Augustine's Notes

Helm charts

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Helm charts

Source: https://notes.kodekloud.com/docs/CKA-Certification-Course-Certified-Kubernetes-Administrator/2025-Updates-Helm-Basics/Helm-charts/page

Summary: Helm Charts simplify application deployment on Kubernetes by managing complex configurations through reusable instruction manuals.

Key Notes

  • Helm is a command-line automation tool that simplifies the deployment, upgrade, and rollback of applications on Kubernetes. Instead of manually executing numerous individual operations, Helm accepts high-level commands like “install this application” and manages all the necessary steps behind the scenes. It achieves this by reading a set of instructions defined in Helm Charts.
  • This example demonstrates the power of using Helm Charts to abstract complex Kubernetes configurations into a reusable package.
  • Hello-World Helm Chart Example
  • Service Definition
  • Deployment Definition
  • apps/v1 : {{
  • .Values.replicaCount
  • ”{{ .Values.image.repository }}”
  • Default Configuration Values
  • $
  • Chart Metadata with Chart.yaml
  • “1.16.0”
  • A web application
  • The API version is particularly important. While Helm 2 did not include the API version field, Helm 3 introduced it along with other features like chart dependencies and type fields. Charts built for Helm 3 must have the API version set to v2. Using a Helm 3 chart with API version v2 in Helm 2 may lead to unexpected results. Therefore, always set the API version to v2 when developing a chart for Helm 3.
  • If you encounter a chart that lacks an API version field, it is likely built for Helm 2. Attempting to deploy such charts with Helm 3 might result in unexpected behavior. Always verify the chart version before installation.
  • Comprehensive Example: Deploying WordPress
  • Web publishing platform for building blogs and websites.
  • [email protected]
  • Chart Directory Structure
  • Helm charts are organized in a standard directory structure. At a minimum, a chart directory includes:
  • Installing the WordPress Chart
  • To install the WordPress chart from the Bitnami repository, execute the following commands:
  • bitnami/wordpress
  • In the next lesson, we will dive deeper into chart dependencies and provide additional details on customizing your Helm charts.

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