Helm Charts: Simplifying Kubernetes Management

Meta Description: Discover how Helm Charts can streamline Kubernetes management by automating deployment, scaling, and updates for your applications.

Introduction

Managing Kubernetes clusters can be complex, but Helm Charts simplify this process, allowing developers to deploy, manage, and scale applications effortlessly. Helm Charts provide a powerful, user-friendly approach to Kubernetes management, automating deployment and configuration, and making it easier to maintain and update applications.

What is a Helm Chart?

A Docker container running on a development machine is initially designed to handle single-user interactions. However, when scaled with Kubernetes, it can efficiently manage millions of requests. Kubernetes orchestrates the Docker container, enabling features like auto-scaling, self-healing, and load balancing, which alleviate concerns about handling high request volumes.

An abstract framework, sitting atop the Kubernetes cluster, simplifies Kubernetes cluster management significantly. Using Helm charts provides a streamlined approach, allowing minimal commands to interface with the Kubernetes cluster efficiently.

Why We Need Kubernetes

Kubernetes is essential for several reasons:

• Scalability: It allows applications to scale horizontally by adding or removing containers based on demand, ensuring consistent performance and resource utilization.
• Automated Docker Deployment: Kubernetes simplifies and automates the deployment of Docker containers across clusters of machines, managing scheduling and resource allocation efficiently.
• Auto Healing: It monitors the health of containers and nodes, automatically restarting or replacing failed containers and nodes to maintain application availability.
• Rollout & Rollback: Kubernetes supports controlled updates and rollbacks of applications, enabling seamless deployment of new versions while minimizing downtime and mitigating risks through automated rollback capabilities.

How Helm Charts Help Manage Kubernetes

Helm Charts streamline Kubernetes management by allowing you to define, install, and upgrade even the most complex Kubernetes applications. Here are the differences between using kubectl commands and Helm commands:

Using kubectl commands

kubectl apply -f deployment.yml
kubectl apply -f service.yml
kubectl apply -f ingress.yml

kubectl delete -f deployment.yml
kubectl delete -f service.yml
kubectl delete -f ingress.yml        

Using Helm commands

helm install my-app ./my-chart
helm uninstall my-app        

Helm Charts bundle Kubernetes resources into a single package that can be managed more easily.

How to Install Helm Chart

Step-by-Step Guide

Check Kubernetes Resources

kubectl get all --all-namespaces        

Install Helm

curl -L https://git.io/get_helm.sh | bash -s -- --        

Create Your First Helm Chart

helm create helloworld        

This command creates a directory called helloworld. Verify it with:

ls -lart | grep helloworld        

Verify Directory Structure

tree helloworld        

The structure should look like this:

helloworld
├── Chart.yaml
├── charts
├── templates
│?? ├── NOTES.txt
│?? ├── _helpers.tpl
│?? ├── deployment.yaml
│?? ├── hpa.yaml
│?? ├── ingress.yaml
│?? ├── service.yaml
│?? ├── serviceaccount.yaml
│?? └── tests
│??     └── test-connection.yaml
└── values.yaml        

Update Service Type

Before running your Helm Chart, update the service.type in values.yaml from ClusterIP to NodePort to access the service outside of the Kubernetes cluster.

cd helloworld
vi values.yaml        

Install the Helm Chart

helm install customhelm helloworld        

Output:

NAME: customhelm
LAST DEPLOYED: Thu Jul 11 16:55:16 2024
NAMESPACE: default
STATUS: deployed
REVISION: 1
NOTES:
1. Get the application URL by running these commands:
  export NODE_PORT=$(kubectl get --namespace default -o jsonpath="{.spec.ports[0].nodePort}" services customhelm-helloworld)
  export NODE_IP=$(kubectl get nodes --namespace default -o jsonpath="{.items[0].status.addresses[0].address}")
  echo https://$NODE_IP:$NODE_PORT        

Verify Helm Installation

helm list -a        

Output:

NAME      	NAMESPACE	REVISION	UPDATED                             	STATUS  	CHART           	APP VERSION
customhelm	default  	1       	2024-07-11 16:55:16.134363 +0530 IST	deployed	helloworld-0.1.0	1.16.0        

Get Kubernetes Service Details and Port

kubectl get service        

Output

NAME                    TYPE        CLUSTER-IP     EXTERNAL-IP   PORT(S)        AGE
customhelm-helloworld   NodePort    10.105.3.203   <none>        80:30480/TCP   2m13s
kubernetes              ClusterIP   10.96.0.1      <none>        443/TCP        64m