---
title: "Install the Compute agent with Terraform"
slug: "install-the-compute-agent-with-terraform"
updated: 2026-07-16T12:48:56Z
published: 2026-07-16T12:48:56Z
canonical: "docs.zesty.co/install-the-compute-agent-with-terraform"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.zesty.co/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Install the Compute agent with Terraform

This topic describes how to use Terraform and Helm to install the Kompass Compute agent in your cluster.

The Compute agent enables the Headroom reduction solutions. The agent includes these parts:

- **QScaler**: Transforms traditional node scaling by maintaining a strategic pool of hibernated VMs. Instead of the time-consuming process of creating new VMs during demand spikes, QScaler instantly resumes preconfigured VMs from hibernation.
- **QCache**: Revolutionizes container image management by pre-baking frequently used images. When a node starts, it has immediate access to required container images locally, eliminating registry download times during Pod startup.

You can control the nodes on which the Compute agent runs by changing these nodeSelector values in [**values.yaml**](https://github.com/zesty-co/kompass-compute/tree/main/charts/kompass-compute#values):

```yaml
cache.nodeSelector
hiberscaler.nodeSelector
imageSizeCalculator.nodeSelector
otel.nodeSelector
snapshooter.nodeSelector
telemetryManager.nodeSelector
uninstaller.nodeSelector
```

### Installation steps

Installation follows these steps:

- **Step 1: Use Terraform** to install cloud resources outside the cluster. This module creates IAM roles, policies, SQS queues, and related resources for the Kompass Compute controller. (The resources deployed are documented in the Terraform procedure.) Terraform passes data to and also installs the Helm charts and resources in the cluster.
- **Step 2: (Optional) Use Helm** to install charts in the cluster. This step is performed only if your environment requires a separation between Terraform and Helm. In that case, you can comment out the Helm chart installation part in Terraform and install the charts manually. These charts need to be installed:
  - **kompass-compute-crd**: chart for the CRDs required by Kompass Compute. This chart is separate from the resources chart to comply with Helm best practices.
  - **kompass-compute**: chart for the main Kompass Compute components

#### **Prerequisites**

- Kubernetes v1.19, or later
- Helm v3.2.0, or later
- [Kompass](https://github.com/zesty-co/kompass) installed in the cluster
- EKS Pod Identity enabled in the cluster, otherwise go to the [IRSA section](https://github.com/zesty-co/terraform-kompass-compute?tab=readme-ov-file#using-iam-roles-for-service-accounts-irsa)

**To install the Compute agent:**

1. Install with Terraform: Select the way to install:

This is the link to the [TerraForm Zesty Kompass Compute Module](https://github.com/zesty-co/terraform-kompass-compute)
  - **Quick start**: code that you can copy and modify
  - **Full instructions**: the same code with step-by-step instructions
  - **Helm chart directly**: for when your environment requires a separation between Terraform and Helm
2. (Optional) If you selected the **Helm chart directly** installation, after deploying resources with Terraform, perform the [Helm installation](https://github.com/zesty-co/kompass-compute/).