DevSecOps Tools

🪝 Helm — Overview of the Tool

Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes: it helps you define, install, upgrade, and manage applications running in Kubernetes clusters using reusable packages called Charts. It streamlines complex deployments, manages dependencies, supports versioning and rollbacks, and simplifies configuration across environments.

⭐ Key Features

• Package Management with Charts
  Packages (called Charts) bundle Kubernetes resources and metadata so you can install complex applications with a single command.

• Deployments & Upgrades
  Helm handles install, upgrade, rollback, and uninstall tasks for Kubernetes applications.

• Release Versioning
  Every installation creates a release, allowing version control and easy rollback to a previous state.

• Config & Templating
  Charts use YAML + Go template syntax so you can customize parameters per environment via values.yaml.

• Dependency Management
  Charts can define and manage dependencies on other charts.

• Repository Support
  Helm dependencies and charts can be hosted in public or private repositories like Artifact Hub.

• Rollbacks

🔁 How It Fits into DevOps / DevSecOps

In modern DevOps and DevSecOps workflows, Helm plays several critical roles:

• CI/CD Integration
  Works well with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Argo CD, etc.) to automate deployments. ([ijritcc.org][5])

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
  Helm abstracts manifest files into reusable packages, aligning with IaC practices.

• Consistency Across Environments
  Charts enforce consistent deployments across dev, staging, and production.

• Security & Audit Controls
  Removing server-side components like Tiller (from Helm 3 onwards) improves security posture by relying on Kubernetes’ native RBAC and API access.

• Reusable Components
  Helm promotes modular reuse of configurations, reducing human error and boosting team productivity.

💻 Programming Language

Helm is written in Go, a language commonly used in the cloud-native ecosystem, especially in Kubernetes-related tools.

🏢 Parent Company / Governance

Helm doesn’t have a traditional “parent company.” Instead:

• It was originally created by Deis (later acquired by Microsoft).
• Today, it’s an open-source project maintained under the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) — the same foundation that governs Kubernetes.

This means it’s supported by a community of contributors from many organizations rather than being owned by a single company.

💡 Open-Source or Paid?

✅ Open-Source Tool
Helm is released under the Apache License 2.0, meaning the core project itself is free to use, modify, and distribute. However, commercial products like repository managers (Artifactory, private chart registries, etc.) may offer paid services around Helm usage — but Helm itself remains free.

I’d like to thank our staff @santhoshnc for introducing and explaining Helm in such a clear and practical way. Their guidance helped us understand not just the tool itself, but how it fits into real-world DevOps and Kubernetes workflows. The hands-on explanations and industry-relevant insights made the learning experience truly valuable.