Deploy Helm Charts Using Helmfile on a Kubernetes Cluster: A Step-by-Step Guide

What is Helmfile & Why Use It?
Helmfile is a declarative spec for deploying Helm charts. Think of it as docker-compose for Helm. It lets you manage multiple Helm charts across environments using a single YAML file.
Helmfile is especially useful in GitOps workflows and CI/CD pipelines. It helps eliminate Helm command repetition, enables better configuration management, and improves consistency across clusters.
Benefits:
Declarative chart deployments
Environment-specific values
Secrets support with SOPS
Simplifies multi-chart orchestration

Great for automation and GitOps

Example:

releases:
  – name: my-nginx
    namespace: web
    chart: bitnami/nginx
    version: 13.2.18

2. Installing Helmfile

Install Helm:

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/helm/helm/main/scripts/get-helm-3 | bash

Install Helmfile:

#curl -LO https://github.com/roboll/helmfile/releases/download/v0.135.0/#helmfile_linux_amd64
#mv helmfile_linux_amd64 helmfile
#chmod 777 helmfile

Verify Installation:

helmfile --version

3. Anatomy of helmfile.yaml

repositories:
  - name: bitnami
    url: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami

releases:
  - name: redis
    namespace: cache
    chart: bitnami/redis
    version: 17.1.3
    values:
      - redis-values.yaml

Key Elements:

• repositories: Helm chart sources
• releases: Charts to deploy
• values: External value files

4. Managing Environments

environments:
  dev:
    values:
      - values/dev.yaml
  prod:
    values:
      - values/prod.yaml

Run with:

helmfile -e dev apply

5. Helmfile + Helm Secrets (with SOPS)

Encrypt secrets:

sops -e values/secrets.yaml > values/secrets.enc.yaml

Use in helmfile.yaml:

secrets:
  - values/secrets.enc.yaml

Apply securely:

helmfile --secret apply

6. Deploying Multiple Charts

releases:
  - name: frontend
    chart: ./charts/frontend
    namespace: app

  - name: backend
    chart: ./charts/backend
    namespace: app

  - name: db
    chart: bitnami/postgresql
    namespace: db

Apply all:

helmfile apply

7. Using Multiple Helmfiles

Folder structure:

helmfile.d/
  00-init.yaml
  10-db.yaml
  20-app.yaml

Apply with:

helmfile -f helmfile.d/ apply

8. Debugging & Dry Run

helmfile diff # Show changes between current and target state
helmfile template # View the Kubernetes manifests that will be generated
helmfile lint # Lint all defined Helm charts
helmfile apply –debug # Apply with verbose output
helmfile sync # Apply changes only if they are different (like apply, but smarter)
helmfile test # Run Helm tests defined in your charts
helmfile status # Show the release status of all charts
helmfile destroy # Uninstall all releases defined in the file

9. CI/CD Integration

GitHub Actions Example:

- name: Deploy via Helmfile
  run: |
   helmfile -e prod apply Use GitHub Secrets or SOPS for secure key handling.