Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes. It bundles a set of Kubernetes manifests — often parameterized with configurable values — into a single versioned package called a chart, so installing, upgrading, or rolling back a complex application is one command instead of a stack of individual kubectl applys.

How it works

A chart is a directory (or packaged archive) containing templated YAML manifests plus a values.yaml file of defaults. Running helm install renders those templates with the provided values and applies the result to a cluster as a tracked “release.” Helm keeps a revision history for each release, which is what makes helm rollback possible.

Core concepts

• Chart — a packaged, versioned bundle of Kubernetes manifests and their default configuration.
• Release — a specific deployed instance of a chart in a cluster, identified by a name.
• Values — the configuration passed into a chart’s templates, overriding its defaults.
• Repository — an HTTP(S) location that indexes charts for discovery and installation, similar to a package registry.

Why teams adopt Helm

• Reusable packaging. Complex applications with dozens of resources install with one command and one set of parameters.
• Upgrade and rollback built in. Every release is versioned, so moving forward or backward is a single command.
• A large existing ecosystem. Most popular open-source infrastructure — ingress controllers, databases, observability stacks — ships an official Helm chart.
• Templating without a new language. Charts use Go templates, so there’s no proprietary DSL to learn beyond YAML and Go template syntax.

Getting started

Install the helm CLI, add a chart repository, and run helm install with a release name and any value overrides your environment needs. The guides below cover installing charts, writing your own, and managing upgrades.