helm / helm

# Helm
Helm is a tool for managing Charts. Charts are packages of pre-configured Kubernetes resources.
Use Helm to:
- Find and use popular software packaged as Helm Charts to run in Kubernetes
- Share your own applications as Helm Charts
- Create reproducible builds of your Kubernetes applications
- Intelligently manage your Kubernetes manifest files
- Manage releases of Helm packages
## Helm in a Handbasket
Helm is a tool that streamlines installing and managing Kubernetes applications.
Think of it like apt/yum/homebrew for Kubernetes.
- Helm renders your templates and communicates with the Kubernetes API
- Helm runs on your laptop, CI/CD, or wherever you want it to run.
- Charts are Helm packages that contain at least two things:
 - A description of the package (`Chart.yaml`)
 - One or more templates, which contain Kubernetes manifest files
- Charts can be stored on disk, or fetched from remote chart repositories
 (like Debian or RedHat packages)
## Helm Development and Stable Versions
Helm v4 is the current stable release, developed on the `main` branch.
Helm v3 is in support mode on the `dev-v3` branch: bug fixes until July 8th 2026, security fixes until November 11th 2026.
## Install
Binary downloads of the Helm client can be found on the Releases page.
Unpack the `helm` binary and add it to your PATH and you are good to go!
If you want to use a package manager:
- Homebrew users can use `brew install helm`.
- Chocolatey users can use `choco install kubernetes-helm`.
- Winget users can use `winget install Helm.Helm`.
- Scoop users can use `scoop install helm`.
- Snapcraft users can use `snap install helm --classic`.
- Flox users can use `flox install kubernetes-helm`.
- Mise-en-place users can use `mise use -g helm@latest`
To rapidly get Helm up and running, start with the Quick Start Guide.
See the installation guide for more options,
including installing pre-releases.
## Docs
Get started with the Quick Start guide or plunge into the complete documentation.
## Roadmap
The Helm roadmap uses GitHub milestones to track the progress of the project.
Helm v4 development happens on the `main` branch. Helm v3 is in support mode on the `dev-v3` branch and receives only bug and security fixes.
## Community, discussion, contribution, and support
You can reach the Helm community and developers via the following channels:
- Kubernetes Slack:
 - #helm-users
 - #helm-dev
 - #charts
- Mailing List:
 - Helm Mailing List
- Developer Call: Thursdays at 9:30-10:00 Pacific (meeting details)
### Contribution
If you're interested in contributing, please refer to the Contributing Guide **before submitting a pull request**.
### Code of conduct
Participation in the Helm community is governed by the Code of Conduct.