Awesome

helm-schema

By default it will traverse the current directory and look for Chart.yaml files. For every file, helm-schema will try to find one of the given value filenames. The first files found will be read and a jsonschema will be created. For every dependency defined in the Chart.yaml file, a reference to the dependencies JSON schema will be created.

[!NOTE] The tool uses jsonschema Draft 7, because the library helm uses only supports that version.

Installation

Via go install:

go install github.com/dadav/helm-schema/cmd/helm-schema@latest

From aur:

paru -S helm-schema

Via podman/docker:

podman run --rm -v $PWD:/home/helm-schema ghcr.io/dadav/helm-schema:latest

As helm plugin:

helm plugin install https://github.com/dadav/helm-schema

Usage

Pre-commit hook

If you want to automatically generate a new values.schema.json if you change the values.yaml file, you can do the following:

1. Install pre-commit
2. Copy the .pre-commit-config.yaml to your helm chart repository.
3. Then run these commands:

pre-commit install
pre-commit install-hooks

Running the binary directly

You can also just run the binary yourself:

helm-schema

Options

The binary has the following options:

Flags:
  -r, --add-schema-reference          "add reference to schema in values.yaml if not found"
  -a, --append-newline                "append newline to generated jsonschema at the end of the file"
  -c, --chart-search-root string      "directory to search recursively within for charts (default ".")"
  -i, --dependencies-filter strings   "only generate schema for specified dependencies (comma-separated list of dependency names)"
  -g, --dont-add-global               "dont auto add global property"
  -x, --dont-strip-helm-docs-prefix   "disable the removal of the helm-docs prefix (--)"
  -d, --dry-run                       "don't actually create files just print to stdout passed"
  -p, --helm-docs-compatibility-mode  "parse and use helm-docs comments"
  -h, --help                          "help for helm-schema"
  -s, --keep-full-comment             "keep the whole leading comment (default: cut at empty line)"
  -l, --log-level string              "level of logs that should printed, one of (panic, fatal, error, warning, info, debug, trace) (default "info")"
  -n, --no-dependencies               "don't analyze dependencies"
  -o, --output-file string            "jsonschema file path relative to each chart directory to which jsonschema will be written (default 'values.schema.json')"
  -f, --value-files strings           "filenames to check for chart values (default [values.yaml])"
  -k, --skip-auto-generation strings  "skip the auto generation for these fields (default [])"
  -u, --uncomment                     "consider yaml which is commented out"
  -v, --version                       "version for helm-schema"

Annotations

The jsonschema must be between two entries of # @schema :

# @schema
# my: annotation
# @schema
# you can add comment here as well
foo: bar

[!WARNING] It must be written just above the key you want to annotate.

[!NOTE] If you don't use the properties option on hashes/objects or don't use items on arrays, it will be parsed from the values and their annotations instead.

Available annotations

Validation & completion

To take advantage of the generated values.schema.json, you can use it within your IDE through a plugin supporting the yaml-language-server annotation (e.g. VSCode - YAML)

You'll have to place this line at the top of your values.yaml ($schema=<path-or-url-to-your-schema>) :

# vim: set ft=yaml:
# yaml-language-server: $schema=values.schema.json

# @schema
# required: true
# @schema
# -- This is an example description
foo: bar

You can use the -r flag to make sure this line exists.

[!NOTE] You can also point to an online available schema, if you upload a version of yours and want other to be able to implement it.

yaml-language-server: $schema=https://example.org/my-json-schema.json

e.g. from github https://raw.githubusercontent.com/<user>/<repo>/main/values.schema.json

helm-docs

If you're using helm-docs, then you can combine both annotations and use both pre-commit hooks to automatically generate your documentation (e.g. README.md) alongside your values.schema.json.

If not provided, title will be the key and the description will be parsed from the helm-docs formatted comment.

# @schema
# type: array
# @schema
# -- helm-docs description here
foo: []

If you use -p/--helm-docs-compatibility-mode flags, the @default, (type) annotations and helm-docs descriptions are used if detected.

[!NOTE] Make sure to place the @schema annotations before the actual key description to avoid having it in your helm-docs generated table

Dependencies

Per default, helm-schema will try to also create the schemas for the dependencies in their respective chart directory. These schemas will be merged as properties in the main schema, but the requiredProperties field will be nullified, otherwise you would have to always overwrite all the required fields.

If you don't want to generate jsonschema for chart dependencies, you can use the -n, --no-dependencies option to only generate the values.schema.json for your parent chart(s)

Limitations

You can't change the jsonschema for dependencies by using @schema annotations on dependency config values. For example:

# foo is a dependency chart
foo:
  # You can't change the schema here, this has no effect.
  # @schema
  # type: number
  # @schema
  bar: 1

Examples

Some annotation examples you may want to use, to help you get started!

[!NOTE] See how the schema behaves with live examples : values.yaml

Below a snippet to test it out, with the current options helm-schema will not analyze dependencies (-n) and will omit the additionalProperties (-k, when not explicitly defined) in the generated schema. It will start looking for Chart.yaml and values.yaml files in examples/ (-c)

cd examples
helm-schema -n -k additionalProperties

# or

helm-schema -c examples -n -k additionalProperties

If you'd like to use helm-schema on your chart dependencies as well, you have to build and unpack them before. You'll avoid the "missing dependency" error message.

# go where your Chart.lock/yaml is located
cd <chart-name>

# build dependencies and untar them
helm dep build
ls charts/*.tgz |xargs -n1 tar -C charts/ -xzf

type

If type isn't specified, current value type will be used.

# Will be parsed as 'string'
# @schema
# title: Some title
# description: Some description
# @schema
name: foo

# Will be parsed as 'boolean'
# @schema
# type: boolean
# @schema
enabled: true

# You can define multiple types as an array.
# @schema
# type: [string, integer]
# minimum: 0
# @schema
cpu: 1

title

By default, the title will be parsed from the key name. If the key is foo, then title: foo.

# Define a custom title for the key
# @schema
# title: My custom title for 'foo'
# @schema
bar: foo

description

You can provide the description through its property or let it be parsed from your comments. If description is provided, the comments will not be parsed as description.

If you're implementing it alongside helm-docs, read this to do it correctly.

# This text will be used as description.
# @schema
# type: integer
# minimum: 1
# @schema
replica: 1

# @schema
# type: integer
# minimum: 1
# @schema
# This text will be used as description.
replica: 1

# @schema
# type: integer
# minimum: 1
# description: This text will be used as description.
# @schema
# And not this one
replica: 1

default

Help users when using their IDE to quickly retrieve the default value, for example through <kbd>CTRL+SPACE</kbd>.

# @schema
# default: standalone
# enum: [standalone,cluster]
# @schema
architecture: ""

# @schema
# type: boolean
# default: true
# @schema
enabled: true

properties

Allows user to define valid keys without defining them yet. Give the user an insight of the possible properties, their types and description.

By default, title for the keys defined under properties will inherit from the main key (e.g. here title: env). You need to provide title explicitly if you want to change it.

# @schema
# properties:
#   CONFIG_PATH:
#     title: CONFIG_PATH
#     type: string
#     description: The local path to the service configuration file
#   ADMIN_EMAIL:
#     title: ADMIN_EMAIL
#     type: string
#     format: idn-email
#   API_URL:
#     type: string
#     format: idn-hostname
#     description: Title will be 'env' as we do not specify it here
# @schema
# -- Environment variables. If you want to provide auto-completion to the user
env: {}

pattern

Pattern that'll be used to test the value.

# @schema
# pattern: ^api-key
# @schema
# The value have to start with the 'api-key-' prefix
apiKey: "api-key-xxxxx"

format

Known formats that the value must match. Formats available at JSON Schema - Formats.

# @schema
# format: idn-email
# @schema
# Requires a valid email format
email: foo@example.org

required

By default every property is a required property, you can disable this with required: false for a single key. You can also invert this behaviour with the option helm-schema -k required, now every property is an optional one.

# @schema
# required: false
# @schema
altName: foo

It's also possible to define an array of required properties on the parent.

# @schema
# required: [foo]
# @schema
altName:
  foo: bar

deprecated

Let the user know if the key is deprecated, hence should be avoided.

# @schema
# deprecated: true
# @schema
secret: foo

items

If you want to specify a schema for possible array values without using a default value. E.g. to define the structure of the hosts definition in an k8s ingress resource.

# @schema
# type: array
# items:
#   type: object
#   properties:
#     host:
#       type: object
#       properties:
#         url:
#           type: string
#           format: idn-hostname
# @schema
# Will give auto-completion for the below structure
# hosts:
#  - name:
#      url: my.example.org
hosts: []

enum

Allows user to define available values for a given key. Validation will fail and error shown if you try to put another value.

# @schema
# enum:
# - application
# - controller
# - api
# @schema
# Only those three values are accepted
type: application

# @schema
# type: array
# items:
#   enum: [api,frontend,backend,microservice,teamA,teamB,us-west-1,us-west-2]
# @schema
# For each array index, only one of those values are accepted
tags:
  - "api"
  - "teamA"
  - "us-west-2"

const

Defines a constant value which shouldn't be changed.

# @schema
# const: maintainer@example.org
# @schema
maintainer: maintainer@example.org

examples

Provides example values to the user when hovering the key in IDE, or by auto-completion mechanism.

# @schema
# format: ipv4
# examples: [192.168.0.1]
# @schema
clusterIP: ""

# @schema
# properties:
#   CONFIG_PATH:
#     type: string
#     description: The local path to the service configuration file
#     examples: [/path/to/config]
#   ADMIN_EMAIL:
#     type: string
#     format: idn-email
#     examples: [admin@example.org]
#   API_URL:
#     type: string
#     format: idn-hostname
#     examples: [https://api.example.org]
# @schema
# -- Provide auto-completion and examples to the user
env: {}

minimum

The value have to be above or equal the given integer.

# @schema
# minimum: 1
# @schema
replica: ""

exclusiveMinimum

The value have to be strictly above the given integer.

# @schema
# exclusiveMinimum: 0
# @schema
replica: ""

maximum

The value have to be below or equal the given integer.

# @schema
# maximum: 10
# @schema
replica: ""

exclusiveMaximum

The value have to be strictly below the given integer.

# @schema
# exclusiveMaximum: 5
# @schema
cpu: ""

multipleOf

The value have to be a multiple of the given integer.

# @schema
# multipleOf: 1024
# @schema
storageCapacity: 2048

additionalProperties

By default, additionalProperties is set to false unless you use the -k additionalProperties option. Useful when you don't know what nested keys you'll have.

# @schema
# additionalProperties: true
# @schema
# You'll be able to add as many keys below `env:` as you want without invalidating the schema
env:
  LONG: foo
  LIST: bar
  OF: baz
  VARIABLES: bat

# @schema
# additionalProperties: true
# properties:
#   REQUIRED_VAR:
#     type: string
# @schema
env:
  REQUIRED_VAR: foo
  OPTIONAL_VAR: bar

patternProperties

Mapping schemas to key name patterns. If properties match the patterns, the given schema is applied.

Useful when you work with a long list of keys and want to define a common schema for a group of them, for example.

E.g. patternProperties."^API_.*" key defines the pattern whose schema will be applied on any user provided key that match that pattern.

# @schema
# type: object
# patternProperties:
#   "^API_.*":
#     type: string
#     pattern: ^api-key
#   "^EMAIL_.*":
#     type: string
#     format: idn-email
# @schema
env:
  API_PROVIDER_ONE: api-key-xxxxx
  API_PROVIDER_TWO: api-key-xxxxx
  EMAIL_ADMIN: admin@example.org
  EMAIL_DEFAULT_USER: user@example.org

anyOf

Allows user to define multiple schema fo a single key. Key can be anyOf the given schemas or none of them.

# Accepts multiple types
# @schema
# anyOf:
#   - type: string
#   - type: integer
# minimum: 0
# @schema
foot: 1

# The above can be simplified with `type:`
# @schema
# type: [string, integer]
# minimum: 0
# @schema
fool: 1

# A pattern is also possible.
# In this case null or some string starting with foo.
# @schema
# anyOf:
#   - type: "null"
#   - pattern: ^foo
# @schema
bar:

oneOf

Allows user to define multiple schema fo a single key. Key must match oneOf the given schemas.

# @schema
# oneOf:
#   - type: integer
#   - pattern: Gib$
#   - pattern: gib$
# @schema
storage: 30Gib

allOf

Allows user to define multiple schema for a single key. Key must match oneOf the given schemas.

# @schema
# allOf:
#   - type: string
#     pattern: Gib$
#   - enum: [5Gib,10Gib,15Gib]
# @schema
storage: 10Gib

not

Allows to define a schema that must not be matched.

# @schema
# not:
#   type: string
# @schema
foo: bar

if/then/else

Conditional schema settings with if/then/else

# @schema
# anyOf:
#   - type: "null"
#   - type: string
# if:
#   type: "null"
# then:
#   description: It's a null value
# else:
#   description: It's a string
# @schema
unknown: foo

minLength

The value must be an integer greater or equal to zero and defines the minimum length of a string value.

# @schema
# minLength: 1
# @schema
namespace: foo

maxLength

The value must be an integer greater than zero and defines the maximum length of a string value.

# @schema
# maxLength: 3
# @schema
namespace: foo

minItems

The value must be an integer greater than zero and defines the minimum length of an array value.

# @schema
# minItems: 1
# @schema
namespace:
  - foo

maxItems

The value must be an integer greater than zero and defines the maximum length of an array value.

# @schema
# maxItems: 2
# @schema
namespace:
  - foo
  - bar

$ref

The value must be an URI or relative file.

Relative files are imported on creation time. If you update the referenced file, you need to run helm-schema again.

foo.json:

{
  "foo": {
    "type": "string",
    "minLength": 10
  }
}

# @schema
# $ref: foo.json#/foo
# @schema
namespace: foo

is the same as

# @schema
# type: string
# minLength: 10
# @schema
namespace: foo

License

MIT