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Helm Repository: Quickstart and GitOps

Add the Repository

The documentation and Helm repository share one address: https://luth2.github.io/helm-charts/. Helm uses index.yaml and the versioned .tgz packages hosted there. No Git checkout or OCI client is required.

helm repo add eccosp https://luth2.github.io/helm-charts/
helm repo update
helm search repo eccosp --versions
Chart reference Example release Purpose
eccosp/ecp-directory cd Component Directory
eccosp/ecp-broker br ECP Broker
eccosp/eccosp-artemis eptb1 Internal Broker
eccosp/ecp-endpoint ep1 Endpoint

The old umbrella chart ecco-sp may still appear in search results. It remains available for existing users but is not recommended for new installations. The four standalone charts do not install partner services, databases, or EDX components.

Choose the Version Deliberately

The following shell examples pin the already published chart version 5.0.1. They are not instructions to upgrade an existing installation directly. The chart version, appVersion, and container image are versioned independently. Choose approved versions based on the releases and the operations and migration notes.

helm show chart eccosp/ecp-endpoint --version 5.0.1

Retrieve the Complete Values for the Package Version

Create the operator configuration files in a dedicated working directory outside the source code repository. The following redirections create new files; do not run them again over operator configuration files that have already been customized.

mkdir eccosp-values
helm show values eccosp/ecp-directory --version 5.0.1 > eccosp-values/cd.yaml
helm show values eccosp/ecp-broker --version 5.0.1 > eccosp-values/br.yaml
helm show values eccosp/eccosp-artemis --version 5.0.1 > eccosp-values/eptb1.yaml
helm show values eccosp/ecp-endpoint --version 5.0.1 > eccosp-values/ep1.yaml

Review every file in full: instance names, existingSecret, images, storage, ports, resources, and external connections. Helm replaces lists rather than merging instance entries. Do not overlay the defaults with a reduced instance list containing only a name and secret.

The website shows values and schemas from the current source state. For deployments, the versioned package defaults just retrieved are authoritative.

External Prerequisites

Before installation, the eccosp namespace, populated secrets, image access, storage, and external partners must be ready. The chart does not create secrets. The intentionally empty existingSecret defaults cannot be used for installation.

Each secret key contains the required complete configuration file. Secrets, passwords, and keystores belong neither in Git nor in this portal. The required secret keys, example names, and service addresses are documented in the operations guide. Also observe the pod security, HA, and storage restrictions described there.

Render and Install New Releases

First, render each release without a cluster, for example:

helm template ep1 eccosp/ecp-endpoint --version 5.0.1 --namespace eccosp -f eccosp-values/ep1.yaml

Repeat the same checks for Directory, ECP Broker, and Artemis using their respective release/chart reference and operator configuration file. Check names, PVCs, selectors, secret references, ports, and SecurityContexts. Optionally, retrieve the versioned package with helm pull and validate it locally with helm lint.

Only after approval and once the prerequisites are in place, perform a new installation step by step:

helm install cd eccosp/ecp-directory --version 5.0.1 --namespace eccosp -f eccosp-values/cd.yaml --wait --timeout 15m
helm install br eccosp/ecp-broker --version 5.0.1 --namespace eccosp -f eccosp-values/br.yaml --wait --timeout 15m
helm install eptb1 eccosp/eccosp-artemis --version 5.0.1 --namespace eccosp -f eccosp-values/eptb1.yaml --wait --timeout 15m
helm install ep1 eccosp/ecp-endpoint --version 5.0.1 --namespace eccosp -f eccosp-values/ep1.yaml --wait --timeout 15m

Each component is installed and rolled back independently. After each step, check PVC binding, initialization, and application health. Finally, perform functional acceptance checks for TLS, authentication, registration, the database, and message flow. --wait alone is not proof of operational readiness.

Updates and Reproducibility

  • Pin chart versions explicitly; do not automatically select latest or open-ended version ranges.
  • Keep operator values under version control without including complete private configurations.
  • Retrieve new defaults separately and compare them with the existing configuration; do not overwrite existing files.
  • Before updates, create backups, compare PVCs/selectors, and perform the migration.
  • Published chart versions are immutable. Corrections require a new chart version.

Argo CD and Flux

Both can read the public HTTPS repository without credentials. The repository URL is the base address, not the address of index.yaml.

Tool Repository Chart Version
Argo CD Application spec.source.repoURL: https://luth2.github.io/helm-charts/ spec.source.chart: ecp-endpoint spec.source.targetRevision: 5.0.1
Flux HelmRepository + HelmRelease HelmRepository.spec.url: https://luth2.github.io/helm-charts/ HelmRelease.spec.chart.spec.chart: ecp-endpoint HelmRelease.spec.chart.spec.version: 5.0.1

For Flux, also set sourceRef to the HelmRepository. For Argo CD, supply the complete operator values, for example through a separate values repository; for Flux, use values or valuesFrom. Manage the target namespace, external secrets, and deployment order separately. Enter chart names without the local Helm alias prefix eccosp/. Create separate Applications or HelmReleases, respectively, for each of the other components.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Check
Repository or package returns 404 Check Pages publication and the current index; Pages operations
Version not found helm repo update and helm search repo eccosp --versions; use the chart version rather than appVersion
Empty existingSecret or missing values Retrieve and customize the complete defaults for the pinned version
Pod does not start despite successful rendering Check secret keys, registry, storage, external configuration, and init containers
New website, but still an old chart version Documentation state and release state are separate; wait for a successful chart release