How to Convert Helm Chart to Kubernetes YAML?

Converting a Helm chart to Kubernetes YAML involves extracting the Kubernetes resource definitions from the Helm chart & its templates.

Helm is a Kubernetes package management that helps streamline the application deployment, and Helm charts are a collection of YAML templates representing Kubernetes resources.

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In this guide, I will show you how to convert Helm Chart to Kubernetes YAML.

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Step 1: Install Helm (if not already installed)

The first step is to download & install the Helm if you have not installed it already.

Step 2: Download the Helm Chart

Now, look at the Helm chart you want to convert and download directly or through a Helm repository. To download a Helm chart, use the Helm get command.

Here is an example:

helm fetch <chart-name> --untar

When you run this command. Helm chart will be downloaded and extracted to a directory.

Step 3: Explore the Helm Chart

It’s time to explore the directory’s contents by navigating to the location where the Helm chart is extracted.

The templates directory, which contains YAML files corresponding to Kubernetes resource templates, is often where a Helm chart’s essential components are located.

Step 4: Convert Helm Templates to YAML

You can manually create separate Kubernetes YAML files for each YAML template in the templates directory.

So, to convert the templates into Kubernetes YAML & save them as separate files, use a tool like Helm template.

helm template <release-name> <path-to-chart> --output-dir <output-directory>

Replace “release-name,” “path-to-chart,” and “output-directory” with the names that you have set for your Helm releases, the path to the Helm chart directory, and the directory where you would like to save the created YAML files.

Step 5: Review and Clean Up

Look at the generated YAML files and remove any unnecessary Helm—or chart-specific configurations or resources. You might also need to change some settings to make them more appropriate for your environment.

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Step 6: Apply Kubernetes YAML Manifests

When the Kubernetes YAML manifests are prepared, you can now use kubectl to apply them to your Kubernetes cluster:

kubectl apply -f <yaml-file>

The path to the YAML file you want to apply should be replaced with “yaml-file“. For each YAML file you’ve generated, repeat the same steps.

Step 7: Verify Deployment

You need to use the kubectl commands to check that your application is functioning as expected after deploying the manifests:

kubectl get pods,svc,deployments,configmaps,secrets

Use this command to get information about the resources produced from the YAML files.

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Conclusion

I hope this guide was helpful to convert a Helm chart into Kubernetes YAML manifests and deploy the application without depending on Helm. You can also read Kubernetes tutorials for beginners for more information.

It’s important to keep in mind that if you use Kubernetes YAML manifests directly, you might have to handle extra Helm features like value overrides, release management, & rollback capabilities separately.

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