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Lab 10.2 - Customization with values.yaml

Lab Objectives​

By the end of this lab, you will be able to:

  • Understand the values.yaml file.
  • Customize a Chart with custom values.
  • Use --set and --values.
  • View the default values of a Chart.

Estimated Duration​

45-60 minutes

Prerequisites​

  • Helm installed and configured.
  • Functional local Kubernetes cluster.
  • Knowledge of Helm Charts (Chapter 10.2).

Part 1: Examine Default Values​

Step 1.1: View Chart Values​

Examine the default values of the NGINX Chart:

helm show values bitnami/nginx > nginx-default-values.yaml
cat nginx-default-values.yaml

Part 2: Customization with --set​

Step 2.1: Install with --set​

Install NGINX with custom values:

helm install my-nginx-custom bitnami/nginx \
  --set service.type=NodePort \
  --set service.nodePorts.http=30080 \
  --set replicaCount=3

Verify:

kubectl get svc my-nginx-custom
kubectl get deployment my-nginx-custom

Part 3: Customization with values.yaml​

Step 3.1: Create a values.yaml File​

Create my-nginx-values.yaml:

replicaCount: 2

service:
  type: LoadBalancer
  port: 80

resources:
  requests:
    cpu: 100m
    memory: 128Mi
  limits:
    cpu: 200m
    memory: 256Mi

Step 3.2: Install with --values​

Install with the values file:

helm install my-nginx-values bitnami/nginx -f my-nginx-values.yaml

Verify the applied values:

helm get values my-nginx-values

Part 4: Combining --set and --values​

You can combine both:

helm install my-nginx-combined bitnami/nginx \
  -f my-nginx-values.yaml \
  --set replicaCount=4

The values from --set take precedence over the file.

Part 5: Update with New Values​

Step 5.1: Modify Values​

Modify my-nginx-values.yaml:

replicaCount: 5

Step 5.2: Update the Release​

helm upgrade my-nginx-values bitnami/nginx -f my-nginx-values.yaml

Verify:

kubectl get deployment my-nginx-values

Part 6: Cleanup​

helm uninstall my-nginx-custom my-nginx-values my-nginx-combined

Lab Summary​

In this lab, you customized Helm Charts with values.yaml files and --set options. You learned to examine default values and apply your own configurations.

Next Steps​

The next lab will show you how to create your own Helm Chart.

Lab 10.3: Creating a Custom Chart

Lab created on: December 2024