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Chapter 51: Helm Charts for AI Services
You build the helm-chart skill first, then refine it through templating, testing, and distribution patterns so you can ship production-ready charts for your agents.
Goals
- Master Helm templating (Go templates, helpers, values)
- Design multi-environment charts with schema validation
- Compose dependencies and hooks for lifecycle control
- Test and lint charts before release
- Publish and consume charts from OCI registries
- Capture the patterns in a reusable Helm skill
Lesson Progression
| # | Lesson | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Build Your Helm Skill | Scaffold from official docs |
| 1 | Helm Introduction | Chart basics and what the skill generates |
| 2-4 | Templating Foundation | Templates, helpers, values hierarchy |
| 5-6 | Advanced Patterns | Dependencies, hooks, lifecycle |
| 7 | Testing Charts | Linting and template debugging |
| 8 | OCI Registries | Push/pull/install from OCI |
| 9 | Library Charts | Standardized building blocks |
| 10 | AI-Assisted Development | Use AI to author/refine charts |
| 11 | Capstone: Production Chart | Ship a production-ready chart |
Each lesson ends with a skill reflection: test, find gaps, and improve the skill.
Outcome & Method
You finish with a production Helm chart for your Kubernetes-deployed agent plus a refined Helm skill. The chapter follows the 4-Layer method: foundational templating → advanced composition → AI-assisted authoring → spec-driven capstone.
Prerequisites
- Chapter 50 Kubernetes fundamentals (Pods, Deployments, Services, ConfigMaps, Secrets, RBAC, HPA)
- Working Docker Desktop Kubernetes cluster and kubectl access
- Create Library Charts: Organizational standards that enforce consistency
- Build Reusable Intelligence: A Helm Chart Architect skill for AI-native development
Looking Ahead
After mastering Helm, you'll use your charts in:
- Chapter 52 (Kafka): Event-driven architecture with Helm-deployed message brokers
- Chapter 55 (CI/CD): GitOps pipelines that automatically deploy your Helm charts
- Chapter 56 (Observability): Monitoring charts with Prometheus and Grafana dependencies