Helm is the package manager for Kubernetes. It uses charts — pre-configured Kubernetes application packages — to simplify deploying complex applications. Helm 3 removed Tiller, making it more secure and easier to use. This guide installs Helm on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and demonstrates common workflows.

Tested and valid on:

  • Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

Prerequisites

  • Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with kubectl configured and a running Kubernetes cluster
  • A user with sudo privileges

Step 1 – Install Helm via Script

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

Step 2 – Install via Package Manager (alternative)

curl https://baltocdn.com/helm/signing.asc | gpg --dearmor | 
  sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/helm.gpg > /dev/null
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/helm.gpg] 
  https://baltocdn.com/helm/stable/debian/ all main" | 
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/helm-stable-debian.list
sudo apt update && sudo apt install helm -y

Step 3 – Add Helm Repositories

helm repo add stable https://charts.helm.sh/stable
helm repo add bitnami https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
helm repo update

Step 4 – Search for Charts

helm search repo nginx
helm search hub wordpress

Step 5 – Install a Chart

helm install my-nginx bitnami/nginx
kubectl get pods

Step 6 – Customise a Chart

helm show values bitnami/nginx > nginx-values.yaml
nano nginx-values.yaml  # edit as needed
helm install my-nginx bitnami/nginx -f nginx-values.yaml

Step 7 – Upgrade, Rollback, and Uninstall

helm upgrade my-nginx bitnami/nginx --set replicaCount=2
helm history my-nginx
helm rollback my-nginx 1
helm uninstall my-nginx

Conclusion

Helm is installed on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. Use it to deploy community charts for databases, monitoring, and ingress controllers, or create your own custom charts for internal applications.