diff --git a/lib/extra.nix b/lib/extra.nix
index fd2c467..8442535 100644
--- a/lib/extra.nix
+++ b/lib/extra.nix
@@ -85,4 +85,37 @@ rec {
         binOp = lhs: rhs: [];
       };
     };
+
+    coerceListOfSubmodulesToAttrs = submodule: keyFn: let
+      mergeValuesByFn = keyFn: values:
+        listToAttrs (map (value:
+          nameValuePair (toString (keyFn value)) value
+        ) values);
+
+      # Either value of type `finalType` or `coercedType`, the latter is
+      # converted to `finalType` using `coerceFunc`.
+      coercedTo = coercedType: coerceFunc: finalType:
+        mkOptionType rec {
+          name = "coercedTo";
+          description = "${finalType.description} or ${coercedType.description}";
+          check = x: finalType.check x || coercedType.check x;
+          merge = loc: defs:
+            let
+              coerceVal = val:
+                if finalType.check val then
+                  val
+                else
+                  let coerced = coerceFunc val; in assert finalType.check coerced; coerced;
+
+            in finalType.merge loc (map (def: def // { value = coerceVal def.value; }) defs);
+          getSubOptions = finalType.getSubOptions;
+          getSubModules = finalType.getSubModules;
+          substSubModules = m: coercedTo coercedType coerceFunc (finalType.substSubModules m);
+          typeMerge = t1: t2: null;
+          functor = (defaultFunctor name) // { wrapped = finalType; };
+        };
+    in coercedTo
+      (types.listOf (types.submodule submodule))
+      (mergeValuesByFn keyFn)
+      (types.attrsOf (types.submodule submodule));
 }
diff --git a/modules/k8s.nix b/modules/k8s.nix
index e74ce81..0223b7b 100644
--- a/modules/k8s.nix
+++ b/modules/k8s.nix
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ with lib;
 let
   cfg = config.kubernetes;
 
+  gvkKeyFn = type: "${type.group}/${type.version}/${type.kind}";
+
   getDefaults = resource: group: version: kind:
     catAttrs "default" (filter (default:
       (resource == null || default.resource == null || default.resource == resource) &&
@@ -76,13 +78,8 @@ let
 
       types = mkOption {
         description = "List of registered kubernetes types";
-        type = types.listOf (types.submodule {
+        type = coerceListOfSubmodulesToAttrs {
           options = {
-            name = mkOption {
-              description = "Resource type name";
-              type = types.nullOr types.str;
-            };
-
             group = mkOption {
               description = "Resource type group";
               type = types.str;
@@ -98,13 +95,18 @@ let
               type = types.str;
             };
 
+            name = mkOption {
+              description = "Resource type name";
+              type = types.nullOr types.str;
+            };
+
             attrName = mkOption {
               description = "Name of the nixified attribute";
               type = types.str;
             };
           };
-        });
-        default = [];
+        } gvkKeyFn;
+        default = {};
       };
     };
 
@@ -126,18 +128,18 @@ let
     v2 = if length splittedVer2 == 1 then "${getVersion ver2}prod" else getVersion ver2;
   in builtins.compareVersions v1 v2;
 
-  customResourceTypesByKind = zipAttrs (map (resourceType: {
-    ${resourceType.kind} = resourceType;
+  customResourceTypesByAttrName = zipAttrs (mapAttrsToList (_: resourceType: {
+    ${resourceType.attrName} = resourceType;
   }) cfg.customTypes);
 
-  customResourceTypesByKindSortByVersion = mapAttrs (_: resourceTypes:
+  customResourceTypesByAttrNameSortByVersion = mapAttrs (_: resourceTypes:
     reverseList (sort (r1: r2:
       compareVersions r1.version r2.version > 0
     ) resourceTypes)
-  ) customResourceTypesByKind;
+  ) customResourceTypesByAttrName;
 
   latestCustomResourceTypes =
-    mapAttrsToList (_: resources: last resources) customResourceTypesByKindSortByVersion;
+    mapAttrsToList (_: resources: last resources) customResourceTypesByAttrNameSortByVersion;
 
   customResourceModuleForType = config: ct: { name, ... }: {
     imports = getDefaults ct.name ct.group ct.version ct.kind;
@@ -171,7 +173,7 @@ let
     };
   };
 
-  customResourceOptions = (map (ct: {config, ...}: let
+  customResourceOptions = (mapAttrsToList (_: ct: {config, ...}: let
     module = customResourceModuleForType config ct;
   in {
     options.resources.${ct.group}.${ct.version}.${ct.kind} = mkOption {
@@ -182,14 +184,14 @@ let
   }) cfg.customTypes) ++ (map (ct: { options, config, ... }: let
     module = customResourceModuleForType config ct;
   in {
-    options.resources.${ct.name} = mkOption {
+    options.resources.${ct.attrName} = mkOption {
       description = ct.description;
       type = types.attrsOf (types.submodule module);
       default = {};
     };
 
     config.resources.${ct.group}.${ct.version}.${ct.kind} =
-      mkAliasDefinitions options.resources.${ct.name};
+      mkAliasDefinitions options.resources.${ct.attrName};
   }) latestCustomResourceTypes);
 
 in {
@@ -238,45 +240,56 @@ in {
       default = {};
     };
 
+    createCustomTypesFromCRDs = mkOption {
+      description = "Whether to create customTypes from custom resource definitions";
+      type = types.bool;
+      default = false;
+    };
+
     customTypes = mkOption {
-      default = [];
       description = "List of custom resource types to make API for";
-      type = types.listOf (types.submodule ({config, ...}: {
+      type = coerceListOfSubmodulesToAttrs {
         options = {
           group = mkOption {
-            description = "Custom resource definition group";
+            description = "Custom type group";
             type = types.str;
           };
 
           version = mkOption {
-            description = "Custom resource definition version";
+            description = "Custom type version";
             type = types.str;
           };
 
           kind = mkOption {
-            description = "Custom resource definition kind";
+            description = "Custom type kind";
             type = types.str;
           };
 
           name = mkOption {
-            description = "Custom resource definition resource name";
+            description = "Custom type resource name";
             type = types.nullOr types.str;
             default = null;
           };
 
+          attrName = mkOption {
+            description = "Name of the nixified attribute";
+            type = types.str;
+          };
+
           description = mkOption {
-            description = "Custom resource definition description";
+            description = "Custom type description";
             type = types.str;
             default = "";
           };
 
           module = mkOption {
-            description = "Custom resource definition module";
+            description = "Custom type module";
             type = types.unspecified;
             default = {};
           };
         };
-      }));
+      } gvkKeyFn;
+      default = {};
     };
 
     objects = mkOption {
@@ -334,8 +347,8 @@ in {
 
     kubernetes.api = mkMerge ([{
       # register custom types
-      types = map (cr: {
-        inherit (cr) name group version kind;
+      types = mapAttrsToList (_: cr: {
+        inherit (cr) name group version kind attrName;
       }) cfg.customTypes;
 
       defaults = [{
@@ -364,11 +377,22 @@ in {
       resources.${group}.${version}.${kind}.${name} = object;
     }) cfg.imports));
 
-    kubernetes.objects = flatten (map (type:
+    kubernetes.objects = flatten (mapAttrsToList (_: type:
       mapAttrsToList (name: resource: moduleToAttrs resource)
         cfg.api.resources.${type.group}.${type.version}.${type.kind}
     ) cfg.api.types);
 
+    # custom types created from customResourceDefinitions
+    kubernetes.customTypes = mkIf cfg.createCustomTypesFromCRDs (
+      mapAttrsToList (_: crd: {
+        group = crd.spec.group;
+        version = crd.spec.version;
+        kind = crd.spec.names.kind;
+        name = crd.spec.names.plural;
+        attrName = mkDefault crd.spec.names.plural;
+      }) (cfg.resources.customResourceDefinitions or {})
+    );
+
     kubernetes.generated = k8s.mkHashedList {
       items = config.kubernetes.objects;
       labels."kubenix/project-name" = config.kubenix.project;
diff --git a/modules/legacy.nix b/modules/legacy.nix
index f0648ca..72a736b 100644
--- a/modules/legacy.nix
+++ b/modules/legacy.nix
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ in {
 
   config = {
     kubernetes.api.defaults = mapAttrsToList (attrName: default: let
-      type = head (filter (type: type.attrName == attrName) config.kubernetes.api.types);
+      type = head (mapAttrsToList (_: v: v) (filterAttrs (_: type: type.attrName == attrName) config.kubernetes.api.types));
     in {
       default = { imports = default; };
     } // (if (attrName == "all") then {} else {
@@ -184,6 +184,9 @@ in {
     # custom resources are now included in normal resources, so just make an alias
     kubernetes.customResources = mkAliasDefinitions options.kubernetes.resources;
 
+    # create custom types from CRDs was old behavior
+    kubernetes.createCustomTypesFromCRDs = true;
+
     kubernetes.defaultModuleConfiguration.all = {
       _file = head options.kubernetes.defaultModuleConfiguration.files;
       config.kubernetes.version = mkDefault config.kubernetes.version;
diff --git a/tests/k8s/crd.nix b/tests/k8s/crd.nix
index 2ca5add..83627a7 100644
--- a/tests/k8s/crd.nix
+++ b/tests/k8s/crd.nix
@@ -61,39 +61,64 @@ in {
     };
   };
 
-  kubernetes.customTypes = [{
-    name = "crontabs";
-    group = "stable.example.com";
-    version = "v1";
-    kind = "CronTab";
-    description = "CronTabs resources";
-    module = {
-      options.schedule = mkOption {
-        description = "Crontab schedule script";
-        type = types.str;
-      };
-    };
-  } {
-    name = "crontabs";
-    group = "stable.example.com";
-    version = "v2";
-    kind = "CronTab";
-    description = "CronTabs resources";
-    module = {
-      options = {
-        schedule = mkOption {
-          description = "Crontab schedule script";
-          type = types.str;
-        };
+  kubernetes.createCustomTypesFromCRDs = true;
 
-        command = mkOption {
-          description = "Command to run";
-          type = types.str;
+  kubernetes.customTypes = mkMerge [
+    {
+      "stable.example.com/v1/CronTab" = {
+        attrName = "cronTabs";
+        description = "CronTabs resources";
+        module = {
+          options.schedule = mkOption {
+            description = "Crontab schedule script";
+            type = types.str;
+          };
         };
       };
-    };
-  }];
+    }
+    {
+      "stable.example.com/v2/CronTab" = {
+        description = "CronTabs resources";
+        attrName = "cronTabs";
+        module = {
+          options = {
+            schedule = mkOption {
+              description = "Crontab schedule script";
+              type = types.str;
+            };
+
+            command = mkOption {
+              description = "Command to run";
+              type = types.str;
+            };
+          };
+        };
+      };
+    }
+
+    [{
+      group = "stable.example.com";
+      version = "v3";
+      kind = "CronTab";
+      description = "CronTabs resources";
+      attrName = "cronTabsV3";
+      module = {
+        options = {
+          schedule = mkOption {
+            description = "Crontab schedule script";
+            type = types.str;
+          };
+
+          command = mkOption {
+            description = "Command to run";
+            type = types.str;
+          };
+        };
+      };
+    }]
+  ];
 
   kubernetes.resources."stable.example.com"."v1".CronTab.versioned.spec.schedule = "* * * * *";
-  kubernetes.resources.crontabs.latest.spec.schedule = "* * * * *";
+  kubernetes.resources.cronTabs.latest.spec.schedule = "* * * * *";
+  kubernetes.resources.cronTabsV3.latest.spec.schedule = "* * * * *";
 }