Chapter 76: DevOps Projects Part 6: Kubernetes Canary Helm RBAC NetworkPolicy Quotas EKS Microservices Velero Upgrade

76.2 Project 41: Package an app as a Helm chart

By Ravindra Bagale Last updated: 28 October 2026

Friends, Helm turns many YAML files into one chart with values. Today we write Chart.yaml, templates, values, then install, upgrade, rollback and package.

What you will build in this project

Chart.yaml and values.yaml.
Deployment and Service templates.
helm install upgrade rollback.
Packaged .tgz note.

1. Start from a real company story

At Flipkart in Bengaluru, Meera copied raw YAML into every cluster by hand.

One forgotten replicaCount left the festive sale thin on Pods.

A Helm chart with values per env fixed the drift. Rough past cost of the miss: about ₹40 lakh in lost carts.

Today we build that chart.

Picture 1: Chart.yaml + values → templates → helm install → release

Ravindra Bagale's Tip

Students paste Secrets into values.yaml and push. That leaks. Use sealed secrets or external secret tools later. Keep that habit.

2. Start and prepare

Step 1: Why Helm

Why: Package YAML. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: echo. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 1: a1

Type this:

echo 'Helm packages Kubernetes YAML into a chart with values you can change'

You will see:

Helm packages Kubernetes YAML into a chart with values you can change

What it means: What Helm is.

Example 2: a2

Type this:

echo 'A chart has Chart.yaml templates/ values.yaml and often helpers'

You will see:

A chart has Chart.yaml templates/ values.yaml and often helpers

What it means: Chart layout.

Example 3: a3

Type this:

echo 'helm create shop starts a skeleton chart'

You will see:

helm create shop starts a skeleton chart

What it means: Scaffold tip.

Step 2: Chart.yaml values

Why: Metadata and defaults. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: printf. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 4: b1

Type this:

mkdir -p /tmp/k8s41/shop/{templates,charts} && printf '%s\n' 'apiVersion: v2' 'name: shop' 'description: lab shop chart' 'type: application' 'version: 0.1.0' 'appVersion: "1.0.0"' > /tmp/k8s41/shop/Chart.yaml && cat /tmp/k8s41/shop/Chart.yaml

You will see:

apiVersion: v2
name: shop

What it means: Chart.yaml for the lab.

Example 5: b2

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'replicaCount: 2' 'image:' '  repository: nginx' '  tag: 1.27-alpine' 'service:' '  port: 80' > /tmp/k8s41/shop/values.yaml && cat /tmp/k8s41/shop/values.yaml

You will see:

replicaCount: 2

What it means: Default values.

Example 6: b3

Type this:

echo 'helm lint /tmp/k8s41/shop'

You will see:

helm lint /tmp/k8s41/shop

What it means: Lint before install.

Step 3: Templates

Why: Templated Deploy/Service. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: printf templates. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 7: c1

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'apiVersion: apps/v1' 'kind: Deployment' 'metadata:' '  name: {{ .Release.Name }}-web' 'spec:' '  replicas: {{ .Values.replicaCount }}' '  selector:' '    matchLabels: {app: {{ .Release.Name }}}' '  template:' '    metadata: {labels: {app: {{ .Release.Name }}}}' '    spec:' '      containers:' '      - name: web' '        image: "{{ .Values.image.repository }}:{{ .Values.image.tag }}"' '        ports: [{containerPort: 80}]' > /tmp/k8s41/shop/templates/deploy.yaml && head -5 /tmp/k8s41/shop/templates/deploy.yaml

You will see:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment

What it means: Deployment template with values.

Example 8: c2

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'apiVersion: v1' 'kind: Service' 'metadata: {name: {{ .Release.Name }}-web}' 'spec:' '  selector: {app: {{ .Release.Name }}}' '  ports: [{port: {{ .Values.service.port }}}]' > /tmp/k8s41/shop/templates/svc.yaml && cat /tmp/k8s41/shop/templates/svc.yaml

You will see:

kind: Service

What it means: Service template.

Example 9: c3

Type this:

echo 'helm template shop /tmp/k8s41/shop --set replicaCount=3 | head -20'

You will see:

helm template shop ... | head -20

What it means: Render without installing.

3. Build the main pieces

Step 4: Install list get

Why: Release lifecycle. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: helm install. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 10: d1

Type this:

echo 'helm install shop /tmp/k8s41/shop --namespace shop --create-namespace'

You will see:

helm install shop /tmp/k8s41/shop --namespace shop --create-namespace

What it means: Install release.

Example 11: d2

Type this:

echo 'helm list -n shop'

You will see:

helm list -n shop

What it means: List releases.

Example 12: d3

Type this:

echo 'helm get values shop -n shop'

You will see:

helm get values shop -n shop

What it means: Show values used.

Step 5: Upgrade history rollback

Why: Change and undo. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: upgrade. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 13: e1

Type this:

echo 'helm upgrade shop /tmp/k8s41/shop -n shop --set replicaCount=4'

You will see:

helm upgrade shop /tmp/k8s41/shop -n shop --set replicaCount=4

What it means: Upgrade with override.

Example 14: e2

Type this:

echo 'helm history shop -n shop'

You will see:

helm history shop -n shop

What it means: Revision history.

Example 15: e3

Type this:

echo 'helm rollback shop 1 -n shop'

You will see:

helm rollback shop 1 -n shop

What it means: Rollback to revision 1.

Step 6: Uninstall dry-run secrets

Why: Cleanup and safety. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: uninstall. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 16: f1

Type this:

echo 'helm uninstall shop -n shop'

You will see:

helm uninstall shop -n shop

What it means: Uninstall release.

Example 17: f2

Type this:

echo 'Dry-run tip: helm upgrade --install --dry-run --debug'

You will see:

Dry-run tip: helm upgrade --install --dry-run --debug

What it means: Safe preview.

Example 18: f3

Type this:

echo 'Never put Secrets in values.yaml committed to git'

You will see:

Never put Secrets in values.yaml committed to git

What it means: Secret habit.

4. Automate and verify

Step 7: Env values -f

Why: Per-env files. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: -f file. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 19: g1

Type this:

printf '%s\n' 'replicaCount: 1' 'image:' '  tag: 1.26-alpine' > /tmp/k8s41/dev-values.yaml && cat /tmp/k8s41/dev-values.yaml

You will see:

replicaCount: 1

What it means: Env-specific values file.

Example 20: g2

Type this:

echo 'helm upgrade --install shop /tmp/k8s41/shop -n shop -f /tmp/k8s41/dev-values.yaml'

You will see:

helm upgrade --install ... -f dev-values.yaml

What it means: Install with -f.

Example 21: g3

Type this:

echo 'Prefer -f files over long --set strings for readability'

You will see:

Prefer -f files over long --set strings for readability

What it means: Style tip.

Step 8: package show

Why: Ship a .tgz. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: package. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 22: h1

Type this:

echo 'helm package /tmp/k8s41/shop -d /tmp/k8s41'

You will see:

helm package /tmp/k8s41/shop -d /tmp/k8s41

What it means: Create .tgz chart archive.

Example 23: h2

Type this:

ls /tmp/k8s41/*.tgz 2>/dev/null || echo 'shop-0.1.0.tgz expected after package'

You will see:

shop-0.1.0.tgz expected after package

What it means: Packaged artifact.

Example 24: h3

Type this:

echo 'helm show chart /tmp/k8s41/shop-0.1.0.tgz 2>/dev/null || helm show chart /tmp/k8s41/shop'

You will see:

helm show chart ...

What it means: Inspect packaged chart.

Step 9: repo search

Why: Public repos. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: repo. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 25: i1

Type this:

echo 'helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami'

You will see:

helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami

What it means: Add a public chart repo.

Example 26: i2

Type this:

echo 'helm search repo nginx'

You will see:

helm search repo nginx

What it means: Search charts.

Example 27: i3

Type this:

echo 'Study upstream charts then copy patterns into your shop chart'

You will see:

Study upstream charts then copy patterns into your shop chart

What it means: Learn tip.

5. Harden and accept

Step 10: hooks version diff

Why: Advanced tips. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: hooks. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 28: j1

Type this:

echo 'hooks: pre-install Jobs can migrate databases before Pods start'

You will see:

hooks: pre-install Jobs can migrate databases before Pods start

What it means: Hook tip.

Example 29: j2

Type this:

echo 'Keep Chart.yaml version semver and bump on every change'

You will see:

Keep Chart.yaml version semver and bump on every change

What it means: Version habit.

Example 30: j3

Type this:

echo 'helm diff plugin tip: compare rendered YAML before upgrade'

You will see:

helm diff plugin tip: compare rendered YAML before upgrade

What it means: Diff tip.

Step 11: Cleanup

Why: Cleanup. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: cleanup. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 31: k1

Type this:

echo 'Optional cleanup: helm uninstall shop -n shop; kubectl delete ns shop'

You will see:

Optional cleanup: helm uninstall shop -n shop; kubectl delete ns shop

What it means: Cleanup.

Example 32: k2

Type this:

echo 'Save Chart.yaml values.yaml and two templates in your notebook'

You will see:

Save Chart.yaml values.yaml and two templates in your notebook

What it means: Artifact habit.

Example 33: k3

Type this:

echo 'Next project locks RBAC for two teams'

You will see:

Next project locks RBAC for two teams

What it means: Bridge.

Step 12: Acceptance

Why: Meera signs off. We do this before the next step so mistakes stay small and easy to undo. Read the output carefully; the numbers and names tell you if the machine is healthy.

What: All green. Follow the numbered examples below. Type each command, read the exact output, and match the meaning line before you move on. That is how real teams learn a tool.

Example 34: z1

Type this:

echo 'Chart has Chart.yaml templates and values.yaml'

You will see:

Chart has Chart.yaml templates and values.yaml

What it means: Checklist layout.

Example 35: z2

Type this:

echo 'install upgrade rollback uninstall practiced'

You will see:

install upgrade rollback uninstall practiced

What it means: Checklist lifecycle.

Example 36: z3

Type this:

echo 'Meera: PASS'

You will see:

Meera: PASS

What it means: Project 41 accepted.

Check yourself

Q1. Who fixed Flipkart?

Meera

Q2. Scaffold tip?

helm create

Q3. Render without install?

helm template

Q4. Undo upgrade?

helm rollback

Q5. Archive command?

helm package

Q6. List releases?

helm list

Friends, you packaged a shop chart and practiced the Helm lifecycle. Did you understand? Let us try it once more. Add a values-dev.yaml and values-prod.yaml pair next.

Lab: try at home

Write Chart.yaml and values.
Add templates.
helm lint and template.
install upgrade rollback.
package the chart.

Recap

values change without editing templates.
lint before install.
history enables rollback.
No Secrets in git values.
Semver Chart version.