Kubernetes • Helm • DevOps
Helm Commands Cheat Sheet
Practical Helm commands for Kubernetes charts, repositories, releases, deployments, upgrades, rollbacks, values, templates, dependencies, OCI registries and CI/CD automation.
What is Helm?
Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes. Helm charts package Kubernetes resources into reusable application definitions, while Helm releases track installed instances of those charts.
Showing 128 commands.
Helm Setup and Version
helm versionDisplay the installed Helm client version.
helm version --shortDisplay a shorter Helm version output.
helm helpDisplay general Helm help.
helm envDisplay Helm environment information and configuration paths.
helm <command> --helpDisplay help for a specific Helm command.
helm completion powershellGenerate PowerShell shell completion.
helm completion bashGenerate Bash shell completion.
helm completion zshGenerate Zsh shell completion.
Helm Repository Management
helm repo add <name> <url>Add a chart repository.
helm repo listList configured Helm repositories.
helm repo updateUpdate local information about charts in configured repositories.
helm repo remove <name>Remove a configured chart repository.
helm repo index <directory>Generate an index file for a directory containing packaged charts.
Search Helm Charts
helm search repo <keyword>Search configured chart repositories.
helm search hub <keyword>Search charts through Artifact Hub.
helm search repo nginxSearch configured repositories for nginx charts.
helm search repo <keyword> --versionsShow all available chart versions matching the search.
Chart Information
helm show chart <chart>Display Chart.yaml metadata.
helm show values <chart>Display the default values exposed by a chart.
helm show readme <chart>Display the chart README.
helm show crds <chart>Display CRDs included by a chart.
helm show all <chart>Display all available chart information.
Create and Download Charts
helm create <name>Create a new Helm chart using the standard chart structure.
helm pull <chart>Download a chart locally.
helm pull <chart> --untarDownload and extract a chart locally.
helm pull <chart> --version <version>Download a specific chart version.
helm pull <chart> --destination <directory>Download a chart into a specified directory.
helm package <chart-path>Package a chart directory into a versioned archive.
helm package <chart-path> --destination <directory>Package a chart into a specified destination directory.
Chart Validation
helm lint <chart>Check a chart for possible installation and convention issues.
helm lint <chart> --strictTreat lint warnings as errors.
helm lint <chart> --values values.yamlLint a chart using a custom values file.
helm lint <chart> --set image.tag=latestLint a chart with a command-line value override.
Install Helm Releases
helm install <release> <chart>Install a Helm chart as a named release.
helm install <release> <chart> --namespace <namespace>Install a release into a specific Kubernetes namespace.
helm install <release> <chart> --create-namespaceCreate the namespace if it does not already exist.
helm install <release> <chart> --values values.yamlInstall using values from a YAML file.
helm install <release> <chart> --set key=valueOverride a chart value from the command line.
helm install <release> <chart> --version <version>Install a specific chart version.
helm install <release> <chart> --dry-runSimulate an installation without applying it.
helm install <release> <chart> --waitWait for resources to become ready before returning.
helm install <release> <chart> --debugEnable debug output during installation.
Upgrade Helm Releases
helm upgrade <release> <chart>Upgrade an existing Helm release.
helm upgrade <release> <chart> --installUpgrade a release or install it when it does not exist.
helm upgrade <release> <chart> --values values.yamlUpgrade using a values file.
helm upgrade <release> <chart> --set key=valueOverride values during an upgrade.
helm upgrade <release> <chart> --version <version>Upgrade to a specific chart version.
helm upgrade <release> <chart> --reuse-valuesReuse values from the previous release.
helm upgrade <release> <chart> --reset-valuesReset values to chart defaults before applying overrides.
helm upgrade <release> <chart> --waitWait for resources to become ready after the upgrade.
helm upgrade <release> <chart> --rollback-on-failureAutomatically roll back when the upgrade fails.
List and Inspect Releases
helm listList releases in the current namespace.
helm list --all-namespacesList releases across all namespaces.
helm list --allInclude releases with statuses other than deployed.
helm list --failedList releases with failed status.
helm status <release>Display the current status of a release.
helm status <release> --show-resourcesDisplay release status and associated resources.
Release History and Rollback
helm history <release>Display release revision history.
helm history <release> --max <number>Limit the number of historical revisions displayed.
helm rollback <release> <revision>Roll a release back to a specific revision.
helm rollback <release> <revision> --waitRoll back and wait for resources to become ready.
helm rollback <release> <revision> --cleanup-on-failClean up resources created during a failed rollback.
Get Release Information
helm get all <release>Display all available information for a release.
helm get values <release>Display values currently used by a release.
helm get values <release> --allDisplay computed values including chart defaults.
helm get manifest <release>Display Kubernetes manifests generated by Helm.
helm get notes <release>Display release notes.
helm get hooks <release>Display hooks associated with a release.
helm get metadata <release>Display release metadata.
Uninstall Releases
helm uninstall <release>Uninstall a Helm release.
helm uninstall <release> --namespace <namespace>Uninstall a release from a specific namespace.
helm uninstall <release> --keep-historyUninstall a release while retaining its history.
Values and Configuration
helm show values <chart>Review the chart's default values.
helm install <release> <chart> -f values.yamlInstall using a values file.
helm upgrade <release> <chart> -f values.yamlUpgrade using a values file.
helm install <release> <chart> --set image.repository=myappOverride a single chart value.
helm install <release> <chart> --set-string image.tag=001Force a command-line value to be treated as a string.
helm install <release> <chart> --set-file config=app.confLoad a chart value from a file.
Template Rendering and Debugging
helm template <release> <chart>Render chart templates locally without installing them.
helm template <release> <chart> --values values.yamlRender templates using a custom values file.
helm template <release> <chart> --debugRender templates with additional debugging information.
helm install <release> <chart> --dry-run --debugSimulate installation and inspect rendered output.
helm upgrade <release> <chart> --dry-runSimulate a release upgrade.
Chart Dependencies
helm dependency list <chart>List dependencies declared by a chart.
helm dependency update <chart>Update chart dependencies.
helm dependency build <chart>Rebuild dependencies using Chart.lock.
helm dependency update <chart> --skip-refreshUpdate dependencies without refreshing repository indexes.
OCI Registries
helm registry login <registry>Authenticate Helm against an OCI registry.
helm registry logout <registry>Log out from an OCI registry.
helm pull oci://<registry>/<repository>/<chart>Pull a Helm chart from an OCI registry.
helm push <chart>.tgz oci://<registry>/<repository>Push a packaged chart to an OCI registry.
Helm Plugins
helm plugin listList installed Helm plugins.
helm plugin install <url>Install a Helm plugin.
helm plugin update <plugin>Update an installed Helm plugin.
helm plugin uninstall <plugin>Remove an installed Helm plugin.
Chart Verification
helm verify <chart>Verify a signed chart package.
helm install <release> <chart> --verifyVerify a chart before installation.
helm pull <chart> --verifyDownload and verify a signed chart.
Helm Tests
helm test <release>Run tests associated with a deployed release.
helm test <release> --logsRun release tests and stream test pod logs.
Helm Environment
helm envDisplay Helm environment variables and configuration locations.
$HELM_CONFIG_HOMEControls the Helm configuration directory.
$HELM_CACHE_HOMEControls the Helm cache directory.
$HELM_DATA_HOMEControls the Helm data directory.
$HELM_NAMESPACESets the default namespace used by Helm.
$HELM_DEBUGEnables Helm debug behavior when configured.
Helm Troubleshooting
helm list --all-namespacesCheck whether a release exists in another namespace.
helm status <release> -n <namespace>Inspect release status in a specific namespace.
helm history <release> -n <namespace>Inspect previous revisions during upgrade troubleshooting.
helm get manifest <release> -n <namespace>Inspect Kubernetes manifests generated by Helm.
helm get values <release> -n <namespace> --allInspect the effective values used by a release.
helm template <release> <chart> --debugDebug chart rendering without modifying the cluster.
helm lint <chart>Find chart structure and template problems.
CI/CD Helm Workflow
helm lint ./chartValidate the chart during CI.
helm dependency update ./chartResolve chart dependencies during the pipeline.
helm template myapp ./chart -f values-prod.yamlRender production Kubernetes manifests during CI.
helm package ./chartPackage the chart for publishing.
helm registry login <registry>Authenticate to the OCI registry used by the pipeline.
helm push myapp-1.0.0.tgz oci://<registry>/<repository>Publish a packaged chart to an OCI registry.
helm upgrade --install myapp ./chart -n production --create-namespaceDeploy or upgrade the application in the production namespace.
Recommended Helm Deployment Workflow
helm repo updateRefresh available chart information.
helm show values <chart>Review configurable chart values.
helm lint ./chartValidate the chart before deployment.
helm dependency update ./chartResolve required chart dependencies.
helm template myapp ./chart -f values-prod.yamlReview rendered Kubernetes manifests.
helm upgrade --install myapp ./chart -n production --create-namespace --waitInstall or upgrade the application and wait for resources to become ready.
helm status myapp -n productionVerify the deployed release status.
helm history myapp -n productionReview release revisions for auditing and rollback.
Common Helm Workflow
helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnamihelm repo updatehelm search repo nginxhelm show values bitnami/nginxhelm upgrade --install nginx bitnami/nginx -n web --create-namespacehelm status nginx -n webhelm history nginx -n web