What is Helm?
- Docker & Kubernetes course
- Advanced
- Lesson 7/70
- 4 min
Learn that Helm is the Kubernetes package manager.
What is Helm?
Helm is Kubernetes's package manager. All the YAML files of an application are packaged together with templates as a chart; the same chart is installed again and again with different values (environment, replica count, image version). Each instance of a chart installed in the cluster is called a release.
helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
helm repo update
helm search repo postgresql
helm install db bitnami/postgresql --set auth.postgresPassword=gizliListing releases
Helm stores release state in the cluster as Secrets. helm list shows the installed releases, their revisions and chart versions:
$ helm list -A
NAME NAMESPACE REVISION STATUS CHART APP VERSION
db default 1 deployed postgresql-16.2.1 17.1.0
ingress-nginx ingress-nginx 1 deployed ingress-nginx-4.11.3 1.11.3
$ helm status dbPractice Find a chart in a repo
Write three commands: add the bitnami repository with the address https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami; update the repositories; search the repositories for redis.
Starter code
# buraya yazSample solution
helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
helm repo update
helm search repo redisExpected output
"bitnami" has been added to your repositories ...Successfully got an update from the "bitnami" chart repository NAME CHART VERSION APP VERSION DESCRIPTION bitnami/redis 20.2.1 7.4.1 Redis(R) is an open source, advanced key-value store bitnami/redis-cluster 11.0.8 7.4.1 Redis(R) is an open source, scalable, distributed...
Questions and answers
Review the lesson questions together with their answers. To test yourself, solve the lesson interactively.
1 In helm install db bitnami/postgresql, what is db?
- The chart name
- The namespace
- The repository name
- The release name Correct answer
Explanation: The same chart can be installed several times with different release names.
2 Add a chart repository.
helm repo ____ bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnamihelm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnamiExplanation: helm repo add name url.
3 Match.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
chart |
Packaged templates |
release |
Installed instance |
repo |
Chart repository |
revision |
Release version |