
Hands-on Helm: templates, values.yaml, chart creation, dependencies, hooks, packaging & version upgrades
π₯ 634 students
π September 2025 update
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Course Overview
- This intensive course, Kubernetes Helm Charts (HELM-201): 1500 Questions, is designed to transform you into a Helm expert through an unparalleled volume of practical problem-solving. Far beyond theoretical lectures, this program immerses you in 1500 unique challenges, covering every facet of Helm chart development, deployment, and management within a Kubernetes environment. Building on the foundation of “Hands-on Helm,” as highlighted in its successful track record with 634 students and its September 2025 update, this course offers a comprehensive, real-world oriented curriculum that directly addresses the complexities faced by DevOps engineers, SREs, and developers in managing cloud-native applications. You will not just learn Helm; you will master it through relentless application and debugging.
- Dive deep into the entire lifecycle of Helm charts, from conceptualizing efficient templating structures to managing complex dependencies and implementing robust versioning strategies. The “1500 Questions” methodology ensures a profound understanding of Helmβs intricacies, pushing you to apply knowledge creatively and troubleshoot effectively across diverse scenarios. This isn’t just about syntax; it’s about architectural thinking, best practices, and developing a systematic approach to deploying and maintaining applications at scale using the industry-standard package manager for Kubernetes.
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Requirements / Prerequisites
- Foundational Kubernetes Knowledge: A solid understanding of Kubernetes core concepts is essential. This includes familiarity with `kubectl` commands, basic resource types like Pods, Deployments, Services, ConfigMaps, and Secrets, and how they interact within a cluster. You should be comfortable navigating the Kubernetes ecosystem and understanding its declarative nature.
- Basic YAML Proficiency: As Helm charts are predominantly written in YAML, a working knowledge of YAML syntax, structure, and common pitfalls is required. While advanced YAML templating is taught, understanding the basics will ensure a smoother learning curve for Helm’s templating engine.
- Command-Line Interface (CLI) Comfort: You should be comfortable working in a Linux/Unix-like command-line environment. Proficiency with basic shell commands, navigating directories, and executing binaries is assumed, as all Helm interactions occur via the CLI.
- Development Environment Setup: Access to a local Kubernetes cluster (e.g., Minikube, Kind, Docker Desktop’s Kubernetes) or a cloud-based Kubernetes cluster (e.g., GKE, EKS, AKS) for practical exercises. A modern text editor or IDE (e.g., VS Code, Sublime Text) is also necessary for writing and modifying chart files.
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Skills Covered / Tools Used
- Helm Chart Architecture & Templating Mastery:
- Designing Robust Chart Structures: Learn to organize your Helm charts efficiently, understanding the purpose of each directory (`templates/`, `charts/`, `crds/`) and file (`Chart.yaml`, `values.yaml`, `.helmignore`).
- Advanced Go Templating: Master Go template functions, control structures (conditionals, loops, `with`, `range`), pipelines, and template helpers to create highly dynamic and configurable Kubernetes manifests.
- Effective `values.yaml` Management: Discover strategies for defining and overriding values, handling complex data structures, and ensuring flexible chart configurations across different environments.
- Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs): Understand how to package and manage CRDs within Helm charts, enabling the extension of Kubernetes APIs.
- Dependency Management & Lifecycle Hooks:
- Managing Subcharts & Dependencies: Implement and manage complex application stacks using subcharts, external dependencies, and explore the `dependencies` section in `Chart.yaml` for efficient multi-application deployments.
- Implementing Helm Hooks: Utilize pre-install, post-install, pre-upgrade, post-upgrade, pre-delete, and post-delete hooks to execute custom logic at various stages of a release lifecycle, ensuring controlled and reliable deployments.
- Release Management & Versioning Strategies:
- Packaging & Distribution: Learn to package your Helm charts (`helm package`) and understand various methods for hosting and distributing them, including ChartMuseum, Git repositories, and OCI registries.
- Seamless Version Upgrades & Rollbacks: Master `helm upgrade` strategies, including atomic and `wait` flags, and confidently perform rollbacks (`helm rollback`) to previous stable versions, minimizing downtime and risk.
- Semantic Versioning for Charts: Apply semantic versioning principles to your Helm charts to manage changes and ensure compatibility effectively.
- Debugging, Testing & Best Practices:
- Advanced Troubleshooting: Utilize `helm template –debug`, `helm lint`, and `helm diff` to identify and resolve issues within your charts and releases, significantly accelerating the debugging process.
- Security & Performance Considerations: Learn best practices for securing your Helm charts, managing sensitive data with Secrets, and optimizing chart performance for large-scale deployments.
- Community Standards & Chart Development Guidelines: Adhere to established Helm community guidelines for creating maintainable, shareable, and robust charts.
- Tools Used: Helm CLI, kubectl, a local or cloud Kubernetes cluster, a text editor/IDE.
- Helm Chart Architecture & Templating Mastery:
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Benefits / Outcomes
- Become a Helm Power User: Confidently design, develop, deploy, and manage complex Kubernetes applications using Helm, transforming you into a highly proficient user ready for any enterprise environment.
- Master Real-World Deployment Scenarios: Through 1500 practical questions, you will gain hands-on experience solving diverse deployment challenges, from simple single-application charts to intricate multi-service setups with advanced dependencies and lifecycle management.
- Streamline DevOps Workflows: Implement standardized, repeatable, and automated deployment processes for Kubernetes applications, drastically improving development velocity, consistency, and operational efficiency across your teams.
- Enhance Application Maintainability & Scalability: Learn to create flexible, modular, and scalable Helm charts that are easy to maintain, upgrade, and adapt to evolving application requirements, ensuring long-term success of your cloud-native initiatives.
- Advanced Troubleshooting & Debugging Skills: Develop an expert-level ability to diagnose and resolve Helm-related issues quickly and efficiently, minimizing downtime and ensuring the stability of your Kubernetes deployments.
- Career Advancement: Equip yourself with a highly sought-after skill set in the cloud-native ecosystem, opening doors to advanced roles in DevOps, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), and Cloud Architecture.
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PROS
- Unmatched Practical Experience: The “1500 Questions” methodology provides an extraordinary volume of hands-on practice, solidifying theoretical knowledge into practical expertise.
- Comprehensive Coverage: Every critical aspect of Helm is covered in depth, ensuring a holistic understanding of the tool and its ecosystem.
- Highly Relevant & Up-to-Date: Content is regularly updated (September 2025 update), reflecting the latest Helm features and Kubernetes best practices.
- Skill Mastery: Designed for genuine mastery, pushing learners beyond surface-level understanding into advanced problem-solving and architectural thinking.
- Community Validated: A proven track record with hundreds of successful students indicates a well-structured and effective learning path.
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CONS
- Significant Time Commitment: The sheer volume of practical exercises and questions demands a substantial time investment and dedicated effort to fully leverage the course benefits.
Learning Tracks: English,IT & Software,IT Certifications
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