What a Provenance File Guarantees

You downloaded a chart from the internet. How do you know nobody tampered with it on the way? Helm answers this with a provenance file.

A provenance file sits next to a chart archive with the same name plus a .prov suffix. It is the chart's signed receipt of authenticity.

A provenance file proves two things: integrity, that the bytes were not altered, and origin, that a specific key signed it.

The .prov stores a SHA-256 digest of the chart archive. If even one byte changes, the recomputed hash will not match and verification fails.

The file is wrapped in a PGP signature made with the publisher's private key. Only their matching public key can validate it.

The signed block also copies the chart's metadata, like name and version. That ties the signature to exactly this chart, not a renamed one.

A .prov is a human-readable, clear-signed PGP message. You can open it and see the metadata and hashes wrapped between signature markers.

Provenance proves who signed and that bytes are intact. It does not judge whether the chart is safe or bug-free, only that it is genuine.

A signature only matters if you trust the signer. You must already hold the publisher's public key in your keyring to verify it.

Helm's classic provenance uses the OpenPGP standard. That means standard GPG tooling creates and inspects the keys behind these signatures.

A chart repository's index can list a provenance hash alongside the chart, so clients can fetch and check the .prov automatically.

A teammate asks what a Helm provenance file actually guarantees about a chart.

A .prov file pairs a chart with a signed digest, proving the bytes are intact and a trusted key signed them. It is genuineness, not safety. 🔏