Installing charts from repos and OCI

This is how you install most third-party software on a cluster.

For a classic repository, add it once and refresh its index:

helm repo add prometheus-community https://prometheus-community.github.io/helm-charts then helm repo update.
helm search repo prometheus searches added repos; --versions lists all versions.
helm show values prometheus-community/prometheus prints the chart's default values: read them before installing.

Charts in OCI registries need no repo add; you reference them directly: helm install cache oci://registry.example.com/charts/redis --version 1.2.0.

Installing:

helm install <release> <chart> -n <ns> --create-namespace.
Always pin --version: otherwise you get the latest chart, which can change under you.
helm upgrade --install installs if the release doesn't exist and upgrades if it does, the idempotent form used in scripts and CI.
--wait waits until the resources are ready, and --timeout 10m bounds it.

Inspecting and removing:

helm list -n ns, helm status <release> (shows the chart's NOTES), helm get manifest <release> (what was applied), helm get values <release> (what you supplied).
helm uninstall <release> -n ns deletes the resources and history. PVCs created by StatefulSets are usually left behind on purpose.

Check whether a chart's publisher still maintains it; public chart catalogues do change.

Example

helm repo add prometheus-community https://prometheus-community.github.io/helm-charts
helm repo update
helm search repo prometheus-community/kube-prometheus-stack --versions | head -3

helm show values prometheus-community/kube-prometheus-stack > defaults.yaml

helm upgrade --install monitoring prometheus-community/kube-prometheus-stack \
  --version 77.0.0 -n obs --create-namespace --wait --timeout 10m

helm status monitoring -n obs
helm get manifest monitoring -n obs | grep -c '^kind:'
helm uninstall monitoring -n obs

Remember

helm repo add + update for HTTP repos; oci:// references need no add
Pin --version; use upgrade --install in automation
helm get manifest/values shows what a release really contains

Watch out for

Installing without --version and getting a new major chart version on the next run.

Check yourself

Which command is safe to run repeatedly in CI whether or not the release already exists?

Official docs: helm.sh/docs/intro/using_helm/

Example

Remember

Watch out for

Check yourself

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