In this episode of The Landscape, we spoke with Priyanka “Pinky” Ravi, a top contributor to the Flux project and Platform Tech Advocate at JFrog. Priyanka shared exciting updates about Flux’s scalability, security enhancements, and how leading organizations are adopting its new features. Flux is a graduated CNCF landscape project.
One of the most impactful additions to Flux is sharding, which enables horizontal and vertical scalability for multi-cluster setups. This feature allows users to efficiently manage large-scale deployments, ensuring better performance and resource utilization. Flux’s enhanced image automation controllers, which are soon to reach GA, provide teams with a powerful way to automate their pipelines and keep deployments consistent.
Security remains a priority for Flux. Following multiple security audits with no CVEs found, Flux offers a robust pull-based model that automatically restores configurations during sync intervals, providing resilience against malicious changes or errors.
Priyanka also highlighted how major organizations like SAP, Volvo, and Cisco use Flux to streamline their GitOps workflows. Flux’s lightweight architecture, integration with Helm, and easy setup make it a favorite among end users looking for a reliable and secure GitOps solution.
This episode is sponsored by OVHcloud.
Bart:
What problem does Flux solve?
Priyanka:
Flux is a GitOps tool that addresses configuration drift and automates the process of getting code from Git to deployment, whether that’s using buckets, OCI registries, or other deployment methods. It enables a truly GitOps-driven workflow.
Bart:
What conversations have you been having about Flux here at KubeCon, and what’s the latest news?
Priyanka:
I’ve been hearing some fascinating use cases! Many people are leveraging our image automation controllers, which I think are underrated. Additionally, sharding in multi-cluster setups has been a hot topic. It’s exciting to see how people are using Flux for scalability.
Bart:
What are some key developments in Flux over the past six months?
Priyanka:
One major development is sharding, which enables both horizontal and vertical scalability. All Helm controllers are now generally available (GA), which is a big milestone for us. Coming soon, the image automation controllers will also reach GA status.
Bart:
I understand Flux has made strides in security. Can you elaborate?
Priyanka:
Flux has undergone several security audits, and no CVEs were found. Security is a top priority—it operates on a pull model rather than a push model. For example, if a bad actor deletes something, Flux will automatically restore it during the next sync interval.
Bart:
How did you get involved in the Flux project?
Priyanka:
I used to work at a large insurance company where we implemented GitOps across the organization using Flux. Later, I joined Weaveworks, which started Flux, and promoting and supporting Flux became my full-time role. I love the project so much I just can’t stop contributing!
Bart:
What makes the Flux community unique?
Priyanka:
The community is incredibly diverse, with contributors from all over the world and support from multiple companies. The end users are amazing too—they’re kind, collaborative, and always bring unique use cases to the table.
Bart:
Who are some notable end users of Flux?
Priyanka:
Some of our big-name users include SAP, Volvo, RingCentral, and Orange. It’s exciting to see such widely recognized brands using Flux in their workflows.
Bart:
How does Flux differentiate itself from other GitOps tools?
Priyanka:
Flux is lightweight, consisting of only 13 CRDs and up to six Kubernetes controllers (four by default). It also uses the true Helm API, so Helm installs show up as expected when you run helm list. The documentation is excellent, and it’s easy to set up, making it a great choice for end users.
Bart:
How can people get involved in the Flux project?
Priyanka:
We welcome all contributors! Head over to fluxcd.io and check out the contributing guide to get started. Join our Flux project meetings, attend bug scrubs, and explore the resources on the website.
Bart:
Thank you so much, Priyanka.
Priyanka:
Thank you! Cheers.