Helm
The package manager for Kubernetes.
Installing a real application can mean ten Y A M L files, a deployment, a service, a config map, an ingress, and more. Copying, editing, and updating them by hand is painful. Helm is the package manager for Kubernetes. It bundles all of them, into one installable package. Let's see how it works.
- One package, many objects
- Install with a single command
- Upgrade and roll back safely
Helm vocabulary
Helm has a few words to learn. A chart is a package, a folder of templates, and default settings. A repository is a place that serves charts, like an app store. A release is one installed copy of a chart, in your cluster, with its own name. You can install the same chart many times, as different releases. And a revision is a numbered version of a release, created at every install, upgrade, or rollback.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Chart | a package of Kubernetes files |
| Repository | a store of charts |
| Release | one installed copy of a chart |
| Revision | a numbered version of a release |
Install, upgrade, roll back
Let's use it. We add a repository, and search it. Now one command installs the whole application. The name web, and a setting, replica count, of two. Helm lists the release, as deployed, revision one, and two pods are running. Next, we upgrade, with a new setting, replica count of three. Helm creates revision two. The history lists both revisions. And if we dislike the change, rollback returns to revision one. Finally, uninstall removes everything the chart created, in one command.
helm repo add podinfo https://stefanprodan.github.io/podinfo "podinfo" has been added to your repositories helm search repo podinfo NAME CHART VERSION APP VERSION DESCRIPTION podinfo/podinfo 6.17.0 6.17.0 Podinfo Helm chart for Kubernetes helm install web podinfo/podinfo --set replicaCount=2 --wait NAME: web LAST DEPLOYED: Fri Oct 30 23:41:46 2026 NAMESPACE: default STATUS: deployed REVISION: 1 NOTES: 1. Get the application URL by running these commands: helm list NAME NAMESPACE REVISION UPDATED STATUS CHART APP VERSION web default 1 2026-10-30 23:41:46.499424 +0300 +03 deployed podinfo-6.17.0 6.17.0 helm upgrade web podinfo/podinfo --set replicaCount=3 --wait Release "web" has been upgraded. Happy Helming! NAME: web LAST DEPLOYED: Fri Oct 30 23:41:56 2026 NAMESPACE: default STATUS: deployed REVISION: 2 NOTES: helm history web REVISION UPDATED STATUS CHART APP VERSION DESCRIPTION 1 Fri Oct 30 23:41:46 2026 superseded podinfo-6.17.0 6.17.0 Install complete 2 Fri Oct 30 23:41:56 2026 deployed podinfo-6.17.0 6.17.0 Upgrade complete helm rollback web 1 Rollback was a success! Happy Helming! helm uninstall web release "web" uninstalled
Summary
Good. Helm packages many objects into a chart, installs it as a release, and tracks every revision, so upgrades and rollbacks are easy. Next, we look inside a chart, and learn to write our own.
Key takeaways- Chart, repository, release, revision
- helm install / upgrade / rollback
- One command removes it all