Creating Custom Charts in Kubernetes

In this lesson, we will explore how to create custom Helm charts for deploying applications in Kubernetes. Helm is a package manager that simplifies the deployment and management of applications on Kubernetes.

• **Helm Chart**: A collection of files that describe a related set of Kubernetes resources.
• **Templates**: Files that contain Kubernetes manifest files with placeholders that Helm uses to fill in values.
• **Values.yaml**: A file that contains default configuration values for a chart.
• **Release**: An instance of a chart running in a Kubernetes cluster.

Step 1: Install Helm

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/master/scripts/get-helm-3 | bash

Step 2: Create a New Chart

helm create my-chart

This command creates a new directory called 'my-chart' with the default chart structure.

Step 3: Customize Your Chart

Edit the files as per your requirements:

• Modify values.yaml to set default values.
• Edit templates/deployment.yaml for your application deployment settings.
• Update templates/service.yaml to expose your application.

Step 4: Install Your Chart

helm install my-release ./my-chart

This command deploys your application to the Kubernetes cluster.

Step 5: Upgrade or Uninstall Your Chart

helm upgrade my-release ./my-chart

helm uninstall my-release

• Keep your values.yaml file organized and well-documented.
• Use templates for dynamic resource generation.
• Test your charts before deploying them to production.
• Version control your chart repository.