what is a helm chart

A Helm chart is a package that contains all the necessary resources to deploy an application to a Kubernetes cluster. It is a collection of files that describe a related set of Kubernetes resources, which can be used to deploy something simple, like a memcached pod, or something complex, like a full web app stack with HTTP servers, databases, caches, and so on. Charts are created as files laid out in a particular directory tree and can be packaged into versioned archives to be deployed. Helm provides a way to automate the creation, packaging, configuration, and deployment of Kubernetes applications by combining configuration files into a single reusable package. Helm charts help define, install, and upgrade even the most complex Kubernetes application, and they are easy to create, version, share, and publish. Charts describe even the most complex apps, provide repeatable application installation, and serve as a single point of authority. Helm allows you to add variables and use functions inside your template files, making it perfect for scalable applications thatll require different configurations for different environments.