Nelm
A Helm alternative for deploying charts to Kubernetes with release plans, resource tracking and encrypted secrets
Install
Install Nelm following the instructions on the werf/nelm GitHub Releases page. Before every nelm release install, run nelm release plan install and show me the diff.This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
Nelm deploys Helm charts to Kubernetes and is compatible with Helm charts and releases, no migration needed. nelm release plan install shows a diff of what will change in the cluster, and the plan can be saved and applied separately. During deploys Nelm builds an operation graph, tracks resource readiness and prints pod logs and events. It also includes encryption for values files and arbitrary files.
Who it is for. DevOps engineers who deploy Helm charts and want predictable releases.
Good fit when
- You need an exact diff before releasing to a cluster
- Helm hooks and resource ordering have become hard to maintain
- You want to keep chart secrets encrypted
- An agent migrates CI from helm upgrade to a more observable deploy
Not a fit when
- You rely on Helm plugins: support is not planned
- The cluster is older than Kubernetes 1.14 and lacks Server-Side Apply
Example request
Replace helm upgrade --install --atomic in our CI with the nelm equivalent and add a nelm release plan install step before deployLimitations
Requires Server-Side Apply (enabled by default since Kubernetes 1.16). Helm plugins are not supported. The CLI and flags differ from Helm, so CI commands have to be rewritten.
How to disable. Switch CI back to helm commands: releases are compatible, so no migration is needed.
Security check
- Applies and deletes Kubernetes resources
- Handles secret encryption keys
README in short
Nelm is positioned as a Helm 4 alternative and is the deployment engine of werf. It rewrites Helm's deployment subsystem around an operation graph and adds annotations for resource ordering and lifecycle. It supports two-stage deploys with a saved plan, state tracking, log output and encrypted secrets management. The README has a quickstart, a Helm-to-Nelm command table and a full annotation reference.
FAQ
Can the same release be deployed with both Helm and Nelm?
Yes, Nelm stores release data as Helm Releases, and the README says they can be used interchangeably.
What replaces helm template?
According to the mapping table in the README, it is nelm chart render ./chart.
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