helm/helm
The Kubernetes Package Manager
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Use Cases & Benefits
- Helm is a Kubernetes package manager that simplifies installing and managing Kubernetes applications using pre-configured packages called Charts.
- Key features include templating Kubernetes manifests, managing releases, and supporting remote chart repositories; it is written in Go and licensed under Apache-2.0.
- Helm is mature with over 28k stars and active development, but Helm v4 is unstable; v3 is stable and recommended for production use.
- Organizations can use Helm to automate Kubernetes app deployments, ensure reproducibility, and integrate with CI/CD pipelines for scalable production management.
- Ideal use cases include deploying complex Kubernetes applications, sharing reusable app configurations, and managing multi-environment Kubernetes deployments efficiently.
About helm
Helm
Helm is a tool for managing Charts. Charts are packages of pre-configured Kubernetes resources.
Use Helm to:
- Find and use popular software packaged as Helm Charts to run in Kubernetes
- Share your own applications as Helm Charts
- Create reproducible builds of your Kubernetes applications
- Intelligently manage your Kubernetes manifest files
- Manage releases of Helm packages
Helm in a Handbasket
Helm is a tool that streamlines installing and managing Kubernetes applications. Think of it like apt/yum/homebrew for Kubernetes.
- Helm renders your templates and communicates with the Kubernetes API
- Helm runs on your laptop, CI/CD, or wherever you want it to run.
- Charts are Helm packages that contain at least two things:
- A description of the package (
Chart.yaml) - One or more templates, which contain Kubernetes manifest files
- A description of the package (
- Charts can be stored on disk, or fetched from remote chart repositories (like Debian or RedHat packages)
Helm Development and Stable Versions
Helm v4 is currently under development on the main branch. This is unstable and the APIs within the Go SDK and at the command line are changing.
Helm v3 (current stable) is maintained on the dev-v3 branch. APIs there follow semantic versioning.
Install
Binary downloads of the Helm client can be found on the Releases page.
Unpack the helm binary and add it to your PATH and you are good to go!
If you want to use a package manager:
- Homebrew users can use
brew install helm. - Chocolatey users can use
choco install kubernetes-helm. - Winget users can use
winget install Helm.Helm. - Scoop users can use
scoop install helm. - Snapcraft users can use
snap install helm --classic. - Flox users can use
flox install kubernetes-helm.
To rapidly get Helm up and running, start with the Quick Start Guide.
See the installation guide for more options, including installing pre-releases.
Docs
Get started with the Quick Start guide or plunge into the complete documentation.
Roadmap
The Helm roadmap uses GitHub milestones to track the progress of the project.
The development of Helm v4 is currently happening on the main branch while the development of Helm v3, the stable branch, is happening on the dev-v3 branch. Changes should be made to the main branch prior to being added to the dev-v3 branch so that all changes are carried along to Helm v4.
Community, discussion, contribution, and support
You can reach the Helm community and developers via the following channels:
- Kubernetes Slack:
- Mailing List:
- Developer Call: Thursdays at 9:30-10:00 Pacific (meeting details)
Contribution
If you're interested in contributing, please refer to the Contributing Guide before submitting a pull request.
Code of conduct
Participation in the Helm community is governed by the Code of Conduct.
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