Skip to main content

Provider-Helm Usage Guide

Overview​

Provider-helm enables Crossplane to deploy Helm charts as managed resources. Think of it as the supplier that provides pre-packaged ingredients (Helm charts) like Bitnami PostgreSQL, Redis, or any other Helm chart.

Best Practice: Use function-go-templating for new compositions instead of function-patch-and-transform. Go templating is more modern, provides better flexibility with conditionals and loops, and makes compositions easier to read and maintain.

Installation​

Provider-helm is automatically installed by our setup script:

./scripts/setup-cluster.sh

Basic Usage Pattern​

1. Create a Release Resource​

apiVersion: helm.crossplane.io/v1beta1
kind: Release
metadata:
  name: my-postgresql
spec:
  forProvider:
    chart:
      name: postgresql
      repository: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
      version: "13.2.24"
    namespace: databases
    values:
      auth:
        database: myapp
        username: myuser
  providerConfigRef:
    name: helm-provider

2. Use in a Composition (Modern Go Templating)​

apiVersion: apiextensions.crossplane.io/v2
kind: Composition
metadata:
  name: database-helm
spec:
  compositeTypeRef:
    apiVersion: platform.io/v1alpha1
    kind: XDatabase
  mode: Pipeline
  pipeline:
    - step: deploy-postgresql
      functionRef:
        name: function-go-templating
      input:
        apiVersion: gotemplating.crossplane.io/v1beta1
        kind: GoTemplate
        source: Inline
        inline:
          template: |
            apiVersion: helm.crossplane.io/v1beta1
            kind: Release
            metadata:
              name: {{ .observed.composite.resource.metadata.name }}-postgresql
              annotations:
                crossplane.io/external-name: {{ .observed.composite.resource.metadata.name }}-postgresql
            spec:
              forProvider:
                chart:
                  name: postgresql
                  repository: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
                  version: "13.2.24"
                namespace: {{ .observed.composite.resource.spec.namespace | default "databases" }}
                values:
                  auth:
                    database: {{ .observed.composite.resource.spec.databaseName }}
                    username: {{ .observed.composite.resource.spec.username | default "dbuser" }}
                  primary:
                    persistence:
                      enabled: true
                      size: {{ .observed.composite.resource.spec.size | default "10Gi" }}
                  metrics:
                    enabled: {{ .observed.composite.resource.spec.monitoring | default false }}
              providerConfigRef:
                name: helm-provider
    - step: auto-ready
      functionRef:
        name: function-auto-ready

Common Helm Charts​

Bitnami PostgreSQL​

chart:
  name: postgresql
  repository: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami

Redis​

chart:
  name: redis
  repository: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami

NGINX​

chart:
  name: nginx
  repository: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami

Testing Provider-Helm​

Simple Test Deployment​

# Create a test namespace
kubectl create namespace helm-test

# Deploy a simple nginx chart
kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: helm.crossplane.io/v1beta1
kind: Release
metadata:
  name: test-nginx
spec:
  forProvider:
    chart:
      name: nginx
      repository: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
      version: "15.14.0"
    namespace: helm-test
    values:
      service:
        type: ClusterIP
  providerConfigRef:
    name: helm-provider
EOF

# Check the release
kubectl get releases.helm.crossplane.io
kubectl get pods -n helm-test

# Clean up
kubectl delete release test-nginx
kubectl delete namespace helm-test

Troubleshooting​

Check Provider Status​

kubectl get providers.pkg.crossplane.io provider-helm
kubectl describe providerconfig.helm.crossplane.io helm-provider

View Provider Logs​

kubectl logs -l pkg.crossplane.io/provider=provider-helm -n crossplane-system

Common Issues​

  1. Release Stuck in Creating: Check namespace exists and chart values are valid
  2. Authentication Errors: Verify ProviderConfig uses correct credentials
  3. Chart Not Found: Ensure repository URL is correct and accessible

Restaurant Analogy​

  • Supplier = Provider-helm
  • Pre-packaged Ingredients = Helm charts (PostgreSQL, Redis, etc.)
  • Delivery Instructions = Release resource with values
  • Kitchen = Composition that uses the Release
  • Final Dish = Deployed application with all dependencies