Best Practices for Helm Usage

Introduction

Congratulations on reaching the final part of the “Helm for Beginners” series! As you’ve journeyed through the realms of Helm, it’s essential to conclude with a solid understanding of best practices. In this concluding article, we’ll summarize the key best practices for writing Helm charts, managing releases, and maintaining Helm environments. We’ll also touch upon Helm 3 changes and provide migration tips. Let’s encapsulate your Helm expertise with these essential best practices.

Best Practices for Writing Helm Charts

1. Modular Chart Structure:
– Organize your charts in a modular structure. Separate components into distinct directories and templates for better maintainability and reusability.

2. Version Your Charts:
– Assign version numbers to your charts to facilitate version control and ensure reproducibility across different environments.

# Example Chart.yaml with version
apiVersion: v2
name: my-chart
version: 1.0.0

3. Leverage Helm Values:
– Utilize the power of Helm values for customizing chart behavior. Make your charts flexible and easily configurable by exposing relevant parameters.

# Example values.yaml for customization
replicaCount: 3
image:
  repository: nginx
  tag: stable

Best Practices for Managing Releases

1. Consistent Release Names:
– Adopt a consistent naming convention for your releases. This enhances clarity and organization, especially in environments with multiple releases.

2. Versioned Releases:
– Version your releases to ensure traceability and reproducibility. Use Helm’s versioning feature to manage your releases effectively.

# Install a specific version of a release
helm install my-release ./my-chart --version 1.2.1

3. Backup and Version values.yaml:
– Before performing updates, back up your `values.yaml` file. Additionally, version control your `values.yaml` to document changes over time.

# Save values.yaml with a specific version
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Version 1.0.0"
git push --tags

Best Practices for Helm Environments

1. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC):
– Implement RBAC to control access to Helm within your Kubernetes cluster. Define ServiceAccounts, Roles, and RoleBindings to grant specific permissions.

2. Use Helm Plugins Judiciously:
– Exercise caution when using Helm plugins. Only install plugins from reputable sources, and regularly update them to benefit from security patches.

# Install or update Helm plugins
helm plugin install 
helm plugin update 

Helm 3 Changes and Migration Tips

1. Tiller Deprecation:
– Helm 3 deprecates Tiller, the server-side component present in Helm 2. Helm 3 operates directly within the Kubernetes cluster, eliminating Tiller-related security concerns.

2. Namespace Changes:
– Helm 3 introduces changes to namespace handling. Releases are now bound to namespaces by default. Adjust your Helm commands accordingly.

# Install a release in a specific namespace
helm install my-release ./my-chart --namespace my-namespace

3. Release Storage Changes:
– Helm 3 stores release information directly in Kubernetes, making releases more cluster-centric. Be aware of these changes when migrating from Helm 2.

# List releases in Helm 3
helm list

Conclusion

You’ve now navigated through the comprehensive “Helm for Beginners” series, gaining valuable insights into Helm’s intricacies. By following best practices for writing charts, managing releases, and maintaining Helm environments, you’ve set a strong foundation for Helm usage. As you continue your Helm journey, stay informed about Helm 3 changes and embrace the evolution of this powerful tool. Thank you for joining us on this Helm exploration, and may your Helm deployments be seamless and successful!