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Php Helm Laravel Package
renoki-co/php-helm
PHP Helm provides a PHP-friendly interface for working with Helm, the Kubernetes package manager, making it easier to manage charts and releases from PHP applications. It fits naturally into deployment automation and Kubernetes tooling workflows.
PHP Helm Processor is a process wrapper for Kubernetes' Helm v3 CLI. You can run programmatically Helm v3 commands, directly from PHP, with a simple syntax.
Frequently asked questions about Php Helm
- What is renoki-co/php-helm used for?
- It is a PHP wrapper around the Helm v3 CLI that lets you build chart metadata, values.yaml payloads, and templates through a fluent API, plus Artisan commands that shell out to the helm binary. Despite the name it is not a templating engine: Helm itself still performs the actual rendering. It suits teams that want chart definitions versioned alongside Laravel application code and unit-testable in PHP.
- How do I install php-helm with Composer?
- Run composer require renoki-co/php-helm. On Laravel 9 or newer the service provider is auto-discovered, so no manual registration is needed. You must also have a compatible Helm 3 binary available on PATH wherever the code runs. Configure the binary path in the package config if helm is not on PATH, then scaffold a chart with the provided Artisan command.
- Does php-helm require Laravel, or can I use it in plain PHP?
- It is built around Laravel's service provider and console kernel, so it drops in cleanly inside a Laravel app or a Laravel Zero CLI. Outside Laravel it is technically usable, but you inherit Laravel's container and config bootstrapping, which is disproportionate overhead for a standalone chart generator. For non-Laravel projects a small script that calls the helm binary directly, or Helmfile, is usually lighter.
- Which Laravel and PHP versions does php-helm support?
- Version 1.11.0 requires Laravel 9 or newer on PHP 8.x, and Illuminate 8.x support was removed in that release. If your application is still pinned to Laravel 8 you must upgrade the framework before taking 1.11.0. That framework upgrade is typically a far larger piece of work than the chart library change itself, so schedule it as its own workstream.
- Do I still need the Helm CLI installed to use php-helm?
- Yes. The package is a process wrapper, so rendering and release management are performed by the helm binary, which must be present on PATH in every environment that runs the code, including local machines, CI runners, and deploy images. Pin an explicit Helm CLI version in CI and in your build images so generated output stays reproducible. A missing or mismatched helm binary is the most common cause of failures with this package.
- Which Kubernetes versions does php-helm 1.11.0 support?
- Version 1.11.0 added Kubernetes 1.24 to the supported matrix and dropped Kubernetes 1.21. Because the package encodes apiVersion choices in the manifests it generates, the support matrix matters far more than it would for a pure wrapper. If you still run clusters at or below 1.21 you will be generating manifests the package no longer validates against. Confirm with the maintainer whether 1.22 and 1.23 are actively tested or merely untested before relying on them.
- Is upgrading to php-helm 1.11.0 a breaking change?
- It is breaking in practice even though the PHP API surface is largely unchanged: Kubernetes 1.21 target support and Illuminate 8.x support were both removed. Upgrade Laravel off 8.x first, then move your clusters past 1.21, and only then adopt 1.11.0. The release notes for that version are poorly formatted with nested bullets and no changelog prose, so read the actual diff rather than the notes before upgrading.
- Can php-helm be used for CI/CD deployment automation?
- Yes, that is its primary fit. You can generate charts and values files from PHP during a build and then invoke Helm commands through the wrapper, which works well in a Laravel-based deployment pipeline. Provision the CI runner with the pinned helm binary and add a validation step that checks generated manifests against your minimum supported cluster version.
- How do I test charts generated by php-helm?
- Keep chart definitions in version control and assert on generated output in PHP tests, for example checking values files and apiVersion fields against expectations. Add a CI check that validates the generated manifests against the oldest Kubernetes version you support, using golden files or a schema validation tool. If you are migrating from a hand-maintained chart, diff the generated output against the existing chart and treat that diff as your acceptance test.
- How does php-helm compare to Helmfile, Kustomize, or CDK-style tools?
- php-helm is a narrow, Laravel-oriented generator plus process wrapper, not a full GitOps or CDK-style toolchain. It fits a Laravel monolith or a small platform team that wants charts living next to application code and testable in PHP. If you need multi-service, multi-environment orchestration, Helmfile or a GitOps controller covers considerably more ground.
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