpu: 100m
-            memory: 256Mi
-          limits:
-            cpu: 500m
-            memory: 512Mi
-
-      # MultiPooler container configuration
-      multipooler:
-        resources:
-          requests:
-            cpu: 50m
-            memory: 64Mi
-          limits:
-            cpu: 200m
-            memory: 128Mi
-
-    # Read replica pool
-    replica:
-      type: readOnly
-      cells:
-        - zone-a
-      replicasPerCell: 1
-
-      storage:
-        size: 1Gi
-
-      postgres:
-        resources:
-          requests:
-            cpu: 100m
-            memory: 256Mi
-          limits:
-            cpu: 500m
-            memory: 512Mi
-
-      multipooler:
-        resources:
-          requests:
-            cpu: 50m
-            memory: 64Mi
-          limits:
-            cpu: 200m
-            memory: 128Mi
diff --git a/config/samples/child-resources/kind-toposerver.yaml b/config/samples/child-resources/kind-toposerver.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index d937122e..00000000
--- a/config/samples/child-resources/kind-toposerver.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,27 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
-kind: TopoServer
-metadata:
-  name: kind-toposerver-sample
-  namespace: default
-spec:
-  # Etcd configuration for the topology server
-  etcd:
-    # etcd container image
-    image: quay.io/coreos/etcd:v3.5.12
-
-    # Number of etcd replicas (must be odd: 1, 3, 5, etc.)
-    # Using 1 replica for kind to minimize resource usage
-    replicas: 1
-
-    # Storage configuration for etcd data - kind uses local storage provisioner
-    storage:
-      size: 1Gi
-
-    # Resource requirements for etcd containers - lower for kind
-    resources:
-      requests:
-        cpu: 50m
-        memory: 128Mi
-      limits:
-        cpu: 200m
-        memory: 256Mi
diff --git a/config/samples/external-etcd.yaml b/config/samples/external-etcd.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..22a9ca25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/samples/external-etcd.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
+kind: MultigresCluster
+metadata:
+  name: external-etcd-cluster
+  namespace: default
+spec:
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------
+  # 1. Global Topology (External)
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------
+  # Connects to an existing, external Etcd cluster (e.g. cloud managed).
+  globalTopoServer:
+    external:
+      endpoints:
+        - "https://etcd-1.infra.local:2379"
+        - "https://etcd-2.infra.local:2379"
+      caSecret: "etcd-ca-secret"
+      clientCertSecret: "etcd-client-cert-secret"
+      rootPath: "/multigres/global"
+
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------
+  # 2. Cell Definitions (Mixed Mode)
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------
+  cells:
+    # Cell A: Standard Configuration
+    # Uses the Global External Etcd defined above.
+    - name: "zone-a"
+      zone: "us-east-1a"
+
+    # Cell B: High-Isolation Configuration
+    # This cell has its own dedicated, Operator-managed Etcd cluster.
+    # It does NOT use the global etcd for cell-level data.
+    # Benefit: If the external global etcd has an outage, this cell
+    # remains fully functional for intra-cell traffic.
+    - name: "zone-b-isolated"
+      zone: "us-east-1b"
+      spec:
+        localTopoServer:
+          etcd:
+            image: "quay.io/coreos/etcd:v3.5"
+            replicas: 3
+            storage:
+              size: "5Gi"
+              class: "standard-gp3"
+        # Since we are defining 'spec', we must also define the gateway
+        multigateway:
+           replicas: 2
diff --git a/config/samples/minimal.yaml b/config/samples/minimal.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3522322b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/samples/minimal.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
+kind: MultigresCluster
+metadata:
+  name: minimal-cluster
+  namespace: default
+spec:
+  # A minimal cluster requires at least one cell definition.
+  #
+  # The operator will resolve configuration defaults in this order:
+  # 1. Namespace Defaults: If a template named "default" exists in this namespace
+  #    (e.g., CoreTemplate/default, CellTemplate/default), it will be used.
+  # 2. Hardcoded Defaults: If no template is found, the operator injects:
+  #    - Default GlobalTopoServer (Managed Etcd, 3 replicas)
+  #    - Default MultiAdmin (1 replica)
+  #    - Default Database ("postgres") with Default TableGroup ("default")
+  cells:
+    - name: "zone-a"
+      zone: "us-east-1a"
diff --git a/config/samples/no-templates.yaml b/config/samples/no-templates.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..babf1660
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/samples/no-templates.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
+kind: MultigresCluster
+metadata:
+  name: advanced-cluster
+  namespace: default
+spec:
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------
+  # 1. Global Components (Inline)
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------
+  globalTopoServer:
+    etcd:
+      image: "quay.io/coreos/etcd:v3.5"
+      replicas: 3
+      storage:
+        size: "10Gi"
+        class: "standard-gp3"
+      resources:
+        requests:
+          cpu: "500m"
+          memory: "1Gi"
+        limits:
+          cpu: "1"
+          memory: "2Gi"
+
+  multiadmin:
+    spec:
+      replicas: 2
+      resources:
+        requests:
+          cpu: "200m"
+          memory: "256Mi"
+        limits:
+          cpu: "500m"
+          memory: "512Mi"
+
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------
+  # 2. Cell Definitions (Inline)
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------
+  cells:
+    - name: "us-east-1a"
+      zone: "us-east-1a"
+      spec:
+         multigateway:
+           replicas: 2
+           resources:
+             requests:
+               cpu: "1"
+               memory: "2Gi"
+             limits:
+               cpu: "2"
+               memory: "4Gi"
+
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------
+  # 3. Database Topology (Inline)
+  # ----------------------------------------------------------------
+  databases:
+    - name: "postgres"
+      default: true
+      tablegroups:
+        - name: "default" # Gateway requires this name at the moment.
+          default: true
+          shards:
+            - name: "0"
+              spec:
+                multiorch:
+                  cells:
+                    - "us-east-1a"
+                  resources:
+                    requests:
+                      cpu: "200m"
+                      memory: "256Mi"
+                    limits:
+                      cpu: "500m"
+                      memory: "512Mi"
+
+                pools:
+                  main-app:
+                    type: "readWrite"
+                    cells:
+                      - "us-east-1a"
+                    replicasPerCell: 2
+                    storage:
+                      class: "gp3"
+                      size: "100Gi"
+                    postgres:
+                       resources:
+                          requests:
+                            cpu: "2"
+                            memory: "4Gi"
+                          limits:
+                            cpu: "4"
+                            memory: "8Gi"
+                    multipooler:
+                       resources:
+                          requests:
+                            cpu: "500m"
+                            memory: "1Gi"
+                          limits:
+                            cpu: "1"
+                            memory: "2Gi"
diff --git a/config/samples/reference.yaml b/config/samples/reference.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index cbe0890a..00000000
--- a/config/samples/reference.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-# This sample is intended to represent a complete cluster.
-# Useful as a starting point and as a complete reference for all options.
-
-apiVersion: v1
-kind: Namespace
-metadata:
-  name: multigres-sample
----
-apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
-kind: Etcd
-metadata:
-  namespace: multigres-sample
-  name: sample
-spec: {}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/config/samples/sample.yaml b/config/samples/sample.yaml
deleted file mode 100644
index 61228b20..00000000
--- a/config/samples/sample.yaml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-apiVersion: v1
-kind: Namespace
-metadata:
-  name: multigres-sample
----
-apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
-kind: Etcd
-metadata:
-  namespace: multigres-sample
-  name: sample
-spec: {}
----
-apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
-kind: MultiGateway
-metadata:
-  namespace: multigres-sample
-  name: sample
-spec: {}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/config/samples/template-defaults.yaml b/config/samples/template-defaults.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..669b3763
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/samples/template-defaults.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
+kind: MultigresCluster
+metadata:
+  name: standard-ha-cluster
+  namespace: default
+spec:
+  # 1. Define Cluster-Wide Defaults
+  templateDefaults:
+    coreTemplate: "standard-core"
+    cellTemplate: "standard-cell"
+    shardTemplate: "standard-shard"
+
+  # 2. Define Cells (Inherits 'standard-cell')
+  cells:
+    - name: "us-east-1a"
+      zone: "us-east-1a"
+    - name: "us-east-1b"
+      zone: "us-east-1b"
+
+  # 3. Configure the System Database
+  # We explicitly define this to ensure it uses our 'standard-shard' template
+  # and has the correct redundancy.
+  databases:
+    - name: "postgres"
+      default: true # Marks this as the System Catalog
+      tablegroups:
+        - name: "default" # MUST be named 'default' for Gateway routing
+          default: true
+          shards:
+            - name: "0"
+              # Inherits 'standard-shard' template automatically via defaults
+              overrides:
+                pools:
+                  main-app:
+                    # Spread the primary pool across both available cells
+                    cells:
+                      - "us-east-1a"
+                      - "us-east-1b"
diff --git a/config/samples/templates/cell.yaml b/config/samples/templates/cell.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1441efae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/samples/templates/cell.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
+kind: CellTemplate
+metadata:
+  name: "standard-cell"
+  namespace: default
+spec:
+  multigateway:
+    replicas: 2
+    resources:
+      requests:
+        cpu: "500m"
+        memory: "512Mi"
+      limits:
+        cpu: "1"
+        memory: "1Gi"
+    affinity:
+      podAntiAffinity:
+        preferredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution:
+        - weight: 100
+          podAffinityTerm:
+             labelSelector:
+               matchLabels:
+                 app.kubernetes.io/component: multigateway
+             topologyKey: "kubernetes.io/hostname"
diff --git a/config/samples/templates/core.yaml b/config/samples/templates/core.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d6041336
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/samples/templates/core.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
+kind: CoreTemplate
+metadata:
+  name: "standard-core"
+  namespace: default
+spec:
+  globalTopoServer:
+    etcd:
+      image: "quay.io/coreos/etcd:v3.5"
+      replicas: 3
+      storage:
+        size: "10Gi"
+        class: "standard-gp3"
+      resources:
+        requests:
+          cpu: "500m"
+          memory: "1Gi"
+        limits:
+          cpu: "1"
+          memory: "2Gi"
+
+  multiadmin:
+    replicas: 2
+    resources:
+      requests:
+        cpu: "200m"
+        memory: "256Mi"
+      limits:
+        cpu: "500m"
+        memory: "512Mi"
diff --git a/config/samples/templates/shard.yaml b/config/samples/templates/shard.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2696a2b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/samples/templates/shard.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+apiVersion: multigres.com/v1alpha1
+kind: ShardTemplate
+metadata:
+  name: "standard-shard"
+  namespace: default
+spec:
+  multiorch:
+    resources:
+      requests:
+        cpu: "100m"
+        memory: "128Mi"
+      limits:
+        cpu: "200m"
+        memory: "256Mi"
+
+  pools:
+    main-app:
+      type: "readWrite"
+      replicasPerCell: 2
+      storage:
+        class: "gp3"
+        size: "100Gi"
+      postgres:
+         resources:
+            requests:
+              cpu: "1"
+              memory: "2Gi"
+            limits:
+              cpu: "2"
+              memory: "4Gi"
+      multipooler:
+         resources:
+            requests:
+              cpu: "500m"
+              memory: "512Mi"
+            limits:
+              cpu: "1"
+              memory: "1Gi"