How to Access Helm Programmatically?

10 minutes read

To access Helm programmatically, you can follow these steps:

  1. Import the required Python packages: import subprocess import yaml
  2. Define the Helm command structure: helm_command = [ 'helm', # The Helm executable command 'install', # The Helm action to perform '--name', 'my-release', # The release name 'stable/chart-name', # The chart repository and chart name ]
  3. Execute the Helm command programmatically: process = subprocess.Popen(helm_command, stdout=subprocess.PIPE) output, error = process.communicate()
  4. Process the output: output_lines = output.decode().split('\n') for line in output_lines: # Handle the output as needed print(line)
  5. Extract information from YAML output: output_yaml = yaml.safe_load(output) # Access specific values from the output value = output_yaml['key']
  6. Handle errors and exceptions: if process.returncode != 0: # Handle errors and exceptions accordingly print(f"Helm command failed with error code {process.returncode}")


By following these steps, you can programmatically access and interact with Helm commands in your Python application.

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What is the format of helm chart dependencies file?

The format of the Helm chart dependencies file, named requirements.yaml, is as follows:

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dependencies:
  - name: <chart-name>
    version: <chart-version>
    repository: <repository-url>
    condition: <chart-condition>
    tags:
      - <tag1>
      - <tag2>
    enabled: <true|false>


Here is the description of each field:

  • name: Specifies the name of the dependent chart.
  • version: Specifies the version of the dependent chart. It can include version ranges.
  • repository: Specifies the URL of the repository where the dependent chart is located.
  • condition (optional): Specifies the condition that must be satisfied for the dependent chart to be installed. It is evaluated using the values.yaml file.
  • tags (optional): Specifies tags for the dependent chart. These can be used for filtering and grouping charts.
  • enabled (optional): Specifies whether the dependent chart is enabled or disabled. If set to false, the dependent chart is not installed.


You can have multiple entries for different dependencies in the requirements.yaml file.


How to roll back helm releases programmatically?

To roll back Helm releases programmatically, you can use the Helm CLI along with shell scripting or any other programming language that allows executing shell commands.


Here's an example of how you can achieve this using shell scripting:

  1. Determine the current revision number of the release you want to roll back:
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current_revision=$(helm history RELEASE_NAME --output json | jq -r '.[].revision' | tail -n 1)


  1. Roll back to the previous revision:
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helm rollback RELEASE_NAME $((current_revision - 1))


  1. Optionally, you can wait for the rollback to complete:
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kubectl rollout status deployment/RELEASE_NAME


Note: Replace RELEASE_NAME with the actual name of your Helm release.


If you're using a programming language like Python, you can use the subprocess module to execute the Helm commands:

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import subprocess

def rollback_helm_release(release_name):
    current_revision = subprocess.run(['helm', 'history', release_name, '--output', 'json'], capture_output=True, check=True)
    current_revision = int(current_revision.stdout.decode().splitlines()[-1]['revision'])
    
    subprocess.run(['helm', 'rollback', release_name, str(current_revision - 1)], check=True)
    subprocess.run(['kubectl', 'rollout', 'status', f'deployment/{release_name}'], check=True)

# Usage
rollback_helm_release('my-release')


This Python code snippet performs similar steps as the shell script mentioned above.


Remember to handle any exceptions or errors according to your specific requirements when using programming languages.


What is the helm release name?

The helm release name is a user-defined name given to a particular deployment of a chart using Helm. The release name is specified when running the helm install or helm upgrade commands. It provides a unique identifier for the release, allowing users to manage and track different instances of the same chart.


What are helm release hooks?

Helm release hooks are a way to define and execute certain actions before, during, or after a Helm release is installed or upgraded on a Kubernetes cluster. Hooks are typically used to perform tasks such as database migrations, secret creation, or triggering notifications.


Hooks in Helm are defined as YAML files and can be placed inside the hooks directory within a Helm chart. They can be categorized into three types based on when they are executed:

  1. Pre-install hooks: These hooks are executed before a release is installed. They can be used to perform tasks such as creating a database or setting up infrastructure prerequisites.
  2. Pre-upgrade hooks: These hooks are executed before a release is upgraded. They can be used to perform actions like running database migrations or validating the readiness of external services.
  3. Post-upgrade hooks: These hooks are executed after a release is upgraded. They are commonly used for tasks like validating the successful completion of the upgrade, sending notifications, or triggering other actions.


Hooks have their own lifecycle independent of the release they are associated with. They are not rolled back if the release is rolled back, and they are not re-executed if the release is re-installed or re-upgraded.


Helm release hooks provide a way to perform necessary actions within the release process and integrate them seamlessly with the Helm deployment flow.


How to access helm programmatically using CLI commands?

To access Helm programmatically using CLI commands, you can use the following steps:

  1. Install Helm: First, you need to install Helm on your machine. You can download the Helm binaries from the official Helm GitHub repository (https://github.com/helm/helm/releases) and follow the installation instructions for your operating system.
  2. Initialize Helm: After installing Helm, you need to initialize it by running the following command: helm init This command sets up the necessary components for Helm on your cluster.
  3. Add Helm repositories: Helm uses repositories to store charts (pre-packaged applications) that you can install. You can add a repository using the following command: helm repo add Replace with a name of your choice and with the URL of the repository you want to add.
  4. Search for charts: Once you have added repositories, you can search for available charts using the following command: helm search Replace with the name or keyword of the chart you want to search for.
  5. Install a chart: To install a specific chart from a repository, use the following command: helm install /Replace with a name of your choice for the release and / with the repository and chart you want to install.
  6. Upgrade or rollback a release: If you need to upgrade or rollback a release, you can use the following commands: Upgrade: helm upgrade /Rollback: helm rollback Replace with the revision number of the desired release version.
  7. Uninstall a release: To uninstall (delete) a release, use the following command: helm delete Replace with the name of the release you want to delete.


These commands will allow you to access Helm programmatically using the CLI. You can also explore the Helm documentation (https://helm.sh/docs/) for more advanced usage and options.

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