Installing Helm in Kubernetes - Step-by-Step CLI Walkthrough

Introduction

Helm helps you manage Kubernetes apps by packaging them into charts. Installing Helm lets you easily install, upgrade, and manage these apps on your Kubernetes cluster.

When you want to install a complex app on Kubernetes with one command instead of many manual steps

When you need to upgrade or rollback Kubernetes apps safely and quickly

When you want to share your Kubernetes app setup with others in a reusable way

When you want to manage app dependencies inside Kubernetes easily

When you want to automate app deployment in your CI/CD pipelines

Commands

This command downloads and runs the official Helm install script to install Helm version 3 on your system.

Terminal

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

Expected Output

Downloading https://get.helm.sh/helm-v3.12.0-linux-amd64.tar.gz

Preparing to install helm into /usr/local/bin

helm installed into /usr/local/bin/helm

This command checks that Helm was installed correctly by showing the installed Helm client version.

Terminal

helm version

Expected Output

version.BuildInfo{Version:"v3.12.0", GitCommit:"abc123def", GitTreeState:"clean", GoVersion:"go1.20.5"}

This command adds the official stable Helm chart repository so you can install apps from it.

Terminal

helm repo add stable https://charts.helm.sh/stable

Expected Output

"stable" has been added to your repositories

This command updates your local list of charts from all added repositories to get the latest versions.

Terminal

helm repo update

Expected Output

Hang tight while we grab the latest from your chart repositories...

stable: Refreshing repository cache

Update Complete.

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else from installing Helm, remember: Helm is a tool that simplifies installing and managing Kubernetes apps using reusable packages called charts.

Common Mistakes

Running the install script without curl or bash installed

The install script requires curl and bash to download and run; missing these causes failure.

Install curl and bash first using your system package manager before running the Helm install script.

Not running 'helm version' after install

You won't know if Helm installed correctly or which version you have.

Always run 'helm version' to verify the installation succeeded.

Skipping 'helm repo update' after adding a repo

Your local chart list will be outdated, so you might not see the latest charts.

Run 'helm repo update' to refresh your chart list after adding or changing repos.

Summary

Run the official Helm install script to install Helm on your system.

Verify the installation by checking the Helm version.

Add the stable Helm chart repository to access common Kubernetes apps.

Update your local chart list to get the latest app versions.

Practice

1. What is Helm used for in Kubernetes?

easy

A. To monitor Kubernetes nodes

B. To create Kubernetes clusters

C. To manage Kubernetes applications easily

D. To replace kubectl commands

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Helm's purpose

   Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes that simplifies app deployment and management. Creating clusters, monitoring nodes, or replacing kubectl are not Helm's functions.

2. Final Answer:

   To manage Kubernetes applications easily -> Option C

3. Quick Check:

   Helm manages apps = A [OK]

Hint: Helm is like an app store for Kubernetes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Helm with cluster creation tools
• Thinking Helm replaces kubectl
• Assuming Helm monitors nodes

2. Which command correctly installs Helm using the official script on Linux?

easy

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

B. wget https://helm.sh/install.sh | sh

C. helm install https://get.helm.sh/helm.sh

D. kubectl apply -f https://helm.sh/install.yaml

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the official Helm install script command

   The official Helm install script is run by piping curl output to bash as in curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/main/scripts/get-helm-3 | bash. Other options use incorrect methods: invalid helm install, wget with wrong URL, kubectl apply.

2. Final Answer:

   curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/main/scripts/get-helm-3 | bash -> Option A

3. Quick Check:

   Official script uses curl + bash = C [OK]

Hint: Use curl with bash for official Helm install script [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wget without proper flags
• Trying to install Helm with kubectl
• Confusing Helm install commands with kubectl commands

3. You want to install Helm on a Mac using Homebrew. Which command correctly installs Helm and verifies the installation?

easy

A. brew get helm && helm check

B. brew install helm && helm version

C. brew install helm && kubectl version

D. brew update helm && helm status

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct Homebrew install command

   Homebrew installs packages with 'brew install <package>', so 'brew install helm' is correct. Running 'helm version' shows Helm's installed version, confirming success.

2. Final Answer:

   brew install helm && helm version -> Option B

3. Quick Check:

   Install with brew + verify with helm version = A [OK]

Hint: Use 'brew install helm' then 'helm version' to check [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using incorrect brew commands like 'brew get' or 'brew update helm'
• Verifying with kubectl instead of helm
• Using 'helm check' or 'helm status' which are invalid

4. After installing Helm, what is the output of running helm version --short if Helm 3.12.0 is installed?

medium

A. v3.12.0+gabcdef123

B. Helm version 2.16.0

C. Error: command not found

D. v1.0.0-alpha

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the helm version output format

   Helm 3.x versions show output like 'v3.12.0+gabcdef123' with --short flag. Eliminate incorrect outputs: Helm version 2.16.0 shows Helm 2 version, error if not installed, unrelated alpha version.

2. Final Answer:

   v3.12.0+gabcdef123 -> Option A

3. Quick Check:

   Helm 3 version short output = B [OK]

Hint: Helm 3 versions start with 'v3.' in version output [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting Helm 2 output after installing Helm 3
• Confusing error output with version output
• Misreading version format

5. You ran curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/main/scripts/get-helm-3 | bash but got a permission denied error. What is the likely fix?

medium

A. Restart the Kubernetes cluster

B. Change the URL to use http instead of https

C. Install kubectl first

D. Run the command with sudo to get admin rights

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify cause of permission denied error

   Permission denied usually means the script needs admin rights to install files. Running the command with sudo grants needed permissions; other options do not address permission issues.

2. Final Answer:

   Run the command with sudo to get admin rights -> Option D

3. Quick Check:

   Permission denied fix = D [OK]

Hint: Use sudo if permission denied during install script [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Changing URL protocol unnecessarily
• Thinking kubectl installation fixes Helm install errors
• Restarting cluster unrelated to install permissions