Flux Cheatsheet

Top commands.

Overview

Flux is the Kubernetes-native GitOps tool: controllers run as in-cluster workloads, git is the source of truth, multi-tenancy works through per-namespace configs. Five primitives carry most operational use: in-cluster controllers, git as source, multi-tenancy, image automation, notification controller. Pick Flux when "the cluster manages itself" matters more than the polished UI Argo CD ships with.

• In-cluster controllers. Source, kustomize, and helm controllers run as Kubernetes workloads. GitOps lifecycle integrated with the cluster's own lifecycle.
• Git as source of truth. Cluster state matches the git repo. Auditable deployments by construction.
• Multi-tenancy. Per-namespace Flux configs. Team isolation without separate Flux instances.
• Image automation plus notifications. Flux can update image tags from registry watchers; notification controller delivers events to Slack, Teams, or webhooks.

The approach

Bootstrap once, declare everything in git, monitor via controller status. Five idioms cover most operational Flux use; memorising them moves the team from kubectl-driven deploys to confident GitOps.

• flux bootstrap github. Sets up Flux against a github repo in one command. Establishes the GitOps flow.
• flux get sources git. List git sources Flux is tracking. Source visibility on demand.
• flux get kustomizations. List kustomizations being applied. Deployment visibility.
• flux reconcile plus suspend/resume. Force a reconcile when iteration is fast; pause and resume reconciliation for planned maintenance.

Why this compounds

Each application that adopts Flux inherits the same GitOps patterns. Continuous reconciliation removes manual deploy steps; per-team configs scale with org size; image automation closes the loop on continuous deployment. By year two every new namespace ships with Flux config on day one.

• Faster deployments. Continuous reconciliation removes manual steps. Friction drops.
• Better audit trail. Git history is the deployment history. Compliance follows.
• Multi-tenancy. Per-team Flux configs scale with org size. Isolation without operational overhead.
• Year-one investment, year-two habit. First year builds the patterns; by year two, every namespace ships with Flux from creation.