Finding Charts with helm search repo

Once repos are added, helm search repo looks through their cached indexes to find charts matching a keyword you type.

The word repo matters: this searches only the repositories you have added locally. A different subcommand, search hub, queries the public internet.

Results list the chart NAME, its CHART VERSION, the bundled APP VERSION, and a short description, one row per matching chart.

The chart version tracks the packaging, while app version is the software inside, like nginx itself. The two move on separate timelines.

Your keyword matches against chart names and descriptions. Searching for database can surface PostgreSQL, MySQL, and more, even without an exact name hit.

By default you see only the newest version per chart. Add --versions to list every available version, useful for pinning an older one.

Prefix the keyword with a repo name to scope the search. bitnami/ limits results to charts from that repo alone.

Empty output usually means the keyword does not match, or the repo holding it is not added. Try helm repo update, then search again.

The NAME column is exactly what you feed to install. Copy bitnami/nginx straight into helm install to deploy that chart.

Search ignores letter case, so Nginx and nginx find the same charts. It also supports a --regexp flag for more precise patterns.

Always search first to confirm the exact chart name and a version that exists. It saves you from typos and missing-chart errors at install time.

You want to confirm a chart exists in a repo you already added. Which command fits?

helm search repo finds charts in your added repos by keyword, showing names and versions, with --versions to list them all before you install. 🔍