Inspecting Defaults with helm show values
Reading every knob a chart exposes.
Inspecting Defaults with helm show values is a free Helm Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 1 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Helm Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.
Charts Have Knobs
Every Helm chart ships with default settings you can tune. The list of those knobs lives in the chart's values.yaml. 🎛️
See Before You Set
Before changing anything, you want to read what a chart exposes. The helm show values command prints that default file for you.
helm show values bitnami/nginxIt Works on Repos
Point helm show values at a chart in a repo you added. Helm fetches its defaults without installing anything.
helm show values <repo>/<chart>It Works on Local Charts
You can also pass a path to an unpacked chart directory. Helm reads the values.yaml sitting inside it.
helm show values ./mychartPlain YAML Output
The output is just the chart's default YAML, printed to your terminal. Every line is a setting you are allowed to override.
replicaCount: 1
image:
repository: nginx
tag: "1.27"Nested Means Dotted
Indented keys form a tree. Reading image.repository here tells you the exact path you would target to change the image.
image:
repository: nginx
tag: "1.27"Save It as a Starting Point
Redirect the output to a file and you have a personal copy to edit. This is the cleanest way to start your own config.
helm show values bitnami/nginx > my-values.yamlPin a Chart Version
Defaults can differ between chart versions. Add --version to read the exact release you plan to install.
helm show values bitnami/nginx --version 18.1.0More Than Just Values
The helm show family has siblings: chart prints Chart.yaml metadata, and readme prints the chart's docs.
helm show chart bitnami/nginx
helm show readme bitnami/nginxSee It All at Once
Run helm show all to dump the chart metadata, readme, and values together in one combined view.
helm show all bitnami/nginxRead, Then Decide
Reading defaults first prevents guessing. You learn the exact key names so your later overrides actually match what the chart expects.
Quick Check
Let us confirm which command reveals a chart's tunable defaults.
Recap
Use helm show values to read a chart's defaults, save them to a file, and learn the exact keys before you override. ✅
Frequently asked questions
Is the “Inspecting Defaults with helm show values” lesson free?
Yes — the full text of “Inspecting Defaults with helm show values” is free to read here on the web, and the Helm Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Helm Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.
What will I learn in “Inspecting Defaults with helm show values”?
Reading every knob a chart exposes. You practise Helm Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.
Do I need any experience to start Helm Academy?
No prior experience is required. Helm Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 1 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.
How long does the “Inspecting Defaults with helm show values” lesson take?
Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.
Can I write and run code in this Helm Academy lesson?
Yes. Every Helm Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.
All lessons in this course
- Inspecting Defaults with helm show values
- Override on the CLI with --set
- Supplying a Custom values File with -f
- How --set and -f Are Merged