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 e65f34df48..0346e25f73 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
@@ -141,4 +141,8 @@ public void put(ResourceID key, T resource) {
     getSource(key.getNamespace().orElse(ANY_NAMESPACE_MAP_KEY))
         .ifPresent(c -> c.put(key, resource));
   }
+
+  int numberOfSources() {
+    return sources.size();
+  }
 }
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 c7de41f331..57664039a9 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
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ class InformerWrapper<T extends HasMetadata>
   private final SharedIndexInformer<T> informer;
   private final InformerResourceCache<T> cache;
 
-  public InformerWrapper(SharedIndexInformer<T> informer) {
+  InformerWrapper(SharedIndexInformer<T> informer) {
     this.informer = informer;
     this.cache = new InformerResourceCache<>(informer);
   }
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/ManagedInformerEventSource.java b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/ManagedInformerEventSource.java
index 1dcfa2aa0e..9076d937a9 100644
--- a/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/ManagedInformerEventSource.java
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/main/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/ManagedInformerEventSource.java
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.informer;
 
+import java.util.Objects;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentMap;
+
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.KubernetesResourceList;
 import io.fabric8.kubernetes.client.dsl.MixedOperation;
@@ -13,15 +18,31 @@ public abstract class ManagedInformerEventSource<R extends HasMetadata, P extend
     extends CachingEventSource<R, P>
     implements ResourceEventHandler<R> {
 
+  @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
+  private static final ConcurrentMap<ResourceConfigurationAsKey, InformerManager> managedInformers =
+      new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+
   protected ManagedInformerEventSource(
       MixedOperation<R, KubernetesResourceList<R>, Resource<R>> client, C configuration) {
     super(configuration.getResourceClass());
+    initCache(configuration);
     manager().initSources(client, configuration, this);
   }
 
+  @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+  private void initCache(C configuration) {
+    final var key = new ResourceConfigurationAsKey(configuration);
+    var existing = managedInformers.get(key);
+    if (existing == null) {
+      existing = new InformerManager<>();
+      managedInformers.put(key, existing);
+    }
+    cache = existing;
+  }
+
   @Override
   protected UpdatableCache<R> initCache() {
-    return new InformerManager<>();
+    return null; // cache needs the configuration to be properly initialized
   }
 
   protected InformerManager<R, C> manager() {
@@ -30,13 +51,63 @@ protected InformerManager<R, C> manager() {
 
   @Override
   public void start() {
-    manager().start();
-    super.start();
+    if (!isRunning()) {
+      manager().start();
+      super.start();
+    }
   }
 
   @Override
   public void stop() {
-    super.stop();
-    manager().stop();
+    if (isRunning()) {
+      super.stop();
+      manager().stop();
+    }
+  }
+
+  @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
+  private static class ResourceConfigurationAsKey {
+    private final ResourceConfiguration configuration;
+
+    private ResourceConfigurationAsKey(ResourceConfiguration configuration) {
+      this.configuration = configuration;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+      if (this == o) {
+        return true;
+      }
+      if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) {
+        return false;
+      }
+
+      final var that = (ResourceConfigurationAsKey) o;
+      if (configuration == that.configuration) {
+        return true;
+      }
+
+      return Objects.equals(getLabelSelector(), that.getLabelSelector())
+          && Objects.equals(getResourceClass(), that.getResourceClass())
+          && Objects.equals(getNamespaces(), that.getNamespaces());
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+      return Objects.hash(getLabelSelector(), getResourceClass(), getNamespaces());
+    }
+
+    public String getLabelSelector() {
+      return configuration.getLabelSelector();
+    }
+
+    public Class getResourceClass() {
+      return configuration.getResourceClass();
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    public Set<String> getNamespaces() {
+      return configuration.getNamespaces();
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/operator-framework-core/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/ManagedInformerEventSourceTest.java b/operator-framework-core/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/ManagedInformerEventSourceTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..45e70f51a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/operator-framework-core/src/test/java/io/javaoperatorsdk/operator/processing/event/source/informer/ManagedInformerEventSourceTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+package io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.processing.event.source.informer;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import io.fabric8.kubernetes.api.model.HasMetadata;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.MockKubernetesClient;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config.ConfigurationService;
+import io.javaoperatorsdk.operator.api.config.informer.InformerConfiguration;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertNotEquals;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+
+@SuppressWarnings({"rawtypes", "unchecked"})
+public class ManagedInformerEventSourceTest {
+  @Test
+  void sourcesWithSameConfigurationShouldShareInformer() {
+    final var namespaces = new String[] {"foo", "bar"};
+    final var config = InformerConfiguration.from(mock(ConfigurationService.class),
+        HasMetadata.class)
+        .withLabelSelector("label=value").withNamespaces(namespaces)
+        .build();
+
+    final var informer1 =
+        new InformerEventSource<>(config, MockKubernetesClient.client(HasMetadata.class));
+    final var informer2 =
+        new InformerEventSource<>(config, MockKubernetesClient.client(HasMetadata.class));
+
+    final var manager = informer1.manager();
+    assertEquals(manager, informer2.manager());
+    assertEquals(namespaces.length, manager.numberOfSources());
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void sourcesWithDifferentConfigurationsShouldNotShareInformer() {
+    final var config1 = InformerConfiguration.from(mock(ConfigurationService.class),
+        HasMetadata.class)
+        .withLabelSelector("label=value").withNamespaces("foo", "bar")
+        .build();
+
+    final var config2 = InformerConfiguration.from(config1)
+        .withLabelSelector("label=otherValue").withNamespaces("baz")
+        .build();
+
+    final var informer1 =
+        new InformerEventSource<>(config1, MockKubernetesClient.client(HasMetadata.class));
+    final var informer2 =
+        new InformerEventSource<>(config2, MockKubernetesClient.client(HasMetadata.class));
+
+    assertNotEquals(informer1.manager(), informer2.manager());
+    assertEquals(1, informer2.manager().numberOfSources());
+  }
+}