Kubernetes Operator vs Helm - Which One to Choose ?

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🧠 Use Case

• Kubernetes Operator vs Helm - Which One to Choose?

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🧠 USE CASE

Kubernetes Operator vs Helm - Which One to Choose?

Kubernetes Operators and Helm charts often seem like interchangeable for application deployment, but they serve distinct purposes.

While Helm focuses on templated app installation, Operators enable more sophisticated, lifecycle-aware management.

What is a Kubernetes Operator?

In Kubernetes, an operator is an automated way to manage complex applications using custom resources.

It combines two key components:

• Controller: A controller continuously monitors the state of resources and ensures the actual state matches the desired configuration. When something changes or fails, the controller works to bring things back into alignment.

• Custom Resources (CRs): These are user-defined extensions to the Kubernetes API, allowing new functionality not provided by default. Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) let you define new resources to represent your app's needs.

Together, operators use CRDs and controllers to deploy and manage apps in Kubernetes clusters.

Let’s take a simple example Use Case: PostgreSQL Database Operator

Imagine setting up a highly available PostgreSQL database.

With an Operator, you can automate scaling, backup, and failover with just a few configuration settings, without manually configuring these tasks every time.

Check out OperatorHub for awesome and complex Kubernetes operator examples.

What is a Helm Chart?

A Helm chart is a package format that bundles Kubernetes resources to deploy applications in a repeatable manner.

It provides all necessary configurations, dependencies, and templates for setting up applications in a Kubernetes cluster, acting as a blueprint for reusable, customizable deployments.

Helm Chart Structure:

Bitnami GitHub repo is a good source of Helm chart examples.

Example of a Chart Dependency:

Helm Chart Workflow:

1. Prepare a values.yaml with default configuration or custom values.

2. Run helm install to deploy the chart, which renders the templates with values and creates Kubernetes resources.

3. Post-install: NOTES.txt displays useful info, and values can be easily overridden for updates.

This structure makes Helm charts powerful and modular, promoting reusability and configurability for Kubernetes application management.

Here are the key differences to be considered before picking the one to choose.

I believe this use case helped to identify the purpose served by both so that you can gain better clarity on the subject.

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