Decide whether to use a private artifact registry

Helm charts

The Helm charts for F5 BIG-IP Cloud-Native Edition are stored in an artifact registry and referenced when necessary.

When Helm charts are referenced

You reference a Helm chart when you perform a clean installation or an upgrade of F5 BIG-IP Cloud-Native Edition using Helm.

Docker container images

The F5 BIG-IP Cloud-Native Edition components run as a set of Docker containers whose images are stored in an artifact registry and pulled (downloaded) by Kubernetes when necessary.

When Docker container images are pulled

Kubernetes pulls the Docker container images for F5 BIG-IP Cloud-Native Edition during a clean installation or an upgrade and, when necessary, while F5 BIG-IP Cloud-Native Edition is running on your cluster.

Default artifact registry versus private artifact registry

By default, you reference Helm charts in—and Kubernetes pulls Docker container images from—F5 Artifact Registry, which is available over the public internet.

However, you can instead reference Helm charts in—and have Kubernetes pull Docker container images from—a private artifact registry.

Note

  • The private artifact registry must be an OCI registry.

  • The private artifact registry must be accessible by your cluster.

  • The private artifact registry must be accessible by your computer.

  • You must be authorized to push artifacts to the private artifact registry.

When to use a private artifact registry

Use a private artifact registry instead of the default artifact registry if any of the following are true:

  • Your cluster is not connected to the public internet (this is sometimes referred to as an air-gapped cluster).

  • You want to use your own infrastructure to store Helm charts and Docker container images for improved security and reliability.