Kubernetes Package Management
Helm is the package manager for Kubernetes. It simplifies deploying complex applications by packaging all Kubernetes manifests into reusable charts.
Key Concepts
- Charts: Packaged Kubernetes resources with templates and default values
- Values: Customizable parameters to configure deployments per environment
- Releases: Versioned instances of a chart running in your cluster
- Repositories: Centralized chart storage (Artifact Hub, private registries)
- Hooks: Lifecycle events for pre/post install, upgrade, and delete
Best Practices
Use semantic versioning for charts, store values files per environment, leverage Helm test hooks for validation, and always use helm diff before upgrades.
