Helm Chart Generator

Scaffold a Helm chart without running helm create and deleting the boilerplate you do not want. Enter a chart name, image, port, and replica count, and the tool writes a clean Chart.yaml, a values.yaml, and templated deployment.yaml and service.yaml that read from those values — with an optional Ingress. Copy each file into the standard chart layout. Generated entirely in your browser.

Chart files

Each file is separated by a # ===== path ===== banner. Create a directory named after the chart, then place Chart.yaml and values.yaml at its root and the template files under templates/.

How to use the Helm Chart Generator

Fill in the chart name, the image and tag to deploy, the container port, and how many replicas you want. Choose the Service type — ClusterIP for internal access, NodePort or LoadBalancer to expose it — and tick Ingress if you want an HTTP route with a hostname. The output is several files separated by banner comments; create the chart directory and drop each file at the path shown in its banner.

Everything configurable lives in values.yaml, and the templates reference it with {{ .Values.* }}, so once the chart exists you change the image, replica count, or resources by editing values or passing --set on the command line — no template edits needed. Install with helm install myapp ./myapp and upgrade with helm upgrade. Review the resource requests and probes against your app before shipping to a real cluster.

How a Helm chart is structured

Helm is the package manager for Kubernetes, and a chart is its unit of packaging — a directory of templated manifests plus metadata that together describe an application. Rather than maintaining a pile of raw YAML with values copy-pasted across files, a chart parameterises everything through a single values.yaml, so the same chart deploys to dev, staging, and production with only the values changing.

A minimal chart has three parts. Chart.yaml holds metadata: the chart name, its own version, and the appVersion of the software it deploys. values.yaml holds the default configuration — image, tag, replica count, ports, resources. The templates/ directory holds Kubernetes manifests written as Go templates, where placeholders like {{ .Values.image.repository }} are filled in from values at install time. Helm renders the templates, sends the result to the cluster, and tracks it as a named release you can upgrade or roll back atomically.

This generator produces a deliberately small, readable chart rather than the large scaffold helm create emits. You get a Deployment that runs your image with the replica count and resources from values, a Service that exposes it, and an optional Ingress for external HTTP — each wired to values.yaml so the chart is immediately reusable. It is a clean starting point you can extend with config maps, secrets, autoscaling, or a service account as your application grows.

Common use cases

  • New charts. Start with a minimal, readable chart instead of trimming the helm create scaffold.
  • Learning Helm. See exactly how templates reference values without extra boilerplate.
  • Internal services. Package a simple stateless app for repeatable installs across environments.
  • Chart skeletons. Generate a base to extend with config, secrets, and autoscaling.

Frequently asked questions

How is a chart different from raw Kubernetes YAML?
Raw YAML is static; a Helm chart is templated. Values live in values.yaml and the manifests reference them, so one chart deploys to many environments by changing values rather than editing every file. Helm also tracks each install as a release you can upgrade or roll back atomically.

What is the difference between version and appVersion?
In Chart.yaml, version is the version of the chart itself — bump it whenever you change the templates or values. appVersion is the version of the application the chart deploys, typically matching your image tag. They move independently.

How do I install the generated chart?
Save the files into a directory named after the chart (Chart.yaml and values.yaml at the root, templates under templates/), then run helm install myapp ./myapp from the parent directory. Use helm upgrade to apply changes and helm rollback to revert.

Should I add resource requests and limits?
Yes for any real cluster. The generated values include requests and limits so the scheduler can place pods sensibly and protect nodes from a runaway container. Tune the numbers to your app; the defaults are conservative starting points, not measured values.

Can I change values without editing templates?
That is the point of Helm. Edit values.yaml or pass --set image.tag=1.28 on the command line at install or upgrade time. The templates read every configurable field from .Values, so you rarely touch them after the chart is created.