|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: Use Helm to Install NGINX Ingress Controller with NGINX Open Source |
| 3 | +linkTitle: NGINX Open Source |
| 4 | +toc: true |
| 5 | +weight: 100 |
| 6 | +nd-content-type: how-to |
| 7 | +nd-product: INGRESS |
| 8 | +--- |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +This page describes how to use Helm to install F5 NGINX Ingress Controller with NGINX Open Source. |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +It explains the requirements for NGINX Ingress Controller, how to obtain and install the Helm chart, and what custom resource definitions (CRDs) are installed during the process. |
| 13 | + |
| 14 | +By following these instructions, you will finish with a functional NGINX Ingress Controller instance for your Kubernetes cluster. |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +## Before you begin |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +- A [supported Kubernetes version]({{< ref "/nic/technical-specifications.md#supported-kubernetes-versions" >}}) |
| 19 | +- A functional Kubernetes cluster |
| 20 | +- [Helm 3.19+.](https://helm.sh/docs/intro/install) |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +Throughout this page, you will see placeholder values indicated with angular brackets, such as **\<my-release\>**. Replace them accordingly for your installation. |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +{{< call-out "warning" >}} |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +The `edge` version **is not intended for production use**. It is intended for testing and development purposes only. |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +{{< /call-out >}} |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +If you'd like to test the latest changes in NGINX Ingress Controller before a new release, you can install the `edge` version, which is built from the `main` branch of the [NGINX Ingress Controller repository](https://github.com/nginx/kubernetes-ingress). |
| 31 | + |
| 32 | +You can install the `edge` version by specifying the `--version` flag with the value `0.0.0-edge`: |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +```shell |
| 35 | +helm install <my-release> oci://ghcr.io/nginx/charts/nginx-ingress --version 0.0.0-edge |
| 36 | +``` |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +## Install the Helm chart |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +You have two options for installing the Helm chart: directly from the OCI registry, or using the source. |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +### OCI Registry |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +To install NGINX Ingress Controller using the OCI registry, run this command with your release name: |
| 45 | + |
| 46 | +```shell |
| 47 | +helm install <my-release> oci://ghcr.io/nginx/charts/nginx-ingress --version {{< nic-helm-version >}} |
| 48 | +``` |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +{{< details summary="Example output" >}} |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +```text |
| 53 | +Pulled: ghcr.io/nginx/charts/nginx-ingress:2.3.1 |
| 54 | +Digest: sha256:bb452d593c31b6be39f459f9604882e170227429821bac01e7ddd7da16d91ba1 |
| 55 | +NAME: h4-oss |
| 56 | +LAST DEPLOYED: Fri Nov 28 11:53:57 2025 |
| 57 | +NAMESPACE: default |
| 58 | +STATUS: deployed |
| 59 | +REVISION: 1 |
| 60 | +DESCRIPTION: Install complete |
| 61 | +TEST SUITE: None |
| 62 | +NOTES: |
| 63 | +NGINX Ingress Controller 5.2.1 has been installed. |
| 64 | +
|
| 65 | +For release notes for this version please see: https://docs.nginx.com/nginx-ingress-controller/releases/ |
| 66 | +
|
| 67 | +Installation and upgrade instructions: https://docs.nginx.com/nginx-ingress-controller/installation/installing-nic/installation-with-helm/ |
| 68 | +``` |
| 69 | + |
| 70 | +{{< /details >}} |
| 71 | + |
| 72 | +### From source |
| 73 | + |
| 74 | +To install NGINX Ingress Controller from source, first pull the chart by running this command: |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +```shell |
| 77 | +helm pull oci://ghcr.io/nginx/charts/nginx-ingress --untar --version {{< nic-helm-version >}} |
| 78 | +``` |
| 79 | + |
| 80 | +{{< details summary="Example output" >}} |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | +```text |
| 83 | +Pulled: ghcr.io/nginx/charts/nginx-ingress:2.3.1 |
| 84 | +Digest: sha256:bb452d593c31b6be39f459f9604882e170227429821bac01e7ddd7da16d91ba1 |
| 85 | +``` |
| 86 | + |
| 87 | +{{< /details >}} |
| 88 | + |
| 89 | +Then use the `cd` command to change your working directory to _nginx-ingress_: |
| 90 | + |
| 91 | +```shell |
| 92 | +cd nginx-ingress |
| 93 | +``` |
| 94 | + |
| 95 | +Finally, install the chart with your release name with `helm install`: |
| 96 | + |
| 97 | +```shell |
| 98 | +helm install <my-release> . |
| 99 | +``` |
| 100 | + |
| 101 | +{{< details summary="Example output" >}} |
| 102 | + |
| 103 | +```text |
| 104 | +NAME: h4-oss-source |
| 105 | +LAST DEPLOYED: Fri Nov 28 12:06:07 2025 |
| 106 | +NAMESPACE: default |
| 107 | +STATUS: deployed |
| 108 | +REVISION: 1 |
| 109 | +DESCRIPTION: Install complete |
| 110 | +TEST SUITE: None |
| 111 | +NOTES: |
| 112 | +NGINX Ingress Controller 5.2.1 has been installed. |
| 113 | +
|
| 114 | +For release notes for this version please see: https://docs.nginx.com/nginx-ingress-controller/releases/ |
| 115 | +
|
| 116 | +Installation and upgrade instructions: https://docs.nginx.com/nginx-ingress-controller/installation/installing-nic/installation-with-helm/ |
| 117 | +``` |
| 118 | + |
| 119 | +{{< /details >}} |
| 120 | + |
| 121 | +## Verify the deployment |
| 122 | + |
| 123 | +To verify that NGINX Ingress Controller has been installed correctly, you can review `ingressclasses` with `kubectl get`: |
| 124 | + |
| 125 | +```shell |
| 126 | +kubectl get ingressclasses |
| 127 | +``` |
| 128 | + |
| 129 | +{{< details summary="Example output" >}} |
| 130 | + |
| 131 | +```text |
| 132 | +NAME CONTROLLER PARAMETERS AGE |
| 133 | +nginx nginx.org/ingress-controller <none> 10m |
| 134 | +``` |
| 135 | + |
| 136 | +{{< /details >}} |
| 137 | + |
| 138 | +## Custom Resource Definitions |
| 139 | + |
| 140 | +When installing the chart, Helm will install the required CRDs. Without them, NGINX Ingress Controller pods will not become _Ready_. |
| 141 | + |
| 142 | +If you do not use the custom resources that require those CRDs, add the parameter `--skip-crds` in your `helm install` command. |
| 143 | + |
| 144 | +The following chart parameters should be set to `false`: |
| 145 | + |
| 146 | +- `controller.enableCustomResources` |
| 147 | +- `controller.appprotect.enable` |
| 148 | +- `controller.appprotectdos.enable` |
| 149 | + |
| 150 | +## Next steps |
| 151 | + |
| 152 | +- [NGINX Ingress Controller Helm chart parameters]({{< ref "/nic/install/helm/parameters.md" >}}) |
| 153 | +- [Security recommendations]({{< ref "/nic/configuration/security.md" >}}) |
| 154 | +- [Basic configuration]({{< ref "/nic/configuration/ingress-resources/basic-configuration.md" >}}) |
| 155 | +- [Extensibility with NGINX Plus]({{< ref "/nic/overview/nginx-plus.md" >}}) |
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