Helm in Kubernetes - What It Is and Why You Need It

Helm in Plain English#

Imagine you buy a dresser from IKEA. Instead of guessing where each screw goes, you grab the instructions and have it assembled in 20 minutes - latte in hand.

Helm is that same kind of instruction manual - for Kubernetes.

Normally, deploying an app means creating a bunch of objects: Pods, Services, Ingresses, ConfigMaps — each with its own YAML file. It’s tedious.

Helm saves you:

• Bundles everything into one structure: a chart
• Spins up apps with a single command
• Simplifies upgrades, customization, and rollbacks
• Makes deployments predictable and repeatable

What’s a Helm Chart (and Why It’s Not Scary)#

The word “chart” might sound intimidating, but it’s really just a folder with organized files. No magic, just structure.

Think of it as your deployment organizer:

• Chart.yaml — the chart’s business card: name, version, description
• values.yaml — default settings (ports, replicas, DB names, etc.)
• templates/ — YAML blueprints Helm renders into actual Kubernetes objects
• _helpers.tpl — reusable functions to keep templates DRY
• charts/ — dependencies like databases or message queues

Why Helm Is My Must-Have#

Reasons I love Helm:

1. Scalability: no more 30+ YAML files
2. Flexibility: same chart, different setups
3. Transparency: preview what’s actually going to be installed (helm template)
4. Security: Helm 3 removed Tiller (and that’s a good thing)
5. Control: rollbacks are built-in (helm rollback is magic)

Helm 2 vs Helm 3 — Short & Sweet#

Helm 2 relied on a separate component called Tiller, which had elevated cluster privileges — a big security headache.

Helm 3 fixed it:

• No Tiller
• Uses your existing kubectl credentials
• Easier to install and great for CI/CD

What’s Next? Helm v4 Is in the Works#

Helm v4 is currently in planning (see HIP-0012) — with focus on a new API and architectural improvements.

No official release date yet — the devs meet weekly and are actively shaping the roadmap.

Installing Helm — Fast & Painless#

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curl -fsSL -o get_helm.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/main/scripts/get-helm-3
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chmod 700 get_helm.sh
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./get_helm.sh

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brew install helm

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sudo snap install helm --classic

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curl https://baltocdn.com/helm/signing.asc | gpg --dearmor | \
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sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/helm.gpg > /dev/null
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echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/helm.gpg] https://baltocdn.com/helm/stable/debian/ all main" | \
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sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/helm-stable-debian.list
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sudo apt-get update
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sudo apt-get install helm

Verify the Install#

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helm version

Sample output:

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version.BuildInfo{Version:"v3.18.0", GitCommit:"...", GoVersion:"go1.22.2", ...}

As of May 20, 2025, this is the latest stable release.

v3.18.1 is expected on June 11, and v3.19.0 is coming in September.

First Helm Run — Let’s Go!#

Install something fun — like Nginx:

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helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
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helm repo update
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helm install nginx bitnami/nginx

Customize settings:

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helm install my-app ./my-chart \
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 --set image.tag=2.0.1 --set replicaCount=3

Or use a YAML config:

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helm install my-app ./my-chart -f values-prod.yaml

Something went wrong?

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helm rollback my-app 1

Uninstall it:

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helm uninstall my-app

Security & Best Practices#

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helm plugin install https://github.com/databus23/helm-diff

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helm push mychart.tgz oci://registry.example.com/charts
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helm pull oci://registry.example.com/charts/mychart --version 1.2.3

Takeaway#

Helm is my DevOps bestie. It brings:

• Organization
• Repeatable configuration
• And a lot less Kubernetes chaos

If you’re working with Kubernetes, get familiar with Helm.

It 100% deserves a spot in your toolkit.

Tools I Personally Trust#

If you want to make your digital life a little calmer - here are two tools I use every day:

🛸 Proton VPN - A trusted VPN that secures your Wi-Fi, hides your IP, and blocks trackers. Even in that no-password café Wi-Fi, you’re safe.

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These are partner links - you won’t pay a cent more, but you’ll be supporting DevOps.Pink. Thank you - it really means a lot 💖

Social Channels#

🎬 YouTube
🐦 X (Twitter)
🎨 Instagram
🐘 Mastodon
🧵 Threads
🎸 Facebook
🦋 Bluesky
🎥 TikTok
💻 LinkedIn
📣 daily.dev Squad
✈️ Telegram
🐈 GitHub

Community of IT Experts#

👾 Discord

Refill My Coffee Supplies#

💖 PayPal
🏆 Patreon
🥤 BuyMeaCoffee
🍪 Ko-fi
⚡ Telegram Boost

Is this content AI-generated?

Absolutely not! Every article is written by me, driven by a genuine passion for Docker and backed by decades of experience in IT. I do use AI tools to polish grammar and enhance clarity, but the ideas, strategies, and technical insights are entirely my own. While this might occasionally trigger AI detection tools, rest assured—the knowledge and experience behind the content are 100% real and personal.