Helm 3.11: Chart Management and Security
K8s Guru
2 min read
Table of Contents
Introduction
Helm 3.11, released on October 25, 2022, continues to evolve Kubernetes package management with OCI registry improvements, enhanced chart security, and better dependency management capabilities.
This release is most relevant in day‑2 operations—when you’re upgrading, scaling, or troubleshooting in real clusters. The goal is the same: fewer surprises and more predictable behavior under load.
OCI Registry Enhancements
- OCI registry improvements provide better chart storage and distribution like container images.
- Chart provenance provides cryptographic verification of chart authenticity and integrity.
- Registry authentication improvements simplify credential management for private registries.
- Chart caching optimizations reduce download times and bandwidth usage.
Security Enhancements
- Chart signing enables cryptographic signing of charts for supply chain security.
- Vulnerability scanning integration provides automated security scanning of chart dependencies.
- RBAC improvements enable fine-grained access control for chart repositories.
- Secret management enhancements simplify handling of sensitive chart values.
Dependency Management
- Dependency resolution improvements provide better handling of complex chart dependency graphs.
- Version constraints enable more flexible version requirements for chart dependencies.
- Dependency updates simplify upgrading dependencies across chart versions.
- Lock file support ensures reproducible deployments with pinned dependency versions.
Performance & Reliability
- Chart installation optimizations reduce time required for deploying complex charts.
- Upgrade reliability improvements ensure smooth upgrades with better rollback capabilities.
- Error handling enhancements provide clearer error messages and recovery guidance.
- Resource management optimizations reduce memory usage during chart operations.
Getting Started
helm repo add stable https://charts.helm.sh/stable
helm install my-release stable/nginx
Use OCI registry:
helm chart save ./my-chart myregistry.com/charts/my-chart:1.0.0
helm chart push myregistry.com/charts/my-chart:1.0.0
Summary
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Release Date | October 25, 2022 |
| Headline Features | OCI registry improvements, security enhancements, improved dependency management |
| Why it Matters | Modernizes chart distribution and security while improving package management workflows |
Helm 3.11 continues to evolve as the standard for Kubernetes package management, providing teams with secure, efficient chart distribution and management.