Section 1: Introduction and Helm Basics
What is Helm?
Helm is often referred to as the package manager for Kubernetes. It enables you to define, install, and manage even the most complex Kubernetes applications. Helm uses a packaging format called charts, which include all the resources needed to run an application, service, or a complete cloud-native stack inside Kubernetes.
How to Install helm in Ubuntu
curl https://baltocdn.com/helm/signing.asc | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/helm.gpg > /dev/null
sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https --yes
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/helm.gpg] https://baltocdn.com/helm/stable/debian/ all main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/helm-stable-debian.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install helm
Important Helm Commands
helm create [CHART]: Scaffold a new Helm chart.helm package [CHART]: Package the chart into a chart archive.helm install [NAME] [CHART]: Install a Helm chart.helm upgrade [NAME] [CHART]: Upgrade an installed Helm chart.helm uninstall [NAME]: Uninstall an installed Helm chart.helm list: List all installed Helm charts.helm rollback [NAME] [REVISION]: Roll back a release to a specific revision.
Section 2: Prerequisites
Helm installed
Kubernetes cluster set up (e.g., Minikube, kind, or any cloud-based Kubernetes)
Docker installed (Optional for custom images)
Basic understanding of Kubernetes resources like Pod, Service, Deployment
Section 3: Create Helm Chart Structure
Run the following command to scaffold a new Helm chart:
helm create node-app-chart
This will create a folder named node-app-chart with the initial chart structure.
Section 8: Deploying the Helm Chart
Use these commands to package and deploy the chart:
# Package the chart (Optional)
helm package node-app-chart
# Deploy the chart
helm install my-node-app ./node-app-chart
Section 9: List the Deployment
# list the charts (Optional)
helm list
# Check the status
helm status <chart name>