macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install nelmlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install nelm with Homebrew, Nix, zypper
Kubernetes deployment tool that manages and deploys Helm Charts. Version 1.25.2 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-23.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#nelmnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/ne/nelm/package.nix · source: api.github.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install nelmopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · nelm · source: download.opensuse.org
overview
Package summary
Kubernetes deployment tool that manages and deploys Helm Charts
Project links
Commands and aliases
- nelm
history
Project history and usage
Nelm is werf's Helm-compatible Kubernetes deployment engine and standalone CLI. It manages Helm charts and releases while adding features such as Server-Side Apply, plan-like previews, improved CRD handling, secrets management, resource ordering, and more detailed deployment tracking.
Project history
The Nelm repository was created on 2023-12-29. The werf team had already introduced the new deployment engine experimentally in werf v1.2.234 on 2023-05-25, then named it Nelm in a 2024-01-30 update and said they planned to make it available as a standalone CLI.
The werf blog says the separate Nelm project began at the end of December 2023 because some users wanted the deployment part of werf without image building and cleanup. The same post says Nelm 1.0 made that Helm-chart-compatible deployment engine available as an open-source CLI.
Adoption history
Nelm's adoption story is anchored in werf. On 2024-04-29, werf announced v2.0 with Nelm as the default and only deployment engine, while maintaining backward compatibility with Helm charts so users generally did not need to change charts to keep deploying.
The Nelm README says it is production-ready because, as werf's deployment engine, it had been battle-tested across thousands of projects for years. The GitHub API showed 1,089 stars and 28 forks on 2026-07-01, and Homebrew showed 680 installs over 365 days, 91 over 90 days, and 59 over 30 days when checked the same day.
How it is used
Users install `nelm` to deploy local Helm-compatible charts to Kubernetes, especially when they want Helm chart compatibility plus stronger deployment behavior: Server-Side Apply, resource plan output, CRD upgrade handling, secret support, resource readiness tracking, and detailed logs/events during deployment.
Package nerds evaluate Nelm as a Helm alternative rather than a chart format replacement. A practical migration path is attractive because it preserves Helm charts and releases while swapping the deployment engine underneath, similar to how werf v2 moved its users onto Nelm by default.
Why package nerds care
Nelm is significant because it is a rare attempt to improve Helm deployment semantics while staying compatible with Helm charts and releases. For Kubernetes packaging people, that places it in the high-friction zone between ubiquitous Helm chart packaging and the operational needs of safer, more observable deploys.
Timeline
- 2023-05-25: werf announced an experimental new deployment engine in v1.2.234.
- 2023-12-29: Public Nelm GitHub repository created.
- 2024-01-30: werf maintainers identified the new engine's official name as Nelm and planned a standalone CLI.
- 2024-04-29: werf v2.0 made Nelm the default and only deployment engine.
- 2025-08-12: Nelm maintainers summarized features added across v1.1.0 through v1.11.0.
- 2026-07-01: Homebrew formula stable version observed as 1.25.2.
Related projects
- werf
- Helm
- Kubernetes
- Server-Side Apply
Sources
- https://api.github.com/repos/werf/nelm
- https://blog.werf.io/nelm-cli-helm-compatible-alternative-5648b191f0af
- https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/nelm
- https://github.com/werf/nelm
- https://github.com/werf/nelm/discussions/397
- https://github.com/werf/werf/discussions/5657
- https://github.com/werf/werf/discussions/6100
security posture
Risk level: orange
infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal
Signals
- text:kubernetes
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
nelm | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.25.2
manager updated2026-06-23
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detectedv1.25.2
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:nelm |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.25.2 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/nelm |
| Homepage | https://github.com/werf/nelm |
| Repository | https://github.com/werf/nelm |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/werf/nelm#readme |
| License | Apache-2.0 |
| Source archive | https://github.com/werf/nelm/archive/refs/tags/v1.25.2.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-23T12:54:13Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Build dependencies | go |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | nelm |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Nix95%
nelm
nix profile install nixpkgs#nelm- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nelm
zypper95%
nelm 1.23.2-1.1
Helm 3 alternative
sudo zypper install nelm- License: Apache-2.0
- Category: Unspecified
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: nelm
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nelm
zypper95%
nelm-bash-completion 1.23.2-1.1
Bash Completion for nelm
sudo zypper install nelm-bash-completion- License: Apache-2.0
- Category: System/Shells
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: nelm
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nelm
zypper95%
nelm-fish-completion 1.23.2-1.1
Fish Completion for nelm
sudo zypper install nelm-fish-completion- License: Apache-2.0
- Category: System/Shells
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: nelm
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nelm
zypper95%
nelm-zsh-completion 1.23.2-1.1
Zsh Completion for nelm
sudo zypper install nelm-zsh-completion- License: Apache-2.0
- Category: System/Shells
- Architecture: noarch
- Source Package: nelm
- 2 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Nelm
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment