charts
A collection of Helm charts for deploying IBM and third-party middleware on Kubernetes platforms.
What is charts?
IBM Charts is a centralized collection of Helm charts for deploying IBM and third-party middleware applications on Kubernetes platforms. It serves as an official distribution channel for IBM's containerized software offerings, enabling streamlined deployment and management of enterprise workloads. The repository is organized into separate chart repositories for Helm 3 and Helm 2, with support for commercial (entitled) and community charts.
Kubernetes administrators and DevOps engineers deploying IBM commercial middleware or third-party applications on IBM Cloud Private, IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service, or OpenShift Container Platform 4.6+. It is also for developers managing enterprise workloads requiring entitlement keys for licensed IBM software.
Developers choose IBM Charts for its official, pre-configured Helm charts that ensure compatibility with IBM's Kubernetes platforms and simplify the deployment of complex enterprise middleware. Its unique selling point is the structured separation of commercial and community charts, along with dual support for Helm 2 and Helm 3, reducing integration effort for IBM-centric environments.
Overview
The IBM/charts repository provides helm charts for IBM and Third Party middleware.
Use Cases
Best For
- Deploying entitled IBM commercial software on Kubernetes using Helm charts that require entitlement keys from MyIBM Container Software Library.
- Managing Helm chart repositories for IBM Cloud Private, as all charts (stable, entitled, community) are part of its default catalog configuration.
- Integrating Helm 3 charts with OpenShift Container Platform 4.6+ via the HelmChartRepository custom resource definition.
- Maintaining compatibility with older Helm 2 clients while transitioning to Helm 3, thanks to separate repositories and version support.
- Accessing community-contributed Helm charts for third-party middleware and tools within an IBM-curated repository.
- Streamlining deployment of enterprise workloads on IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service with pre-configured, platform-integrated charts.
Not Ideal For
- Projects deploying exclusively on non-IBM Kubernetes platforms like Google GKE or Amazon EKS, as charts are optimized for IBM environments.
- Teams requiring the latest versions of open-source applications, since community charts may lag behind upstream sources.
- Environments where Helm 2 is fully deprecated and only Helm 3 is supported, to avoid the complexity of dual-version maintenance.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Direct support for OpenShift Container Platform 4.6+ via the HelmChartRepository custom resource definition, simplifying chart management in Red Hat environments.
Maintains separate repositories for stable, entitled, and community charts for Helm 2, ensuring compatibility with older enterprise deployments.
Provides centralized access to Helm charts for IBM commercial software, requiring entitlement keys for licensed products from MyIBM Container Software Library.
Pre-configured for IBM Cloud Private and integrated with IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service, reducing setup effort for IBM-centric workloads.
Cons
Deploying entitled charts requires obtaining and configuring entitlement keys and docker-registry secrets, adding administrative steps not needed for open-source charts.
Heavy reliance on IBM platforms and services limits portability to other Kubernetes distributions, making it less flexible for mixed environments.
Supporting both Helm 2 and Helm 3 can lead to confusion and increased maintenance, especially as Helm 2 is deprecated and the ecosystem shifts.
Frequently Asked Questions
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