Course 3 of 7 · The deployment/infra track

Helm, from newcomer to interview-ready

How this repo turns one template into ~106 charts of Kubernetes objects — per environment, per customer.

Course 2 taught the Kubernetes objects and kept repeating one thing: this repo doesn't hand-write them — it generates them from Helm templates. This is where that promise pays off. Helm is the single biggest topic in the whole deployment domain: ~106 charts, all built on one shared library chart, layered across the env×org matrix. Three parts, built one at a time. Lessons are short — one win each. Read them in order.

How to use this Do one lesson, take its quiz from memory (no peeking), then skim the matching row of the cheat sheet. Come back a day later and re-take it — spacing beats cramming. Your eighth course; you know the rhythm. Stuck? Ask me — I'm your teacher, not just the author.

Part 1 — Helm fundamentals available now

The vocabulary and the templating engine everything else builds on.

1 · What Helm is & why

The package manager + templating engine for K8s — chart, release, values.

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2 · Chart anatomy

Chart.yaml, templates/, values.yaml, _helpers.tpl.

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3 · Templates & the Go engine

.Values, built-in objects, functions/pipelines, include/tpl.

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4 · Values & overrides

Precedence (values.yaml → -f → --set) + env×org layering.

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Part 2 — This repo's library-chart architecture available now

The clever bit: one library chart generates almost every object in the repo.

5 · Named templates & helpers

define/include, the fullname/labels pattern, util.*.

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6 · Library charts & the copy model

type: library, libs/util, update_deps.sh vs subcharts.

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7 · Hooks & lifecycle

pre/post install-upgrade, the DB-migration hook, weights & delete-policy.

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8 · Releases & Skaffold

install/upgrade vs template; how Skaffold drives Helm (Course 1's render).

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Part 3 — Secrets, scale & operations available now

The production concerns: encrypted values, 106 charts, and safe upgrades.

9 · SOPS secrets in Helm

Encrypted values → decrypt → KMS/Workload Identity; keeping secrets out of git.

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10 · Values at scale

~106 charts, the env×org matrix, global values, staying DRY via the library.

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11 · Upgrade, rollback & releases

helm upgrade/rollback/history; atomic; drift.

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12 · Chart quality

lint, template/dry-run, versioning, and the drift-check pattern.

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Reference shelf

Cheat sheet

Dense revision sheet + helm commands + interview one-liners.

Glossary

The canonical vocabulary, opinionated.

Repo Helm map

Ground truth: the library chart, service charts, values, SOPS.

Resources

helm.sh docs, helm-secrets/SOPS, the cert.
All 12 lessons are built — the Helm course is complete. From fundamentals through this repo's library-chart architecture to secrets/scale/operations, you now know exactly how the codebase turns one library chart into ~106 charts of Kubernetes objects. Next: Course 4 (Istio), also Helm-deployed. Or — nine courses' worth of lessons, still no retention check — ask me to run a mock interview and I'll record where you're solid.