Sachin Chaurasiya
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Deploy · Kubernetes packaging

Helm

Helm packages Kubernetes manifests as charts with values, dependencies and release history. It is the common interface for installing third-party components and for templating in-house applications consumed by Argo CD.

Stage
Deploy
Category
Kubernetes packaging
Website
helm.sh
Documentation
Official docs
Source
helm/helm
License
Apache-2.0
On this page

What it does

Renders templates with values into manifests and tracks releases in the cluster; charts can be published to OCI registries.

Where it fits

Deploy stage — either applied directly (helm upgrade --install) or rendered by Argo CD from Git.

Quick start

helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
helm template app charts/app -f values-prod.yaml | kubectl apply --dry-run=server -f -
helm upgrade --install app charts/app -n app --create-namespace -f values-prod.yaml --atomic --timeout 5m

Common pitfalls

  • Unpinned chart versions in Chart.yaml dependencies pull surprises; pin and let Renovate propose bumps.
  • Values files with secrets end up in Git; use External Secrets or SOPS.
  • --atomic avoids half-applied releases when a rollout fails.

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