Helm Values, Upgrades, and Rollbacks
Override chart values, understand values precedence, and manage release upgrades and rollbacks safely with Helm.
Default values.yaml
Most charts ship with a values.yaml file containing default settings.
Override with --set
helm install myapp ./mychart --set image.tag=1.2.3
Override with a Custom Values File
helm install myapp ./mychart -f custom-values.yaml
Values Hierarchy
A common mental model is:
- chart defaults in
values.yaml - values file overrides with
-f - command-line overrides with
--set
Upgrade or Install
helm upgrade --install myapp ./mychart
This is popular in automation because it works whether the release already exists or not.
Upgrade a Release
helm upgrade myapp ./mychart -f custom-values.yaml --atomic
Why --atomic Helps
If the upgrade fails, Helm rolls back automatically, reducing half-complete deployments.
Upgrade vs Reinstall
An upgrade preserves release history and intent. Reinstalling from scratch can be more disruptive and loses that continuity.
Roll Back a Release
helm rollback myapp 1
Why Values Matter
Values let one chart serve many environments without duplicating templates.
Exercise
Precedence
Which override method typically has higher precedence than chart defaults?
Exercise
Atomic Benefit
What is the benefit of `helm upgrade --atomic`?