Reloader Enterprise
"Reloader, production-hardened and fully supported"
The same controller your team already runs — with a CVE-signed image, SLA-backed support, and the team that built it on call.
The Problem
OSS is great. Until compliance asks questions.
Reloader OSS is battle-tested and running in thousands of clusters. But when it's part of a regulated environment, the conversation shifts from "does it work?" to "can you prove it?"
These are the questions that OSS alone can't answer.
- — Is this image CVE-clean and who's responsible if it's not?
- — Can we pass our SOC 2 audit with an unverified container image?
- — What happens when we hit a production edge case at 2am?
- — Who do we escalate to when something breaks during a rotation?
Comparison
Everything you need for production at scale
Enterprise is a drop-in replacement — same codebase, hardened delivery pipeline.
| Capability | OSS | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Full Reloader functionality | ✓ | ✓ |
| Community support (GitHub Issues) | ✓ | ✓ |
| CVE-scanned, signed container image | — | ✓ |
| SBOM & artifact provenance | — | ✓ |
| SLA-backed support with response times | — | ✓ |
| Dedicated escalation channel | — | ✓ |
| Security advisory notifications | — | ✓ |
| Upgrade guidance & compatibility checks | — | ✓ |
| Compliance-ready artifact chain (SOC 2 / ISO 27001) | — | ✓ |
Who It's For
Built for teams who run Kubernetes seriously
Platform Engineering
Running Reloader across 10+ clusters
You need guaranteed compatibility on every Kubernetes upgrade, a stable image channel you can pin, and someone to call when an edge case surfaces at scale.
Security & Compliance
Prepping for a SOC 2 or ISO 27001 audit
Your auditor wants verified image provenance, SBOMs, and a documented CVE response process. The OSS image alone doesn't give you that paper trail.
SREs at Scale
Can't afford an unpatched controller incident
Reloader sits in the critical path for config and secret rotation. When something breaks during a cert rotation at 2am, you need a human on the other end, not a GitHub issue.
Social Proof
So trusted, the community asked for it in Kubernetes core
Here's what the community and ecosystem have said — unprompted.
In December 2024, a member of the official Kubernetes discussion forum proposed that Reloader be added to Kubernetes core, stating that reloading deployments on config changes "is needed very often." Tim Hockin — one of Kubernetes' original creators — responded by defending Reloader as the established ecosystem standard, arguing against adding it to core precisely because the ecosystem project already exists and serves the need well.
— discuss.kubernetes.io, December 2024 · Tim Hockin, Google Distinguished Engineer & Kubernetes co-creator
"The cert-manager + Reloader combo is gold. Renewed certs, live and hassle-free."
SRE · SaaS Company
Via Cloud Native Now, 2025
"The Secrets Store CSI Driver documentation recommends Reloader by name as the solution for restarting pods after secret rotation."
Secrets Store CSI Driver · Official Docs
secrets-store-csi-driver.sigs.k8s.io
"Reloader is included in KodeKloud's official Kubernetes Troubleshooting curriculum — standard curriculum for 100K+ engineers learning production Kubernetes."
KodeKloud · Kubernetes Training Platform
notes.kodekloud.com
Ecosystem
Works with everything already in your stack
Reloader Enterprise is a drop-in component, not a new platform to adopt.
GitOps
ArgoCD
Annotations strategy avoids triggering unwanted sync diffs during config reloads
Flux
Works alongside Flux reconciliation without introducing config drift
Kustomize
Annotation-based control works cleanly with Kustomize overlays and patches
Deployment
Argo Rollouts
Full support for progressive delivery rollout types alongside standard workloads
Secrets
External Secrets Operator
Restart workloads automatically when ESO syncs a new secret value from any backend
HashiCorp Vault
Uniform restart mechanism across Vault Secrets Operator, CSI, and direct patterns
OpenBao
Open-source Vault fork — same Reloader integration path via ESO or CSI driver
Conjur
Works with CyberArk Conjur secrets surfaced via Kubernetes Secrets or ESO
AWS Secrets Manager
Full rotation-to-restart pipeline via Secrets Store CSI or External Secrets Operator
Azure Key Vault
Workload restarts triggered on AKV secret updates via CSI driver or ESO
Google Secret Manager
Integrates via External Secrets Operator to restart pods on GCP secret rotation
Config
cert-manager
Automatically reloads workloads when TLS certificates are renewed in-cluster
How It Works
Three steps. Zero migration effort.
Subscribe
Choose a support tier based on your cluster footprint and compliance requirements. No per-node pricing surprises.
→ Contact sales@stakater.comPull the certified image
Point your Helm values at the Enterprise registry. Same binary, hardened delivery chain. No manifest changes required.
# Before
image: stakater/reloader:latest
# After
image: enterprise.stakater.com/reloader:v1.x
Get support
Direct access to the Stakater engineering team. Not a ticket queue — a dedicated channel with people who wrote the code.
→ SLA response times guaranteed
FAQ
Common questions
Is it a different binary from OSS Reloader?
No. It is the same codebase and the same binary. The difference is the image delivery pipeline — Enterprise images are built in a hardened environment, scanned for CVEs, signed with cosign, and shipped with a full SBOM.
Do we need to change our Helm configuration?
Minimal changes only — you update the image registry reference to point to the Enterprise registry. All existing annotations and flags remain identical. Migration typically takes under 10 minutes.
What compliance frameworks does it support?
The image and artifact chain supports SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and FedRAMP-aligned environments. We provide the provenance documentation required by most enterprise security audits.
How is support delivered?
Via a dedicated Slack channel with the Stakater engineering team, with SLA-defined response times based on your tier. For critical production issues, we have an escalation path to the engineers who wrote the code.
How is Enterprise priced?
Pricing is based on cluster footprint and support tier. There is no per-node or per-pod pricing. Contact sales@stakater.com for a quote based on your environment.
Can we stay on OSS and just buy support?
Yes — support-only tiers are available for teams that need the SLA and escalation path but have already addressed image verification through their own pipeline. Ask about this option in the sales conversation.
Run Reloader with confidence and a number to call
24 billion downloads means Reloader works. Enterprise means someone is accountable when it matters most.