Creating custom Helm charts in Kubernetes - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the command to create a new Helm chart named myapp.

Kubernetes

helm [1] myapp

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ainstall

Bnew

Ccreate

Dinit

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'helm install' instead of 'helm create'.

Using 'helm init' which is deprecated.

The correct command to create a new Helm chart is helm create followed by the chart name.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the Helm command to package the chart located in the current directory.

Kubernetes

helm [1] .

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Ainstall

Bdeploy

Cbuild

Dpackage

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'helm install' instead of 'helm package'.

Using 'helm build' which is not a Helm command.

The helm package command creates a packaged chart archive from the chart directory.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the Helm install command by completing the missing flag to specify the release name.

Kubernetes

helm install [1] ./mychart

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Amyrelease

B--name

C--chart

Drelease

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '--name' flag which is deprecated.

Using '--chart' flag incorrectly.

The release name is given as a positional argument before the chart path, so you just provide the name directly without a flag.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to complete the Helm template command that renders templates with a custom values file.

Kubernetes

helm template [1] -f [2]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Amychart

Bvalues.yaml

Cmyvalues.yaml

Drelease

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using default 'values.yaml' instead of custom 'myvalues.yaml'.

Confusing release name with chart name.

The first argument is the chart directory or name, here 'mychart'. The -f flag specifies the custom values file, here 'myvalues.yaml'.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a Helm values file snippet that sets the container image repository, tag, and pull policy.

Kubernetes

image:
  repository: [1]
  tag: [2]
  pullPolicy: [3]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A"nginx"

B"1.21.0"

C"IfNotPresent"

D"Always"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using pullPolicy 'Always' which forces image pull every time.

Omitting quotes around strings.

The repository is the image name, here 'nginx'. The tag is the version, here '1.21.0'. The pull policy controls when Kubernetes pulls the image, here 'IfNotPresent' means only pull if not already present.

Practice

1. What is the primary purpose of a Helm chart in Kubernetes?

easy

A. To package and deploy Kubernetes applications easily

B. To monitor Kubernetes cluster health

C. To replace kubectl commands

D. To create virtual machines in Kubernetes

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Helm chart role

   A Helm chart bundles Kubernetes resources and configurations for an app.

2. Step 2: Identify main use

   It simplifies sharing and deploying apps by packaging them.

3. Final Answer:

   To package and deploy Kubernetes applications easily -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Helm charts = package & deploy apps [OK]

Hint: Helm charts bundle apps for easy deployment [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Helm with monitoring tools
• Thinking Helm replaces kubectl commands
• Assuming Helm creates virtual machines

2. Which command initializes a new Helm chart with default files?

easy

A. helm init

B. helm start

C. helm create

D. helm new

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Helm commands

   The command to create a new chart with default files is helm create.

2. Step 2: Eliminate incorrect options

   helm init is deprecated, helm start and helm new do not exist.

3. Final Answer:

   helm create -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   New chart command = helm create [OK]

Hint: Use 'helm create' to start a new chart fast [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'helm init' which is deprecated
• Trying 'helm start' or 'helm new' which are invalid
• Confusing 'helm create' with 'helm install'

3. Given this snippet in a Helm template file:

{{ .Values.replicaCount }}

If values.yaml sets replicaCount: 3, what will this render in the deployed manifest?

medium

A. {{ .Values.replicaCount }}

B. 3

C. replicaCount

D. null

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Helm template variables

   {{ .Values.replicaCount }} inserts the value of replicaCount from values.yaml.

2. Step 2: Check the value in values.yaml

   Since replicaCount is set to 3, the template renders the number 3.

3. Final Answer:

   3 -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Template variable renders value = 3 [OK]

Hint: Template {{ .Values.key }} outputs the key's value [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking the template syntax prints literally
• Confusing key name with value
• Assuming missing values render as null

4. You created a Helm chart but get an error: template: deployment.yaml:10: unexpected EOF. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. Cluster is not reachable

B. Incorrect image name in values.yaml

C. Helm version is outdated

D. Missing closing bracket in template syntax

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze error message

   "unexpected EOF" means the template ended unexpectedly, often due to missing closing brackets.

2. Step 2: Identify common template syntax errors

   Missing a closing }} or {% causes this error.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing closing bracket in template syntax -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Unexpected EOF = missing closing bracket [OK]

Hint: Check all {{ }} pairs are closed properly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Blaming image name for syntax errors
• Assuming cluster issues cause template parse errors
• Ignoring template syntax mistakes

5. You want to create a Helm chart that allows users to set a custom container port via values.yaml. Which snippet correctly uses this value in the deployment.yaml template?

hard

A. ports:
- containerPort: {{ .Values.containerPort }}

B. ports:
- containerPort: $containerPort

C. ports:
- containerPort: {{ containerPort }}

D. ports:
- containerPort: .Values.containerPort

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall Helm template syntax for values

   Use {{ .Values.key }} to insert values from values.yaml.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   ports: - containerPort: {{ .Values.containerPort }} uses correct Helm syntax. The other options use invalid or incomplete syntax.

3. Final Answer:

   ports: - containerPort: {{ .Values.containerPort }} -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use {{ .Values.key }} for values in templates [OK]

Hint: Use {{ .Values.key }} to access values.yaml keys [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using shell variable syntax like $containerPort
• Omitting the dot before Values
• Not using handlebars {{ }} for templating