@stacksolo/plugin-helm

Helm chart generator plugin for StackSolo. Transforms Kubernetes resource definitions into production-ready Helm charts with templatized values, enabling multi-environment deployments and GitOps workflows.

Features

• Automatic Helm Chart Generation - Converts StackSolo K8s resources to complete Helm charts
• Templatized Values - All configurable values extracted to values.yaml
• Multi-Deployment Support - Single chart manages multiple deployments with individual configurations
• Environment Flexibility - Use values files for dev, staging, and production environments
• Standard Helm Patterns - Follows Helm best practices with _helpers.tpl and proper labeling

Installation

The plugin is included with StackSolo by default. If installing separately:

npm install @stacksolo/plugin-helm

Usage

Generate a Helm Chart

# Preview the generated chart
stacksolo deploy --helm --preview

# Generate and deploy via Helm
stacksolo deploy --helm

Project Configuration

Add Helm-specific settings in your stacksolo.config.json:

{
  "project": {
    "name": "my-app",
    "backend": "kubernetes",
    "plugins": ["@stacksolo/plugin-helm"],
    "kubernetes": {
      "registry": {
        "url": "gcr.io/my-project"
      },
      "helm": {
        "chartVersion": "1.0.0",
        "appVersion": "v1.2.3"
      }
    }
  }
}

Generated Chart Structure

.stacksolo/helm-chart/
├── Chart.yaml              # Chart metadata
├── values.yaml             # Default configuration values
└── templates/
    ├── _helpers.tpl        # Template helper functions
    ├── namespace.yaml      # Namespace resource
    ├── configmap.yaml      # ConfigMap for shared config
    ├── deployment.yaml     # Deployment resources (multi-deployment)
    ├── service.yaml        # Service resources
    └── ingress.yaml        # Ingress configuration

Multi-Environment Deployments

Create Environment-Specific Values Files

values-dev.yaml

replicaCount: 1

deployments:
  api:
    replicaCount: 1
    image:
      tag: "dev-latest"
    resources:
      limits:
        cpu: 250m
        memory: 256Mi

ingress:
  host: "api.dev.example.com"

values-staging.yaml

replicaCount: 2

deployments:
  api:
    replicaCount: 2
    image:
      tag: "staging-v1.2.0"
    resources:
      limits:
        cpu: 500m
        memory: 512Mi

ingress:
  host: "api.staging.example.com"

values-prod.yaml

replicaCount: 3

deployments:
  api:
    replicaCount: 3
    image:
      tag: "v1.2.0"
    resources:
      limits:
        cpu: 1000m
        memory: 1Gi

ingress:
  host: "api.example.com"
  annotations:
    kubernetes.io/ingress.class: "nginx"
    cert-manager.io/cluster-issuer: "letsencrypt-prod"

Deploy to Different Environments

# Development
helm install my-app .stacksolo/helm-chart \
  -f .stacksolo/helm-chart/values-dev.yaml \
  -n dev

# Staging
helm install my-app .stacksolo/helm-chart \
  -f .stacksolo/helm-chart/values-staging.yaml \
  -n staging

# Production
helm install my-app .stacksolo/helm-chart \
  -f .stacksolo/helm-chart/values-prod.yaml \
  -n production

Upgrade Deployments

# Update image tag in production
helm upgrade my-app .stacksolo/helm-chart \
  -f .stacksolo/helm-chart/values-prod.yaml \
  --set deployments.api.image.tag=v1.3.0 \
  -n production

Values Reference

Global Values

| Key | Type | Default | Description | |-----|------|---------|-------------| | replicaCount | int | 1 | Default replica count for all deployments | | image.pullPolicy | string | IfNotPresent | Image pull policy | | resources.limits.cpu | string | 500m | Default CPU limit | | resources.limits.memory | string | 512Mi | Default memory limit | | resources.requests.cpu | string | 100m | Default CPU request | | resources.requests.memory | string | 128Mi | Default memory request |

Ingress Configuration

| Key | Type | Default | Description | |-----|------|---------|-------------| | ingress.enabled | bool | true | Enable ingress resource | | ingress.className | string | nginx | Ingress class name | | ingress.host | string | - | Hostname for ingress | | ingress.annotations | object | {} | Ingress annotations | | ingress.routes | array | - | Path-based routing rules |

Per-Deployment Configuration

Each deployment under deployments.<name>:

| Key | Type | Default | Description | |-----|------|---------|-------------| | enabled | bool | true | Enable this deployment | | replicaCount | int | global | Replica count override | | image.repository | string | - | Container image repository | | image.tag | string | latest | Container image tag | | port | int | 8080 | Container port | | servicePort | int | 80 | Service port | | env | object | {} | Environment variables | | resources | object | global | Resource limits/requests override |

Advanced Usage

Custom Helm Commands

After generating the chart, use standard Helm commands:

# Dry run to see generated manifests
helm template my-app .stacksolo/helm-chart

# Install with custom values
helm install my-app .stacksolo/helm-chart \
  --set deployments.api.replicaCount=5 \
  --set ingress.host=myapp.example.com

# Check release status
helm status my-app -n my-namespace

# View release history
helm history my-app -n my-namespace

# Rollback to previous version
helm rollback my-app 1 -n my-namespace

# Uninstall release
helm uninstall my-app -n my-namespace

GitOps Integration

The generated Helm chart is compatible with GitOps tools:

ArgoCD Application

apiVersion: argoproj.io/v1alpha1
kind: Application
metadata:
  name: my-app
spec:
  source:
    repoURL: https://github.com/myorg/myrepo
    path: .stacksolo/helm-chart
    helm:
      valueFiles:
        - values-prod.yaml
  destination:
    server: https://kubernetes.default.svc
    namespace: production

Flux HelmRelease

apiVersion: helm.toolkit.fluxcd.io/v2beta1
kind: HelmRelease
metadata:
  name: my-app
spec:
  chart:
    spec:
      chart: .stacksolo/helm-chart
      sourceRef:
        kind: GitRepository
        name: my-repo
  values:
    deployments:
      api:
        image:
          tag: v1.2.0

Plugin Architecture

This plugin extends StackSolo's plugin system with the OutputFormatter capability:

import type { Plugin } from '@stacksolo/core';
import { helmFormatter } from './formatter';

export const plugin: Plugin = {
  name: '@stacksolo/plugin-helm',
  version: '0.1.0',
  outputFormatters: [helmFormatter],
};

The OutputFormatter interface:

interface OutputFormatter {
  id: string;           // 'helm'
  name: string;         // 'Helm Chart'
  description: string;
  generate: (options: OutputFormatterOptions) => GeneratedOutput[];
}

interface OutputFormatterOptions {
  projectName: string;
  resources: ResolvedResource[];
  config: Record<string, unknown>;
  outputDir: string;
}

interface GeneratedOutput {
  path: string;    // Relative path within chart
  content: string; // File content
}

Contributing

See the main StackSolo repository for contribution guidelines.

License

MIT - see LICENSE for details.