Reviving a Powerful Helm Chart Library for Microservices

Managing Kubernetes manifests for dozens of microservices can quickly become repetitive and error-prone. That’s why Helm library charts are such a game changer — they abstract away boilerplate and offer a reusable base for defining common Kubernetes resources across services.

The original library-charts repository by the k8s-at-home community did an excellent job of solving this problem. Unfortunately, the project has been archived and is no longer maintained.

Rather than let it disappear, I decided to fork it and maintain an updated version tailored to the needs of modern DevOps workflows. You can now find and use this maintained fork under the BlissFlow GitHub account:

👉 https://github.com/BlissFlow-Tech/library-charts

This fork remains faithful to the original intent of the project while keeping dependencies current and supporting ongoing use in real-world infrastructure.

Why Use a Helm Library Chart?

If you're managing a set of containerized services on Kubernetes, chances are high they share similar configurations: ports, probes, autoscaling, service monitors, and more. Instead of repeating yourself in every Helm chart, a library chart lets you define this once and reuse it everywhere.

Key benefits include:

• Reduced YAML duplication
• Easier CI/CD management
• Consistent production practices
• Fewer Helm chart bugs and misconfigurations

How to Use the Maintained Library Chart

The maintained fork can be consumed in your own Helm chart projects in just a few steps.

1. Add the Dependency in Your Chart.yaml

Create or update your chart’s Chart.yaml to declare a dependency on the library chart:

apiVersion: v2
name: user-service
description: A Helm chart for Kubernetes deployment of user-service
version: 0.1.0
dependencies:
- name: common
  repository: https://library-charts.blissflow.tech
  version: 4.9.0

Then fetch the dependency:

helm dependency update

2. Create a templates/common.yaml File

Your chart must include a templates directory with a common.yaml file inside. This file instructs Helm to use the logic from the library chart when rendering your application.

Create the following file:

# templates/common.yaml
{{- include "common.all" . -}}

This enables the library chart to handle rendering of all supported Kubernetes resources based on your values.yaml.

3. Define Configuration in values.yaml

Now define the specific configuration for your microservice using the schema supported by the library chart.

Example:

image:
  repository: nginx
  tag: latest
  pullPolicy: IfNotPresent

service:
  main:
    enabled: true
    ports:
      http:
        port: 80

ingress:
  main:
    enabled: true
    ingressClassName: nginx
    hosts:
    - host: user.example.com
      paths:
      - path: /
        pathType: Prefix

resources:
  requests:
    cpu: 100m
    memory: 128Mi
  limits:
    cpu: 200m
    memory: 256Mi

autoscaling:
  enabled: true
  target:  common-test
  minReplicas: 1
  maxReplicas: 3
  targetCPUUtilizationPercentage: 80
  targetMemoryUtilizationPercentage: 80
  behavior:
    scaleUp:
      stabilizationWindowSeconds: 30
      policies:
      - type: Percent
        value: 100
        periodSeconds: 15
    scaleDown:
      stabilizationWindowSeconds: 300
      policies:
      - type: Percent
        value: 50
        periodSeconds: 60

The library chart supports many configuration options:

• app: app name and container image
• service: Kubernetes Service settings
• ingress: ingress controller integration
• resources: resource requests and limits
• hpa: Horizontal Pod Autoscaler
• configmaps, secrets, pvc, probes, and more

Only define what your service needs. The chart will render resources based on the values you set.

4. Install the Chart

Once everything is configured, install your microservice using:

helm install user-service .

To preview the rendered manifests without deploying:

helm template user-service .

5. Upgrade and Maintain

The library chart is actively maintained under the BlissFlow organization, and we aim to keep it aligned with current Kubernetes best practices.

To upgrade your dependency when a new version is available:

helm dependency update

Also make sure your values are compatible with any changes introduced in new releases.

Contributing

If you're using the chart and have ideas or issues, feel free to:

• ⭐ Star or fork https://github.com/BlissFlow-Tech/library-charts
• 🛠️ Open an issue or PR for improvements
• 📣 Share feedback with us directly at contact@blissflow.tech

Final Thoughts

Helm library charts are a powerful pattern for scaling DevOps productivity across microservices. This maintained fork helps ensure the great work started by the k8s-at-home community can continue to serve Kubernetes developers around the world.

If you're tired of writing the same templates again and again or want to ensure consistent best practices across your Helm charts, checkout this helm library charts.

Explore the project here:
👉 https://github.com/BlissFlow-Tech/library-charts

Want help integrating this into your stack ? Get in touch — we’d love to help.