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Re-deploying a Helm Release Using GitLab CI/CD

Re-deploying a Helm Release Using GitLab CI/CD

Owned by Kevin Markalian
Feb 12, 2025
2 min read

Prerequisites

  • A configured GitLab repository with CI/CD enabled.

  • A Kubernetes cluster with Helm installed.

  • An existing Helm release deployed.

  • GitLab Runner configured to interact with the Kubernetes cluster.

  • Kubernetes and Helm credentials stored in GitLab CI/CD variables.

Instructions

Step 1: Store Kubernetes and Helm Credentials in GitLab

To enable GitLab CI/CD to interact with your Kubernetes cluster and Helm, store the following variables under GitLab > Settings > CI/CD > Variables:

  • KUBECONFIG (Base64 encoded Kubernetes config file, if required).

  • HELM_KUBE_CONTEXT (Kubernetes context name, if using multiple clusters).

  • HELM_RELEASE_NAME (The name of the deployed Helm release).

  • HELM_NAMESPACE (The namespace where the release is deployed).

Step 2: Define the .gitlab-ci.yml Pipeline

Create or update your .gitlab-ci.yml file to automate the re-deployment process.

stages: - deploy variables: KUBE_CONTEXT: "your-k8s-context" HELM_CHART_PATH: "./helm-chart" HELM_RELEASE_NAME: "your-release" HELM_NAMESPACE: "your-namespace" before_script: - echo "Setting up Helm and Kubernetes context" - kubectl config use-context $KUBE_CONTEXT - helm version - kubectl version deploy: stage: deploy image: alpine/k8s:latest script: - echo "Deploying Helm release: $HELM_RELEASE_NAME" - helm upgrade --install $HELM_RELEASE_NAME $HELM_CHART_PATH -n $HELM_NAMESPACE only: - main

Step 3: Trigger the Deployment

The deployment will be triggered automatically when changes are pushed to the main branch. To manually trigger the pipeline:

  1. Go to your GitLab project.

  2. Navigate to CI/CD > Pipelines.

  3. Click Run Pipeline and select the appropriate branch.

Step 4: Verify the Deployment

After the deployment, verify that the Helm release was successfully updated:

helm list -n $HELM_NAMESPACE

Check the running pods and logs:

kubectl get pods -n $HELM_NAMESPACE kubectl logs -f <pod-name> -n $HELM_NAMESPACE

Managing Changes in Secrets (Environment Variables)

When making updates to secrets (environment variables), follow these steps:

  1. Update AWS Secrets Manager

  2. Update Helm Secret Configuration

    • Modify the Helm files in the following order:

      • Deployment-specific configuration files.

      • Environment-specific configuration files.

      • General configuration files (only if the secret is not found in the previous files).

  3. Push the Changes in GitLab CI/CD

    • Commit and push the updated Helm configuration files to the repository.

    • GitLab CI/CD will detect the changes and re-deploy the application automatically.

Troubleshooting

  • Helm upgrade fails: Ensure the Helm chart path is correct and dependencies are up to date (helm dependency update).

  • Kubernetes connection issues: Verify that the Kubernetes context is set properly.

  • Permission errors: Ensure the GitLab Runner has the necessary permissions to deploy to Kubernetes.

  • Updates not showing in the new deployment: Ensure the new variables are added to the Helm secret configuration list before pushing the deployment.

  • Secrets showing out of sync: This can happen if a variable is added to the secrets configuration in Helm but not in AWS Secrets Manager, make sure to do that.

 

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