KubernetesHow-ToBeginner · 3 min read

How to Use Helm Rollback to Revert Kubernetes Releases

Use helm rollback RELEASE_NAME REVISION to revert a Helm release to a previous revision. This command restores the release state to the specified revision, undoing recent changes.

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Syntax

The basic syntax of the helm rollback command is:

RELEASE_NAME: The name of the Helm release you want to revert.
REVISION: The revision number to roll back to (usually a previous release version).
Optional flags like --wait to wait for the rollback to complete.

bash

helm rollback RELEASE_NAME REVISION [flags]

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Example

This example shows how to roll back a release named myapp to revision 2. It waits for the rollback to finish before returning.

bash

helm rollback myapp 2 --wait

Output

Rollback was a success! Happy Helming!\nNAME REVISION UPDATED STATUS CHART APP VERSION\nmyapp 3 2024-06-01 10:00:00 +0000 deployed mychart-1.0 1.0

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Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using helm rollback include:

Using the wrong revision number, which can roll back to an unintended state.
Not waiting for the rollback to complete, causing confusion about the release status.
Trying to roll back a release that has no previous revisions.

Always check the revision history with helm history RELEASE_NAME before rolling back.

bash

helm rollback myapp 5
# If revision 5 does not exist, you get an error:
# Error: release: not found

Output

Error: release: not found

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Quick Reference

Command	Description
helm rollback RELEASE_NAME REVISION	Roll back to a specific revision
helm history RELEASE_NAME	Show revision history of a release
helm rollback RELEASE_NAME REVISION --wait	Roll back and wait for completion
helm rollback RELEASE_NAME REVISION --dry-run	Simulate rollback without applying changes

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Key Takeaways

Use helm rollback with the release name and revision number to revert changes.

Check revision history with helm history before rolling back.

Use --wait to ensure rollback completes before proceeding.

Avoid rolling back to non-existent revisions to prevent errors.

Rollback restores the release to a previous known good state safely.