diff --git a/pkg/api/controller.go b/pkg/api/controller.go
index c20a206e..f0608ee7 100644
--- a/pkg/api/controller.go
+++ b/pkg/api/controller.go
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ type Controller struct {
 	HTPasswd        *HTPasswd
 	HTPasswdWatcher *HTPasswdWatcher
 	LDAPClient      *LDAPClient
+	CertReloader    *CertReloader
 	taskScheduler   *scheduler.Scheduler
 	Healthz         *common.Healthz
 	// runtime params
@@ -204,6 +205,18 @@ func (c *Controller) Run() error {
 
 	tlsConfig := c.Config.CopyTLSConfig()
 	if tlsConfig != nil && tlsConfig.Key != "" && tlsConfig.Cert != "" {
+		// Create certificate reloader for automatic TLS certificate updates
+		certReloader, err := NewCertReloader(tlsConfig.Cert, tlsConfig.Key, c.Log)
+		if err != nil {
+			c.Log.Error().Err(err).Str("cert", tlsConfig.Cert).Str("key", tlsConfig.Key).
+				Msg("failed to load TLS certificates")
+
+			return err
+		}
+
+		// Store the CertReloader so it can be closed during shutdown
+		c.CertReloader = certReloader
+
 		// These are the same as the cipher suites in defaultCipherSuitesFIPS for TLS 1.2
 		// see https://cs.opensource.google/go/go/+/refs/tags/go1.24.9:src/crypto/tls/defaults.go;l=123
 		// Note: Order doesn't matter - Go 1.17+ automatically orders cipher suites based on
@@ -239,7 +252,8 @@ func (c *Controller) Run() error {
 			CipherSuites:     cipherSuites,
 			CurvePreferences: curvePreferences,
 			// PreferServerCipherSuites is ignored in Go 1.17+ - Go automatically orders cipher suites
-			MinVersion: tls.VersionTLS12,
+			MinVersion:     tls.VersionTLS12,
+			GetCertificate: certReloader.GetCertificateFunc(),
 		}
 
 		if tlsConfig.CACert != "" {
@@ -266,7 +280,8 @@ func (c *Controller) Run() error {
 
 		c.Healthz.Ready()
 
-		return server.ServeTLS(listener, tlsConfig.Cert, tlsConfig.Key)
+		// Pass empty strings to ServeTLS - certificates will be loaded via GetCertificate callback
+		return server.ServeTLS(listener, "", "")
 	}
 
 	c.Healthz.Ready()
@@ -484,6 +499,11 @@ func (c *Controller) StopBackgroundTasks() {
 	if c.HTPasswdWatcher != nil {
 		_ = c.HTPasswdWatcher.Close()
 	}
+
+	// Close CertReloader to prevent resource leaks
+	if c.CertReloader != nil {
+		_ = c.CertReloader.Close()
+	}
 }
 
 func (c *Controller) StartBackgroundTasks() {
diff --git a/pkg/api/tlscert.go b/pkg/api/tlscert.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..64963d0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/api/tlscert.go
@@ -0,0 +1,280 @@
+package api
+
+import (
+	"crypto/tls"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/fsnotify/fsnotify"
+
+	"zotregistry.dev/zot/v2/pkg/log"
+)
+
+const (
+	// certCheckCacheDuration is the minimum time between file stat checks when fsnotify is unavailable.
+	// This prevents excessive file system calls during high TLS handshake rates.
+	certCheckCacheDuration = 1 * time.Second
+)
+
+// CertReloader handles automatic reloading of TLS certificates without downtime.
+// It monitors certificate and key files for changes and reloads them dynamically
+// using a GetCertificate callback in tls.Config.
+type CertReloader struct {
+	certMu      sync.RWMutex
+	cert        *tls.Certificate
+	certPath    string
+	keyPath     string
+	certMod     time.Time
+	keyMod      time.Time
+	log         log.Logger
+	watcher     *fsnotify.Watcher
+	reloadMu    sync.Mutex // Prevents concurrent reload operations
+	lastCheck   time.Time
+	checkCache  time.Duration // Minimum time between file stat checks
+	stopWatcher chan struct{}
+	closeOnce   sync.Once // Ensures Close() can be called multiple times safely
+}
+
+// NewCertReloader creates a new certificate reloader and loads the initial certificate.
+// It starts an fsnotify watcher to monitor certificate file changes.
+func NewCertReloader(certPath, keyPath string, logger log.Logger) (*CertReloader, error) {
+	reloader := &CertReloader{
+		certPath:    certPath,
+		keyPath:     keyPath,
+		log:         logger,
+		checkCache:  certCheckCacheDuration,
+		stopWatcher: make(chan struct{}),
+	}
+
+	if err := reloader.reload(); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// Start fsnotify watcher in background
+	if err := reloader.startWatcher(); err != nil {
+		// Log warning but don't fail - we'll fall back to periodic checking
+		logger.Warn().Err(err).Msg("failed to start fsnotify watcher, falling back to periodic checking")
+	}
+
+	// NOTE: Do not add initialization that can fail after this point without ensuring
+	// the watcher is stopped (e.g., by calling Close on error), otherwise the
+	// watchLoop goroutine started by startWatcher could be leaked.
+
+	return reloader, nil
+}
+
+// Close stops the file watcher and releases resources.
+// This method is safe to call multiple times.
+func (cr *CertReloader) Close() error {
+	var err error
+	cr.closeOnce.Do(func() {
+		if cr.stopWatcher != nil {
+			close(cr.stopWatcher)
+		}
+
+		if cr.watcher != nil {
+			err = cr.watcher.Close()
+		}
+	})
+
+	return err
+}
+
+// startWatcher initializes the fsnotify watcher for certificate files.
+func (cr *CertReloader) startWatcher() error {
+	watcher, err := fsnotify.NewWatcher()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	cr.watcher = watcher
+
+	// Watch the directory containing the certificate files
+	// This is more reliable than watching files directly, especially for atomic file updates
+	certDir := filepath.Dir(cr.certPath)
+	keyDir := filepath.Dir(cr.keyPath)
+
+	if err := watcher.Add(certDir); err != nil {
+		watcher.Close()
+
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// If cert and key are in different directories, watch both
+	if certDir != keyDir {
+		if err := watcher.Add(keyDir); err != nil {
+			watcher.Close()
+
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Start goroutine to handle file system events
+	go cr.watchLoop()
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// watchLoop handles file system events from fsnotify.
+func (cr *CertReloader) watchLoop() {
+	for {
+		select {
+		case <-cr.stopWatcher:
+			return
+		case event, ok := <-cr.watcher.Events:
+			if !ok {
+				return
+			}
+
+			// Check if the event is for our certificate or key files
+			if event.Name == cr.certPath || event.Name == cr.keyPath {
+				// Only process write and create events
+				if event.Op&(fsnotify.Write|fsnotify.Create) != 0 {
+					cr.log.Debug().Str("file", event.Name).Str("op", event.Op.String()).
+						Msg("certificate file change detected")
+
+					// Try to reload the certificate
+					cr.tryReload()
+				}
+			}
+		case err, ok := <-cr.watcher.Errors:
+			if !ok {
+				return
+			}
+			cr.log.Warn().Err(err).Msg("fsnotify watcher error")
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// tryReload attempts to reload certificates with proper concurrency control.
+func (cr *CertReloader) tryReload() {
+	// Use mutex to ensure only one reload happens at a time
+	// This prevents race condition where multiple goroutines detect changes simultaneously
+	cr.reloadMu.Lock()
+	defer cr.reloadMu.Unlock()
+
+	if err := cr.reload(); err != nil {
+		cr.log.Warn().Err(err).Str("cert", cr.certPath).Str("key", cr.keyPath).
+			Msg("failed to reload TLS certificates")
+	} else {
+		cr.log.Info().Str("cert", cr.certPath).Str("key", cr.keyPath).
+			Msg("TLS certificates reloaded successfully")
+	}
+}
+
+// reload loads the certificate and key from disk and updates the internal certificate.
+func (cr *CertReloader) reload() error {
+	// Get file modification times
+	certInfo, err := os.Stat(cr.certPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	keyInfo, err := os.Stat(cr.keyPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	certMod := certInfo.ModTime()
+	keyMod := keyInfo.ModTime()
+
+	// Load the certificate
+	newCert, err := tls.LoadX509KeyPair(cr.certPath, cr.keyPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// Update the certificate and modification times
+	cr.certMu.Lock()
+	defer cr.certMu.Unlock()
+
+	cr.cert = &newCert
+	cr.certMod = certMod
+	cr.keyMod = keyMod
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// maybeReload checks if the certificate files have been modified and reloads them if necessary.
+// This is used as a fallback when fsnotify is not available or fails.
+// Uses time-based caching to avoid excessive file system calls.
+func (cr *CertReloader) maybeReload() error {
+	// Use write lock for both check and update to prevent race conditions
+	// While less efficient than RLock+Lock upgrade, this ensures only one goroutine
+	// updates lastCheck at a time, preventing multiple goroutines from bypassing
+	// the cache check simultaneously. Since we have a 1-second cache, this lock
+	// is acquired at most once per second, making the performance impact acceptable.
+	cr.certMu.Lock()
+	if time.Since(cr.lastCheck) < cr.checkCache {
+		// Recently checked, skip stat calls
+		cr.certMu.Unlock()
+
+		return nil
+	}
+	// Update last check time within the same critical section as the cache check
+	cr.lastCheck = time.Now()
+	cr.certMu.Unlock()
+
+	// Check cert file modification time
+	certInfo, err := os.Stat(cr.certPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	keyInfo, err := os.Stat(cr.keyPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	certMod := certInfo.ModTime()
+	keyMod := keyInfo.ModTime()
+
+	// Check if files have been modified
+	cr.certMu.RLock()
+	needsReload := certMod.After(cr.certMod) || keyMod.After(cr.keyMod)
+	cr.certMu.RUnlock()
+
+	if needsReload {
+		// Use reloadMu to prevent concurrent reload operations
+		cr.reloadMu.Lock()
+		defer cr.reloadMu.Unlock()
+
+		// Double-check after acquiring lock - another goroutine might have already reloaded
+		cr.certMu.RLock()
+		stillNeedsReload := certMod.After(cr.certMod) || keyMod.After(cr.keyMod)
+		cr.certMu.RUnlock()
+
+		if stillNeedsReload {
+			if err := cr.reload(); err != nil {
+				cr.log.Warn().Err(err).Str("cert", cr.certPath).Str("key", cr.keyPath).
+					Msg("failed to reload TLS certificates")
+
+				return err
+			}
+
+			cr.log.Info().Str("cert", cr.certPath).Str("key", cr.keyPath).
+				Msg("TLS certificates reloaded successfully")
+		}
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+// GetCertificateFunc returns a function that can be used as tls.Config.GetCertificate.
+// This function checks for certificate updates on each TLS handshake and reloads if necessary.
+// If fsnotify watcher is active, this only performs time-cached checks as a fallback.
+func (cr *CertReloader) GetCertificateFunc() func(*tls.ClientHelloInfo) (*tls.Certificate, error) {
+	return func(_ *tls.ClientHelloInfo) (*tls.Certificate, error) {
+		// Try to reload the certificate if it has changed
+		// This is a fallback mechanism when fsnotify is not available
+		// Errors are logged but ignored to maintain availability with existing certificate
+		_ = cr.maybeReload()
+
+		cr.certMu.RLock()
+		defer cr.certMu.RUnlock()
+
+		return cr.cert, nil
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/api/tlscert_test.go b/pkg/api/tlscert_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a4367d28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/api/tlscert_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,334 @@
+package api_test
+
+import (
+	"crypto/tls"
+	"crypto/x509"
+	"net/http"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	. "github.com/smartystreets/goconvey/convey"
+	"gopkg.in/resty.v1"
+
+	"zotregistry.dev/zot/v2/pkg/api"
+	"zotregistry.dev/zot/v2/pkg/api/config"
+	"zotregistry.dev/zot/v2/pkg/log"
+	test "zotregistry.dev/zot/v2/pkg/test/common"
+	tlsutils "zotregistry.dev/zot/v2/pkg/test/tls"
+)
+
+func TestTLSCertReload(t *testing.T) {
+	Convey("Test automatic TLS certificate reload", t, func() {
+		// Create temporary directory for certificates
+		tempDir := t.TempDir()
+
+		// Generate initial CA certificate
+		caOpts := &tlsutils.CertificateOptions{
+			CommonName: "Test CA",
+			NotAfter:   time.Now().AddDate(1, 0, 0),
+		}
+		caCertPEM, caKeyPEM, err := tlsutils.GenerateCACert(caOpts)
+		So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+		// Generate initial server certificate
+		serverCertPath := filepath.Join(tempDir, "server.cert")
+		serverKeyPath := filepath.Join(tempDir, "server.key")
+		serverOpts := &tlsutils.CertificateOptions{
+			Hostname:   "127.0.0.1",
+			CommonName: "Server v1",
+			NotAfter:   time.Now().AddDate(1, 0, 0),
+		}
+		err = tlsutils.GenerateServerCertToFile(caCertPEM, caKeyPEM, serverCertPath, serverKeyPath, serverOpts)
+		So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+		// Create config with TLS
+		port := test.GetFreePort()
+		httpsURL := test.GetSecureBaseURL(port)
+
+		conf := config.New()
+		conf.HTTP.Address = "127.0.0.1"
+		conf.HTTP.Port = port
+		conf.HTTP.TLS = &config.TLSConfig{
+			Cert: serverCertPath,
+			Key:  serverKeyPath,
+		}
+		conf.Storage.RootDirectory = t.TempDir()
+
+		ctlr := api.NewController(conf)
+		ctlr.Config.Storage.RootDirectory = t.TempDir()
+
+		cm := test.NewControllerManager(ctlr)
+		cm.StartAndWait(port)
+		defer cm.StopServer()
+
+		// Create client with CA certificate
+		caCertPool := x509.NewCertPool()
+		caCertPool.AppendCertsFromPEM(caCertPEM)
+
+		httpClient := resty.New().
+			SetTLSClientConfig(&tls.Config{
+				RootCAs:    caCertPool,
+				MinVersion: tls.VersionTLS12,
+			}).
+			SetRedirectPolicy(resty.FlexibleRedirectPolicy(10))
+
+		// Verify initial connection works with HTTPS
+		resp, err := httpClient.R().Get(httpsURL + "/v2/")
+		So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+		So(resp, ShouldNotBeNil)
+		So(resp.StatusCode(), ShouldEqual, http.StatusOK)
+
+		// Wait a moment to ensure file modification time will be different
+		time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
+
+		// Generate new server certificate with different CommonName
+		serverOpts2 := &tlsutils.CertificateOptions{
+			Hostname:   "127.0.0.1",
+			CommonName: "Server v2",
+			NotAfter:   time.Now().AddDate(1, 0, 0),
+		}
+		err = tlsutils.GenerateServerCertToFile(caCertPEM, caKeyPEM, serverCertPath, serverKeyPath, serverOpts2)
+		So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+		// Wait for certificate to be detected and reloaded
+		time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
+
+		// Verify connection still works with new certificate
+		resp2, err := httpClient.R().Get(httpsURL + "/v2/")
+		So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+		So(resp2.StatusCode(), ShouldEqual, http.StatusOK)
+	})
+}
+
+func TestCertReloaderDirectly(t *testing.T) {
+	Convey("Test CertReloader functionality", t, func() {
+		tempDir := t.TempDir()
+
+		// Generate CA certificate
+		caOpts := &tlsutils.CertificateOptions{
+			CommonName: "Test CA",
+			NotAfter:   time.Now().AddDate(1, 0, 0),
+		}
+		caCertPEM, caKeyPEM, err := tlsutils.GenerateCACert(caOpts)
+		So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+		// Generate initial server certificate
+		certPath := filepath.Join(tempDir, "server.cert")
+		keyPath := filepath.Join(tempDir, "server.key")
+		serverOpts := &tlsutils.CertificateOptions{
+			Hostname:   "127.0.0.1",
+			CommonName: "Initial Cert",
+			NotAfter:   time.Now().AddDate(1, 0, 0),
+		}
+		err = tlsutils.GenerateServerCertToFile(caCertPEM, caKeyPEM, certPath, keyPath, serverOpts)
+		So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+		Convey("NewCertReloader should load initial certificate", func() {
+			reloader, err := api.NewCertReloader(certPath, keyPath, log.NewTestLogger())
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(reloader, ShouldNotBeNil)
+			defer reloader.Close()
+
+			// Get certificate via callback
+			getCert := reloader.GetCertificateFunc()
+			cert, err := getCert(nil)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(cert, ShouldNotBeNil)
+		})
+
+		Convey("GetCertificateFunc should reload when certificate changes", func() {
+			reloader, err := api.NewCertReloader(certPath, keyPath, log.NewTestLogger())
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			defer reloader.Close()
+
+			getCert := reloader.GetCertificateFunc()
+			initialCert, err := getCert(nil)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(initialCert, ShouldNotBeNil)
+
+			// Wait to ensure modification time will be different
+			time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
+
+			// Generate new certificate
+			newServerOpts := &tlsutils.CertificateOptions{
+				Hostname:   "127.0.0.1",
+				CommonName: "Updated Cert",
+				NotAfter:   time.Now().AddDate(1, 0, 0),
+			}
+			err = tlsutils.GenerateServerCertToFile(caCertPEM, caKeyPEM, certPath, keyPath, newServerOpts)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+			// Get certificate again - should reload automatically
+			updatedCert, err := getCert(nil)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(updatedCert, ShouldNotBeNil)
+
+			// Certificates should be different (different leaf certificates)
+			initialLeaf, err := x509.ParseCertificate(initialCert.Certificate[0])
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			updatedLeaf, err := x509.ParseCertificate(updatedCert.Certificate[0])
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+			// Common names should be different
+			So(initialLeaf.Subject.CommonName, ShouldEqual, "Initial Cert")
+			So(updatedLeaf.Subject.CommonName, ShouldEqual, "Updated Cert")
+		})
+
+		Convey("NewCertReloader should fail with invalid paths", func() {
+			_, err := api.NewCertReloader("/nonexistent/cert.pem", "/nonexistent/key.pem", log.NewTestLogger())
+			So(err, ShouldNotBeNil)
+		})
+
+		Convey("GetCertificateFunc should handle missing files gracefully", func() {
+			reloader, err := api.NewCertReloader(certPath, keyPath, log.NewTestLogger())
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			defer reloader.Close()
+
+			getCert := reloader.GetCertificateFunc()
+
+			// Delete the certificate file
+			err = os.Remove(certPath)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+			// Should still return the old certificate (not fail)
+			cert, err := getCert(nil)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(cert, ShouldNotBeNil)
+		})
+
+		Convey("GetCertificateFunc should handle only cert file modification", func() {
+			reloader, err := api.NewCertReloader(certPath, keyPath, log.NewTestLogger())
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			defer reloader.Close()
+
+			getCert := reloader.GetCertificateFunc()
+			initialCert, err := getCert(nil)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(initialCert, ShouldNotBeNil)
+
+			// Wait to ensure modification time will be different
+			time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
+
+			// Modify only the cert file (touch it to update mtime)
+			// Generate new cert with same key
+			newServerOpts := &tlsutils.CertificateOptions{
+				Hostname:   "127.0.0.1",
+				CommonName: "Updated Cert Only",
+				NotAfter:   time.Now().AddDate(1, 0, 0),
+			}
+			// Read the existing key
+			keyData, err := os.ReadFile(keyPath)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+			// Generate new cert using the existing key
+			err = tlsutils.GenerateServerCertToFile(caCertPEM, caKeyPEM, certPath, keyPath, newServerOpts)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+			// Restore original key
+			err = os.WriteFile(keyPath, keyData, 0o600)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+			// Get certificate again - should reload
+			updatedCert, err := getCert(nil)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(updatedCert, ShouldNotBeNil)
+		})
+
+		Convey("GetCertificateFunc should handle concurrent access", func() {
+			reloader, err := api.NewCertReloader(certPath, keyPath, log.NewTestLogger())
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			defer reloader.Close()
+
+			getCert := reloader.GetCertificateFunc()
+
+			// Launch multiple goroutines to access certificate concurrently
+			done := make(chan error, 10)
+
+			for range 10 {
+				go func() {
+					var lastErr error
+
+					for range 100 {
+						cert, err := getCert(nil)
+						if err != nil || cert == nil {
+							lastErr = err
+
+							break
+						}
+					}
+					done <- lastErr
+				}()
+			}
+
+			// Wait for all goroutines to complete and check for errors
+			for range 10 {
+				err := <-done
+				So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			}
+		})
+
+		Convey("GetCertificateFunc should not reload if files haven't changed", func() {
+			reloader, err := api.NewCertReloader(certPath, keyPath, log.NewTestLogger())
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			defer reloader.Close()
+
+			getCert := reloader.GetCertificateFunc()
+
+			// Get certificate multiple times
+			cert1, err := getCert(nil)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(cert1, ShouldNotBeNil)
+
+			cert2, err := getCert(nil)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(cert2, ShouldNotBeNil)
+
+			cert3, err := getCert(nil)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(cert3, ShouldNotBeNil)
+
+			// All should return the same certificate instance (pointer equality)
+			So(cert1, ShouldEqual, cert2)
+			So(cert2, ShouldEqual, cert3)
+		})
+
+		Convey("GetCertificateFunc should reload when key file changes", func() {
+			reloader, err := api.NewCertReloader(certPath, keyPath, log.NewTestLogger())
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			defer reloader.Close()
+
+			getCert := reloader.GetCertificateFunc()
+			initialCert, err := getCert(nil)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(initialCert, ShouldNotBeNil)
+
+			// Wait to ensure modification time will be different
+			time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
+
+			// Generate completely new cert and key
+			newServerOpts := &tlsutils.CertificateOptions{
+				Hostname:   "127.0.0.1",
+				CommonName: "New Key Cert",
+				NotAfter:   time.Now().AddDate(1, 0, 0),
+			}
+			err = tlsutils.GenerateServerCertToFile(caCertPEM, caKeyPEM, certPath, keyPath, newServerOpts)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+			// Get certificate again - should reload due to key change
+			updatedCert, err := getCert(nil)
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			So(updatedCert, ShouldNotBeNil)
+
+			// Verify certificates are different
+			initialLeaf, err := x509.ParseCertificate(initialCert.Certificate[0])
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+			updatedLeaf, err := x509.ParseCertificate(updatedCert.Certificate[0])
+			So(err, ShouldBeNil)
+
+			So(initialLeaf.Subject.CommonName, ShouldEqual, "Initial Cert")
+			So(updatedLeaf.Subject.CommonName, ShouldEqual, "New Key Cert")
+		})
+	})
+}
diff --git a/test/blackbox/tls_cert_reload.bats b/test/blackbox/tls_cert_reload.bats
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7d55d5bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/blackbox/tls_cert_reload.bats
@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
+load helpers_zot
+load ../port_helper
+
+function verify_prerequisites {
+    if ! command -v curl > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        echo "you need to install curl as a prerequisite to running the tests" >&3
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    if ! command -v openssl > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        echo "you need to install openssl as a prerequisite to running the tests" >&3
+        return 1
+    fi
+
+    return 0
+}
+
+# Generate TLS certificates for testing
+function generate_certs() {
+    local cert_dir=$1
+    mkdir -p ${cert_dir}
+    
+    # Generate CA certificate
+    openssl req -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -days 365 -x509 \
+        -keyout ${cert_dir}/ca.key \
+        -out ${cert_dir}/ca.crt \
+        -subj "/CN=Test CA" 2>/dev/null
+    
+    # Generate initial server certificate (version 1)
+    openssl req -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes \
+        -keyout ${cert_dir}/server.key \
+        -out ${cert_dir}/server.csr \
+        -subj "/OU=TestServer/CN=Server v1" 2>/dev/null
+    
+    openssl x509 -req -days 365 -sha256 \
+        -in ${cert_dir}/server.csr \
+        -CA ${cert_dir}/ca.crt \
+        -CAkey ${cert_dir}/ca.key \
+        -CAcreateserial \
+        -out ${cert_dir}/server.cert \
+        -extfile <(echo subjectAltName = IP:127.0.0.1) 2>/dev/null
+}
+
+# Generate new server certificate with different CN
+function regenerate_server_cert() {
+    local cert_dir=$1
+    local version=$2
+    
+    # Generate new server certificate (version 2)
+    openssl req -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes \
+        -keyout ${cert_dir}/server.key \
+        -out ${cert_dir}/server.csr \
+        -subj "/OU=TestServer/CN=Server v${version}" 2>/dev/null
+    
+    openssl x509 -req -days 365 -sha256 \
+        -in ${cert_dir}/server.csr \
+        -CA ${cert_dir}/ca.crt \
+        -CAkey ${cert_dir}/ca.key \
+        -CAcreateserial \
+        -out ${cert_dir}/server.cert \
+        -extfile <(echo subjectAltName = IP:127.0.0.1) 2>/dev/null
+}
+
+function setup_file() {
+    # Verify prerequisites are available
+    if ! verify_prerequisites; then
+        exit 1
+    fi
+
+    # Generate certificates
+    local cert_dir=${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/certs
+    generate_certs ${cert_dir}
+
+    # Setup zot server with TLS
+    local zot_root_dir=${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/zot
+    local zot_config_file=${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/zot_config.json
+    zot_port=$(get_free_port_for_service "zot")
+    echo ${zot_port} > ${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/zot.port
+
+    mkdir -p ${zot_root_dir}
+
+    cat > ${zot_config_file}<<EOF
+{
+  "distSpecVersion":"1.1.1",
+  "storage":{
+    "rootDirectory": "${zot_root_dir}"
+  },
+  "http": {
+    "address": "127.0.0.1",
+    "port": "${zot_port}",
+    "tls": {
+      "cert": "${cert_dir}/server.cert",
+      "key": "${cert_dir}/server.key"
+    }
+  },
+  "log":{
+    "level":"debug",
+    "output": "${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/zot.log"
+  }
+}
+EOF
+    
+    zot_serve ${ZOT_PATH} ${zot_config_file}
+    wait_zot_reachable ${zot_port}
+}
+
+function teardown() {
+    # conditionally printing on failure is possible from teardown but not from teardown_file
+    cat ${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/zot.log
+}
+
+function teardown_file() {
+    zot_stop_all
+}
+
+@test "verify initial TLS connection works" {
+    zot_port=`cat ${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/zot.port`
+    cert_dir=${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/certs
+    
+    # Test HTTPS connection with CA certificate
+    run curl --cacert ${cert_dir}/ca.crt https://127.0.0.1:${zot_port}/v2/
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+}
+
+@test "verify certificate details - initial cert" {
+    zot_port=`cat ${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/zot.port`
+    cert_dir=${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/certs
+    
+    # Get certificate subject from server
+    cert_subject=$(echo | openssl s_client -connect 127.0.0.1:${zot_port} -showcerts 2>/dev/null | \
+        openssl x509 -noout -subject 2>/dev/null | grep "Server v1")
+    
+    # Verify we got the initial certificate (v1)
+    [ ! -z "$cert_subject" ]
+}
+
+@test "reload certificate and verify new cert is used" {
+    zot_port=`cat ${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/zot.port`
+    cert_dir=${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/certs
+    
+    # Verify initial connection works
+    run curl --cacert ${cert_dir}/ca.crt https://127.0.0.1:${zot_port}/v2/
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    
+    # Wait a moment to ensure modification time will be different
+    sleep 2
+    
+    # Generate new certificate with different CommonName
+    regenerate_server_cert ${cert_dir} 2
+    
+    # Wait for certificate to be detected and reloaded
+    sleep 2
+    
+    # Verify connection still works with new certificate
+    run curl --cacert ${cert_dir}/ca.crt https://127.0.0.1:${zot_port}/v2/
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    
+    # Get certificate subject from server
+    cert_subject=$(echo | openssl s_client -connect 127.0.0.1:${zot_port} -showcerts 2>/dev/null | \
+        openssl x509 -noout -subject 2>/dev/null | grep "Server v2")
+    
+    # Verify we got the new certificate (v2)
+    [ ! -z "$cert_subject" ]
+}
+
+@test "verify multiple certificate reloads work" {
+    zot_port=`cat ${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/zot.port`
+    cert_dir=${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/certs
+    
+    for i in 3 4 5; do
+        # Generate new certificate
+        regenerate_server_cert ${cert_dir} ${i}
+        
+        # Wait for reload
+        sleep 2
+        
+        # Verify connection works
+        run curl --cacert ${cert_dir}/ca.crt https://127.0.0.1:${zot_port}/v2/
+        [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+        
+        # Verify new certificate is in use
+        cert_subject=$(echo | openssl s_client -connect 127.0.0.1:${zot_port} -showcerts 2>/dev/null | \
+            openssl x509 -noout -subject 2>/dev/null | grep "Server v${i}")
+        [ ! -z "$cert_subject" ]
+    done
+}
+
+@test "verify server continues working if certificate reload fails" {
+    zot_port=`cat ${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/zot.port`
+    cert_dir=${BATS_FILE_TMPDIR}/certs
+    
+    # Get current certificate version
+    cert_subject_before=$(echo | openssl s_client -connect 127.0.0.1:${zot_port} -showcerts 2>/dev/null | \
+        openssl x509 -noout -subject 2>/dev/null)
+    
+    # Temporarily remove certificate files (will cause reload to fail)
+    mv ${cert_dir}/server.cert ${cert_dir}/server.cert.backup
+    
+    # Wait and try to connect - should still work with old certificate
+    sleep 2
+    run curl --cacert ${cert_dir}/ca.crt https://127.0.0.1:${zot_port}/v2/
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    
+    # Restore certificate
+    mv ${cert_dir}/server.cert.backup ${cert_dir}/server.cert
+    
+    # Verify still using old certificate
+    cert_subject_after=$(echo | openssl s_client -connect 127.0.0.1:${zot_port} -showcerts 2>/dev/null | \
+        openssl x509 -noout -subject 2>/dev/null)
+    [ "$cert_subject_before" = "$cert_subject_after" ]
+}