Install Your First Helm Chart on Kubernetes
Use Helm as a package manager - add a repo, install a sample app chart, override values, upgrade, roll back, and uninstall.
Lab overview
Helm is the de-facto package manager for Kubernetes: it plays the same role that apt, brew, or pip play in their ecosystems. Instead of hand-applying raw manifests, you pull a pre-built, configurable bundle called a chart from a repository and install it into your cluster with a single command. Nearly every major CNCF project ships as a Helm chart today, so platform engineers spend far more time consuming charts than authoring them. The consumer skillset covers roughly 90% of real-world Helm interaction.
Under the hood, Helm is a thin client-side renderer. When you run helm install, it templates the chart against your values, applies the resulting plain manifests through the Kubernetes API, and records the install as a release, storing the rendered manifests as a Secret in the release's namespace. That release history is what makes helm history and helm rollback possible.
In this lab, you will take on the consumer half of Helm end to end. You will add the upstream podinfo chart repository, search and inspect the chart's metadata and default values, and install a pinned version into a dedicated namespace. From there, you will override values with a small values.yaml file, upgrade the release with --atomic so a bad change rolls back automatically, walk through the release history, roll back to an earlier revision, and uninstall the release cleanly.
Objectives
By completing this beginner lab, you will be able to:
- Add a public chart repository with
helm repo addand inspect charts withhelm show chartandhelm show values - Install a pinned version of the podinfo chart into a dedicated namespace and explore the release with
helm listandhelm status - Override default chart values via a
values.yamlfile and apply the change withhelm upgrade --atomic - Inspect the release history with
helm historyand roll back to a previous revision withhelm rollback - Uninstall a release and contrast
--keep-historyagainst a full removal
Who is this lab for?
This lab is designed for:
- Platform and DevOps engineers who know the core Kubernetes objects but have never installed software via Helm
- Application developers preparing for the CKAD exam
- Anyone who has used
kubectl applydirectly and is ready to graduate to versioned, repeatable installs
Verified against your live environment
An automated validation engine inspects your actual resources and configurations as you work. Completion means the task was performed — not multiple choice, real-world proficiency.
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Related reading
Environment
Every lab includes
- Real environment, pre-credentialed
- Automated checks on every step
- Isolated sandbox, auto cleanup
- AI-recommended next steps
Lab curriculum
- 01
Getting Started with Kubernetes IDE
1 automated check
- 02
Add a Repository and Install Your First Chart
1 automated check
- 03
Override Chart Values and Upgrade with Atomic Rollback
1 automated check
- 04
Inspect History, Roll Back, and Uninstall the Release
1 automated check
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