# Install helm with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, scoop, winget, zypper Kubernetes package manager. Version 4.2.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-17. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:helm ``` ## Agent safety answer helm manages Kubernetes release state and can deploy workloads into clusters. - **Credential access:** Uses kubeconfig, cluster tokens, chart repository credentials, and values files that may contain secrets. - **Remote mutation:** Can install, upgrade, rollback, or delete cluster releases. - **Publish/artifact risk:** Can package charts and deploy application artifacts to production clusters. - **Recommended control:** Gate helm install, upgrade, rollback, uninstall, and repo credential changes. - **Agent-use guidance:** Allow template/lint reads; require approval before any cluster mutation or chart publication. Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install helm ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install helm ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/helm/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - apk (92%): ```sh sudo apk add helm ``` Evidence: Alpine Linux edge package indexes: helm from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install elpa-helm ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: elpa-helm from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install helm ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: helm from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#helm ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/he/helm/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S helm ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: helm from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install helm ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: helm from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ### Windows - Scoop (92%): ```sh scoop install main/helm ``` Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/helm.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - winget (92%): ```sh winget install --id Helm.Helm -e ``` Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: Helm.Helm from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:helm - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 4.2.2 - **Source summary:** Kubernetes package manager - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** Apache-2.0 - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-17T22:19:51Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - helm (cli) - helm (alias) ## Build dependencies - go ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 4.2.2 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-17 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/helm/helm - info: No cached GitHub release or tag data was available. ## Project history and usage Helm is the Kubernetes package manager. Its documentation defines charts as Helm packages, repositories as places where charts are collected and shared, and releases as chart instances installed into a Kubernetes cluster. Helm is historically important because it brought package-manager ideas such as repositories, installable archives, dependency metadata, upgrades, rollbacks, and release history into Kubernetes application delivery. ### Project history The Helm project traces its first version to November 2015 at the first KubeCon. The Helm team describes Helm 1, also known as Helm Classic, as modeled on Homebrew and aimed at helping individual developers package Kubernetes resources and deploy them into clusters. In January 2016, Deis' Helm team joined forces with Google, Skippbox, and Bitnami to build a new version focused on teams and a growing Kubernetes user community. That work led to the Helm 2 architecture and the chart ecosystem that many Kubernetes users adopted. Helm joined the Cloud Native Computing Foundation in June 2018. Helm 3 reached its first stable release in November 2019, removing Tiller, refactoring the Go SDK for broader use, and changing internals while preserving the chart-centered workflow for users familiar with Helm 2. ### Adoption history Helm adoption tracked the growth of Kubernetes itself. Its docs describe chart repositories, `helm search`, `helm install`, `helm upgrade`, `helm rollback`, `helm get`, and `helm uninstall` as ordinary package operations for cluster workloads. The Helm 3 release post describes a large contributor base and thousands of community members maintaining charts through Helm Hub-era infrastructure. The chart discovery story later centered on Artifact Hub, which the Helm docs use for `helm search hub`. Package-manager adoption for the CLI is broad: the supplied metadata lists Homebrew, Alpine, Fedora, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Scoop, winget, and openSUSE packaging for the Kubernetes-oriented Helm CLI. ### How it is used Users add chart repositories, search for charts, install a chart as a named release, pass values with YAML files or `--set`, upgrade releases, inspect status and values, roll back revisions, and uninstall releases. Helm charts package Kubernetes resource definitions alongside metadata and default values. A chart can be installed many times into a cluster, producing separate releases with their own names and histories. Helm's local repository configuration is stored in `repositories.yaml` under the user's Helm config directory. Because repository entries can include credentials, that file is also treated as a credentials location in the curation data. ### Why package nerds care Helm is one of the clearest examples of package-manager culture crossing into infrastructure. It has packages, repositories, dependency declarations, install and upgrade verbs, versioned releases, rollback history, and a registry/discovery ecosystem, but the installed artifacts are Kubernetes resources rather than files under `/usr`. The Helm 2 to Helm 3 transition is also package-history material: removing Tiller reduced cluster-side moving parts and aligned Helm more closely with Kubernetes RBAC and client-side release management expectations. For maintainers, Helm created a new packaging discipline around chart metadata, values schema, generated documentation, provenance, OCI distribution, and chart repository layout. ### Timeline - 2015: Helm 1 released at the first KubeCon. - 2016: Deis, Google, Skippbox, and Bitnami collaborate on the next Helm generation. - 2018: Helm joins the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. - 2019: Helm 3.0.0 stable release published. - 2020: Helm celebrates CNCF graduation. - 2020s: Helm chart discovery and search workflows use Artifact Hub in official documentation. ### Related projects - Kubernetes is the deployment platform Helm packages target. - Homebrew inspired Helm Classic's package-manager model. - Deis, Google, Skippbox, and Bitnami are named in the Helm 3 history as early collaborators. - Artifact Hub is the chart discovery service used by `helm search hub`. - helm-docs and helm-ls are neighboring tools for chart documentation and editor assistance. ### Sources - - - - - - - ## Security Notes Kubernetes package manager. - **Geiger risk:** orange / high - Kubernetes package manager ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - macOS: ~/Library/Preferences/helm/repositories.yaml - Unix: ~/.config/helm/repositories.yaml ## Credential files - macOS: ~/Library/Preferences/helm/repositories.yaml - Unix: ~/.config/helm/repositories.yaml ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** helm - **Aliases:** helm@4 - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Head Version:** HEAD - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** head, stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - elpa-helm - 4.0.3-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: elpa-helm from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Emacs incremental completion and selection narrowing framework | https://emacs-helm.github.io/helm/ - Debian apt - elpa-helm-core - 4.0.3-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: elpa-helm-core from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Emacs Helm library files | https://emacs-helm.github.io/helm/ - Nix - helm: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/he/helm/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - elpa-helm - 3.8.4-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: elpa-helm from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Emacs incremental completion and selection narrowing framework | https://emacs-helm.github.io/helm/ - Ubuntu apt - elpa-helm-core - 3.8.4-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: elpa-helm-core from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Emacs Helm library files | https://emacs-helm.github.io/helm/ - apk - helm - 3.19.0-r7: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: helm from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | The Kubernetes Package Manager | https://helm.sh/ - apk - helm-bash-completion - 3.19.0-r7: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: helm-bash-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Bash completions for helm | https://helm.sh/ - apk - helm-fish-completion - 3.19.0-r7: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: helm-fish-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Fish completions for helm | https://helm.sh/ - apk - helm-zsh-completion - 3.19.0-r7: normalized package name match | Alpine Linux edge package indexes: helm-zsh-completion from https://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/edge/community/x86_64/APKINDEX.tar.gz | Zsh completions for helm | https://helm.sh/ - dnf - helm - 4.2.0-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: helm from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | The Kubernetes Package Manager | https://github.com/helm/helm - pacman - helm - 4.2.0-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: helm from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | The Kubernetes Package Manager | https://github.com/helm/helm - zypper - helm - 4.2.0-3.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: helm from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | The Kubernetes Package Manager | https://github.com/helm/helm - zypper - helm-bash-completion - 4.2.0-3.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: helm-bash-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Bash Completion for helm | https://github.com/helm/helm - zypper - helm-fish-completion - 4.2.0-3.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: helm-fish-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Fish Completion for helm | https://github.com/helm/helm - zypper - helm-zsh-completion - 4.2.0-3.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: helm-zsh-completion from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Zsh Completion for helm | https://github.com/helm/helm - zypper - helm3 - 3.21.0-2.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: helm3 from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | The Kubernetes Package Manager | https://github.com/helm/helm ## Related links - [Cloud CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/cloud-clis/) - Belongs to a cloud or infrastructure command family. - [Package publisher tools](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/package-publishers/) - Belongs to a package publishing or registry command family. - [Secret-risk packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/secret-risk-packages/) - Has protected-tool coverage, approval-gate, or non-low Geiger security signals. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [helmfile](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/helmfile/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [helmsman](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/helmsman/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [reckoner](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/reckoner/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [testkube](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/testkube/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [vcluster](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/vcluster/) - Popular package that depends on this formula. - [glasskube](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/glasskube/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes, package-management, package-manager. - [nelm](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/nelm/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, deployment, helm-charts, kubernetes. - [yoke](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/yoke/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, kubernetes, package-management. - [devspace](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/devspace/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, devops, kubernetes. - [havener](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/havener/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, devops, kubernetes. - [kbld](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/kbld/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, cloud-infrastructure, devops, kubernetes. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/helm.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/helm.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph - curated agent safety answer