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Helm Chart Export

Export your app as a standard Helm chart for integration with existing Helm workflows.

Export

helm-me chart export deploy.yaml /tmp/my-chart

helm-me chart export deploy.py /tmp/my-chart

chart export output

What Gets Generated

The export creates a valid Helm chart structure:

my-chart/
├── Chart.yaml (auto-generated metadata)
├── values.yaml (empty, as the chart is fully rendered)
├── values.yaml
└── templates/
    ├── deployment-backend.yaml
    ├── service-backend.yaml
    ├── deployment-frontend.yaml
    ├── service-frontend.yaml
    └── ingress.yaml

Overwrite an Existing Export

helm-me chart export deploy.yaml /tmp/my-chart --overwrite

helm-me chart export deploy.py /tmp/my-chart --overwrite

Use with Helm

Once exported, you can use standard Helm commands:

helm install my-app /tmp/my-chart --namespace production
helm upgrade my-app /tmp/my-chart --namespace production
helm template my-app /tmp/my-chart

Limitations

The exported chart is a snapshot of your helm-me spec at export time.

  • No values.yaml parameterization: The manifests are "hardcoded" with the values you had in your spec or env vars.
  • No conditionals: Helm if/else templating is not used.

When to Export

Use chart export when: - You are handing off a prototype to a DevOps team that exclusively uses Helm or ArgoCD/Flux. - You need to publish the app to a Helm repository for third-party consumption. - You've outgrown helm-me and want to transition to fully maintaining a Helm chart yourself.