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

# Overlays

> Overlays

export const VersionWarningBanner = () => {
  const latestVersion = "v1.13";
  const [latestUrl, setLatestUrl] = useState(null);
  const [currentVersion, setCurrentVersion] = useState(null);
  const [isBeta, setIsBeta] = useState(false);
  const parseVersion = v => v.replace("v", "").split(".").map(Number);
  const isGreaterVersion = (a, b) => {
    const [aMajor, aMinor] = parseVersion(a);
    const [bMajor, bMinor] = parseVersion(b);
    if (aMajor > bMajor) return true;
    if (aMajor === bMajor && aMinor > bMinor) return true;
    return false;
  };
  useEffect(() => {
    if (typeof window === "undefined") return;
    const {pathname, hash, search} = window.location;
    const match = pathname.match(/\/talos\/(v\d+\.\d+)\//);
    if (!match) return;
    const detectedVersion = match[1];
    if (detectedVersion === latestVersion) return;
    setCurrentVersion(detectedVersion);
    if (isGreaterVersion(detectedVersion, latestVersion)) {
      setIsBeta(true);
    }
    const newPath = pathname.replace(`/talos/${detectedVersion}/`, `/talos/${latestVersion}/`);
    setLatestUrl(`${newPath}${search}${hash}`);
  }, []);
  if (!latestUrl || !currentVersion) return null;
  return <div className="not-prose sticky top-6 z-50 my-6">
      <div className="border border-yellow-500/30 bg-yellow-500/10 px-4 py-3 rounded-xl">
        <div className="text-sm">
          {isBeta ? <>
              ⚠️ You are viewing a <strong>beta version</strong> of Talos ({currentVersion}).
              This version may be unstable.
              <a href={latestUrl} className="ml-2 underline text-yellow-400 hover:text-yellow-300 font-medium">
                View latest stable version {latestVersion} →
              </a>
            </> : <>
              ⚠️ You are viewing an older version of Talos ({currentVersion}).
              <a href={latestUrl} className="ml-2 underline text-yellow-400 hover:text-yellow-300 font-medium">
                View the latest version {latestVersion} →
              </a>
            </>}
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>;
};

export const release_v1_7 = 'v1.7.6';

<VersionWarningBanner />

Overlays provide a way to customize Talos Linux boot image.
Overlays hook into the Talos install steps and can be used to provide additional boot assets (in the case of single board computers),
extra kernel arguments or some custom configuration that is not part of the default Talos installation and specific to a particular overlay.

## Overlays v/s Extensions

Overlays are similar to extensions, but they are used to customize the installation process, while extensions are used to customize the root filesystem.

## Official Overlays

The list of official overlays can be found in the [Overlays GitHub repository](https://github.com/siderolabs/overlays/).

## Using Overlays

Overlays can be used to generate a modified metal image or installer image with the overlay applied.

The process of generating boot assets with overlays is described in the [boot assets guide](../../platform-specific-installations/boot-assets).

### Example: Booting a Raspberry Pi 4 with an Overlay

Follow the board specific guide for [Raspberry Pi](../../platform-specific-installations/single-board-computers/rpi_generic) to download or generate the metal disk image and write to an SD card.

Boot the machine with the boot media and apply the machine configuration with the installer image that has the overlay applied.

<CodeBlock lang="sh">
  {`# Talos machine configuration patch
    machine:
    install:
      image: factory.talos.dev/installer/fc1cceeb5711cd263877b6b808fbf4942a8deda65e8804c114a0b5bae252dc50:${release_v1_7 }
    `}
</CodeBlock>

> Note: The schematic id shown in the above patch is for a vanilla `rpi_generic` overlay.
> Replace it with the schematic id of the overlay you want to apply.

## Authoring Overlays

An Overlay is a container image with the [specific folder structure](https://github.com/siderolabs/overlays#readme).
Overlays can be built and managed using any tool that produces container images, e.g. `docker build`.

Sidero Labs maintains a [repository of overlays](https://github.com/siderolabs/overlays).