Helm Chart Values Generator

values.yaml is Helm's configuration file. It provides default values for your chart's templates. Users can override values with --set flags or by providing their own values.yaml. Templates reference values using {{ .Values.key }} syntax. The values.yaml you ship with a chart should represent safe, sensible defaults.

Using image.tag (like 'v1.2.3') is convenient but mutable — the same tag can be updated to point to a different image layer. Using image.digest (like 'sha256:abc...') pins to a specific immutable image. For production, digest pinning prevents supply chain attacks where an image tag is silently replaced.

Never store secrets in values.yaml or commit them to source control. Options: (1) helm-secrets plugin with SOPS encryption, (2) External Secrets Operator (syncs from AWS Secrets Manager, Vault, etc.), (3) Kubernetes Secrets created separately and referenced by secretRef in your deployment, (4) Vault Agent injector.

Helm chart tests are Kubernetes pods with annotation helm.sh/hook: test. They run after helm install/upgrade and exit 0 on success. Used to verify the deployment is healthy: check if the app responds to HTTP, database is reachable, etc. Run with: helm test <release-name>.