Helm Basics Questions

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Level: Basics

🟢 Foundational interview questions.

Focus on core concepts, definitions, and building blocks.

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1. What is Helm and why is it used?

Helm is the package manager for Kubernetes.

It helps you define, install, and upgrade even the most complex Kubernetes application. It uses a packaging format called charts.

2. What is a Helm Chart?

A collection of files that describe a related set of Kubernetes resources.

Charts are packaged into versioned archives (.tgz) and can be stored in repositories. They allow you to deploy configurable applications.

3. Explain the directory structure of a standard Helm chart.

Key components include: * Chart.yaml: Information about the chart. * values.yaml: Default configuration values. * charts/: Directory for chart dependencies. * templates/: Directory for template files that generate manifests.

4. What is the role of values.yaml?

It defines the default configuration values for the chart.

Users can override these values during installation using their own YAML file or -f flag, or using --set.

5. How do you install a Helm chart?

helm install [release-name] [chart].

For example: helm install my-nginx bitnami/nginx. This deploys the chart to your Kubernetes cluster.

6. What is a Release in Helm?

A specific instance of a chart running in a Kubernetes cluster.

One chart can be installed multiple times in the same cluster, and each installation creates a new Release (e.g., mysql-prod, mysql-staging).

7. How do you add a new Helm repository?

helm repo add [name] [url].

This command registers a chart repository index locally so you can search and install charts from it.

8. Which command updates your local repo index with the latest charts?

helm repo update.

It fetches the latest information (versions, new charts) from all configured chart repositories.

9. How do you list all installed releases in the current namespace?

helm list (or helm ls).

By default, it shows deployed releases in the current namespace. Use -A to list across all namespaces.

10. How do you uninstall a release?

helm uninstall [release-name].

This removes all Kubernetes resources associated with the release from the cluster.

11. What is the difference between helm install and helm upgrade?

install creates a new release; upgrade updates an existing releases.

helm upgrade works by applying a patch to the existing release, updating it to a new chart version or new configuration values.

12. How can you define a custom namespace during installation?

Use the -n or --namespace flag.

Example: helm install my-app ./my-chart -n production. You can also use --create-namespace to create it if it doesn't exist.

13. What command allows you to see the templates rendered without installing?

helm template [release-name] [chart].

This renders the templates locally and prints the resulting YAML manifests to stdout, useful for debugging syntax.

14. How do you override specific values during installation without a file?

Using the --set flag.

Example: helm install my-app ./my-chart --set replicas=3,image.tag=latest.

15. What is the purpose of Chart.yaml?

It provides metadata about the chart.

It includes the chart name, version, description, maintainers, and API version (e.g., v2 for Helm 3).

16. Which command searches for charts in added repositories?

helm search repo [keyword].

It looks for charts matching the keyword in your local repository cache.

17. What is Tiller? (Is it used in Helm 3?)

Tiller was the server-side component in Helm 2.

It was removed in Helm 3. Helm 3 is client-only and uses Kubernetes RBAC directly, improving security.

18. How do you rollback a release to a previous version?

helm rollback [release-name] [revision].

Example: helm rollback my-app 1. This reverts the release configuration to the specified revision number.

19. How do you check the status of a deployed release?

helm status [release-name].

It shows the deployment status, revision history, and any notes provided by the chart.

20. What is a Chart Repository?

An HTTP server that houses an index.yaml file and packaged charts (.tgz).

Examples include Artifact Hub, maintainer-hosted GitHub pages, or OCI-based registries.

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