> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Demo Install Image Automation Controller > Guide to installing and upgrading Flux image-reflector and image-automation controllers to automate registry image scanning and Git repo updates with verification steps In this lesson we upgrade an existing Flux installation to add the Image Reflector and Image Automation controllers. These controllers let Flux read image metadata from registries and automatically update your Git repository with newer image tags according to configured policies. Prerequisites: * A Kubernetes cluster with Flux already bootstrapped (the example uses the `flux-system` namespace). * Access to the Git repository you used to bootstrap Flux (e.g., a GitHub repo) and a token with repo permissions if required. Inspect an example Kustomization manifest that exists in the repository: ```yaml theme={null} apiVersion: kustomize.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v1beta2 kind: Kustomization metadata: name: 7-demo-kustomize-oci-bb-app-7-7-0 namespace: flux-system spec: dependsOn: - name: infra-database-kustomize-git-mysql healthChecks: kind: Deployment ``` Check current Flux controllers running in the `flux-system` namespace: ```bash theme={null} kubectl -n flux-system get deploy ``` Example output (your times/ages will vary): ```bash theme={null} NAME READY UP-TO-DATE AVAILABLE AGE helm-controller 1/1 1 1 18h kustomize-controller 1/1 1 1 18h notification-controller 1/1 1 1 18h source-controller 1/1 1 1 18h ``` Why you need extra controllers * Flux does not enable image controllers by default. To automate image scanning and Git updates you must add: * image-reflector-controller — reads image metadata from registries and exposes it as ImageRepository resources. * image-automation-controller — updates your Git repository (or other configured sources) with newer image tags according to policies. Controller responsibilities | Controller | Purpose | Example resource type | | - | - | - | | image-reflector-controller | Reads registry metadata and publishes available tags | `ImageRepository` | | image-automation-controller | Updates manifests in Git (or other sources) with new tags | `ImageUpdateAutomation` | Install (or upgrade) the image controllers using `flux bootstrap`. Use the `--components-extra` flag to request additional controllers alongside the defaults. ![A screenshot of the Flux documentation site in a browser, with the left navigation menu visible and the main content showing options/code text where "image-reflector-controller" is highlighted.](https://mintcdn.com/kodekloud-c4ac6d9a/AyhVWHpoMIYCWiei/images/GitOps-with-FluxCD/Image-Automation-Controller/Demo-Install-Image-Automation-Controller/flux-docs-image-reflector-controller-highlighted.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=AyhVWHpoMIYCWiei\&q=85\&s=6ecaa254db1480358971338eb93cb333) Example bootstrap/upgrade command Replace `owner`, `repository`, `path`, and the token with values appropriate for your environment. You can store your token in an environment variable (recommended). ```bash theme={null} flux bootstrap github \ --owner=your-github-owner \ --repository=your-repo \ --branch=main \ --path=./flux-clusters/dev-cluster/flux-system \ --components-extra=image-reflector-controller,image-automation-controller \ --personal \ --token="$GITHUB_TOKEN" ``` Using `--components-extra` accepts a comma-separated list (no spaces) for extra controllers. If Flux components already exist, `flux bootstrap` upgrades or reconciles them as needed. Common outputs during installation When the bootstrap completes you should see reconciliation and health checks such as: ```text theme={null} ◐ waiting for Kustomization "flux-system/flux-system" to be reconciled ✓ Kustomization reconciled successfully ► confirming components are healthy ✓ helm-controller: deployment ready ✓ image-automation-controller: deployment ready ✓ image-reflector-controller: deployment ready ✓ kustomize-controller: deployment ready ✓ notification-controller: deployment ready ✓ source-controller: deployment ready ✓ all components are healthy ``` Verify the new controllers are running: ```bash theme={null} kubectl -n flux-system get po,deploy ``` Example output: ```bash theme={null} NAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE pod/helm-controller-644cc6fdfb-tn7kw 1/1 Running 3 (105m ago) 18h pod/image-automation-controller-949478c65-smbbl 1/1 Running 0 27s pod/image-reflector-controller-5f75cf5799-t9zzx 1/1 Running 0 27s pod/kustomize-controller-7f65556bf5-n6c67 1/1 Running 3 (105m ago) 18h pod/notification-controller-57fb4fcb68-c8lnl 1/1 Running 3 (105m ago) 18h pod/source-controller-7c8f5fbf68-rfnv4 1/1 Running 3 (105m ago) 18h NAME READY UP-TO-DATE AVAILABLE AGE deployment.apps/helm-controller 1/1 1 1 18h deployment.apps/image-automation-controller 1/1 1 1 27s deployment.apps/image-reflector-controller 1/1 1 1 27s deployment.apps/kustomize-controller 1/1 1 1 18h deployment.apps/notification-controller 1/1 1 1 18h deployment.apps/source-controller 1/1 1 1 18h ``` Verify CRDs The image controllers install new CRDs so you can declare image-related resources. Confirm they were added: ```bash theme={null} kubectl get crds | grep image ``` Example output: ```bash theme={null} imagepolicies.image.toolkit.fluxcd.io 2023-04-06T13:23:41Z imagerepositories.image.toolkit.fluxcd.io 2023-04-06T13:23:41Z imageupdateautomations.image.toolkit.fluxcd.io 2023-04-06T13:23:41Z ``` What changes in your Git repo After the operation, Flux updates the manifests in your repository to reflect the installed components. For example, part of `gotk-components.yaml` may include the image controllers in the header comment: ```yaml theme={null} --- # This manifest was generated by flux. DO NOT EDIT. # Flux Version: v0.41.2 # Components: source-controller,kustomize-controller,helm-controller,notification-controller,image-reflector-controller,image-automation-controller apiVersion: v1 kind: Namespace metadata: labels: app.kubernetes.io/instance: flux-system app.kubernetes.io/part-of: flux app.kubernetes.io/version: v0.41.2 name: flux-system --- ``` Fetch the changes locally: ```bash theme={null} git status git pull ``` Example `git status` and `git pull` output after the upgrade: ```bash theme={null} # git status On branch main Your branch is up to date with 'origin/main'. nothing to commit, working tree clean # git pull remote: Enumerating objects: 18, done. remote: Counting objects: 100% (18/18), done. remote: Compressing objects: 100% (8/8), done. remote: Total 12 (delta 5), reused 7 (delta 0), pack-reused 0 Unpacking objects: 100% (12/12), done. From https://github.com/your-org/your-repo 9b16147..003b28c main -> origin/main Updating 9b16147..003b28c Fast-forward flux-clusters/dev-cluster/flux-system/gotk-components.yaml | 1389 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ flux-clusters/dev-cluster/flux-system/gotk-sync.yaml | 4 +- 2 files changed, 1390 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) ``` Keep your Git token secure. Avoid committing tokens to source control and prefer using environment variables (e.g., `GITHUB_TOKEN`) or secret managers when running bootstrap commands. Next steps * Create `ImageRepository` resources to point at container registries. * Define `ImagePolicy` resources to select tags (semantic versioning, regex, etc.). * Add `ImageUpdateAutomation` resources to define how Flux should update the Git repo (e.g., commit message, path, and push method). References * Flux documentation: [https://fluxcd.io](https://fluxcd.io) * GitOps with Flux: [https://fluxcd.io/docs/installation/](https://fluxcd.io/docs/installation/) > **[Watch Video](https://learn.kodekloud.com/user/courses/gitops-with-fluxcd/module/e4076c7b-6728-412c-b4d7-9316fc346fc5/lesson/5e3a27cd-3176-4c7f-9ca1-d9de7978bc07)** This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.