Helm

Kubernetes runs applications from resource manifests. A real application often needs several of them: Deployments, Services, ConfigMaps, Secrets, and more. Copying and editing those files for every environment creates drift and makes upgrades hard to reason about.

Helm gives those related manifests a package boundary. That package is a chart. You can version a chart, publish it, configure it, and install it as one unit.

An installed chart becomes a release. The release records the chart and configuration used for that installation. Install the same chart twice and you create two releases with separate names and histories.

This distinction is the core mental model:

chart + values → rendered Kubernetes manifests → release

Helm does not replace Kubernetes. It renders manifests and sends them to the Kubernetes API. Kubernetes still schedules workloads, enforces access, and reconciles resources.