How to Install Helm on Ubuntu, Mac and Windows

Introduction

Deploying applications to Kubernetes is a complicated process. Many tools simplify this process, and one of them is Helm.

Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes that configures and deploys applications and services on a Kubernetes cluster. It uses Helm charts to simplify the development and deployment process.

In this step-by-step tutorial, you will learn how to install Helm on Ubuntu, Mac, or Windows.

Prerequisites

• A system running Ubuntu, Windows, or Mac
• Access to a command line/terminal
• A Kubernetes cluster installed and configured

How to Install Helm

Helm supports installations on Ubuntu, Mac, and Windows. Before installing Helm on any operating system, it is necessary to set up a Kubernetes cluster.

Installing Helm on Ubuntu

To install Helm on Ubuntu:

1. Download the latest version of Helm using the following command:

wget https://get.helm.sh/helm-v3.4.1-linux-amd64.tar.gz

The terminal prints out a confirmation message when the download completes.

2. Next, unpack the Helm file using the Linux tar command:

tar xvf helm-v3.4.1-linux-amd64.tar.gz

The output displays four unpacked files.

3. Move the linux-amd64/helm file to the /usr/local/bin directory:

sudo mv linux-amd64/helm /usr/local/bin

There will be no output if the command was executed correctly.

4. Remove the downloaded file using the command:

rm helm-v3.4.1-linux-amd64.tar.gz

5. Remove the linux-amd64 directory to clean up space by running:

rm -rf linux-amd64

There is no output if the process completes successfully.

6. Finally, verify you have successfully installed Helm by checking the version of the software:

helm version

The terminal prints out the version number of the software, as well as the release numbers of GitCommit, GitTreeState, and GoVersion.

Installing Helm on Mac

To install Helm on Mac:

1. Open the terminal app and install Homebrew (package manager for Mac) by entering the following command:

ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL 
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

2. Follow the instructions in the terminal to complete the installation.
3. Next, verify the completion of the installation process by checking the Homebrew version:

brew –version

4. Install Helm using the following command:

brew install kubernetes-helm

5. Install Helm server on Kubernetes cluster by running:

helm init

The terminal prints out the “Happy Helming!” confirmation message when the installation process completes.

Installing Helm on Windows

To download Helm on Windows:

1. Follow the link below to download the latest Helm version.
https://github.com/helm/helm/releases

2. Locate the Windows amd64 download link from the Installation platform list and click on it to download.

3. Next, extract the windows-amd64 zip to the preferred location.

4. Open the command line window and enter the helm command to verify that you have access to Helm.
5. Next, initialize Helm by entering the following command:

helm init

The output displays the “Happy Helming!” confirmation message when the initialization process is complete.

Conclusion

After following this step-by-step tutorial, you should have successfully installed Helm on Ubuntu, Mac, or Windows.

Helm is a tool that simplifies the complexity of Kubernetes, and it is an excellent start for beginners. Next, we recommend our articles on How to Create Helm Charts or How To Use Environment Variables With Helm Charts.