Chart.yaml — Chart Metadata
Chart.yaml describes the chart: its name, versions, description, and dependencies.
Syntax
apiVersion: v2
name: mychart
version: 0.1.0Chart.yaml is the identity card of a chart. Helm reads it to know what the chart is and how to version it.
Key fields
apiVersion— usev2for Helm 3 charts.name— the chart name.version— the chart version (SemVer). Bump this when the chart itself changes.appVersion— the version of the app being deployed (informational, quotes recommended).description— a one-line summary.type—application(default) orlibrary.dependencies— other charts this one needs.
version vs appVersion
version tracks the packaging; appVersion tracks the software inside. They move independently.
Example
apiVersion: v2
name: mychart
description: A Helm chart for my web application
type: application
version: 0.1.0
appVersion: "1.16.0"
keywords:
- web
- nginx
maintainers:
- name: Jane Dev
email: [email protected]When to use it
- A chart author fills in Chart.yaml with an appVersion matching the Docker image tag so operators can see which application version a chart ships.
- A dependency manager reads Chart.yaml's version field to verify the chart satisfies a semantic version constraint before adding it as a subchart.
- A release pipeline bumps the chart's version in Chart.yaml before running helm package, ensuring each published archive has a unique, traceable version number.
More examples
Minimal Chart.yaml
Defines the required fields: apiVersion v2 for Helm 3, the chart name, its version, and the application version it ships.
apiVersion: v2
name: myapp
description: A Helm chart for my application
type: application
version: 1.2.0
appVersion: "2.5.1"Chart.yaml with maintainers
Adds optional metadata fields used by chart repositories and Artifact Hub to help users discover and contact maintainers.
apiVersion: v2
name: myapp
description: Production web application chart
type: application
version: 2.0.0
appVersion: "3.1.0"
keywords:
- web
- api
maintainers:
- name: Platform Team
email: [email protected]Library chart declaration
Declares a library chart (type: library) that provides reusable named templates without rendering any resources directly.
apiVersion: v2
name: mylib
description: Shared template helpers
type: library
version: 0.3.0
Discussion