helm install: Install Charts in CI

Install a Helm chart into a cluster as a named release.

helm install renders a chart with your values and creates a release in the cluster. In CI it provisions a new application or dependency. For idempotent pipelines, helm upgrade --install is usually preferred, but install is the right call for a guaranteed first deploy.

Common flags

RELEASE CHART - release name and chart reference (positional)
-n NAMESPACE --create-namespace - target/create namespace
-f values.yaml / --set key=value - supply values
--wait --timeout=DURATION - block until resources are ready

Example in CI

Install a chart and wait for it to be ready.

shell

helm install api ./charts/api \
  -n prod --create-namespace \
  -f values.prod.yaml \
  --set image.tag=${GITHUB_SHA} \
  --wait --timeout 300s

Common errors in CI

cannot re-use a name that is still in use - release already exists (use upgrade --install)
INSTALLATION FAILED: ... timed out waiting for the condition - --wait hit unready resources
Error: Kubernetes cluster unreachable - kubeconfig/context not set

Key takeaways

Installs a chart as a new named release.
Use --wait to make install pass/fail on resource readiness.
For re-runnable pipelines prefer helm upgrade --install.