Introducing Ahoy! — A GUI for Helm

Helm is a widely-used package manager for Kubernetes clusters, embraced by DevOps engineers worldwide. However, like many command-line-driven technologies, Helm can be challenging to visualize, especially for those who prefer a graphical interface. Currently, the available visual interfaces often hide essential Helm functionalities behind a paywall.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if there were a free, open-source solution that provided full access to all Helm features? Introducing Ahoy! — a user-friendly graphical interface designed to run Kubernetes clusters and manage Helm commands seamlessly, without any restrictions.

HOW IT WORKS

DevOps engineers might wonder why a visual interface is necessary for Helm. While the command line offers familiarity and efficiency, visualizing all running clusters and performing core Helm commands becomes cumbersome. Ahoy! bridges this gap by providing a streamlined, intuitive interface that keeps the big picture in view.

Key Features

1. Local Charts

Ahoy! includes a Local Charts list that displays chart repositories ready for installation from a local directory. Users can easily add custom names to their charts and install them with a simple click of a button.

Available Charts Display

2. Installed Charts

Once a chart is installed, it appears in the Installed Charts list with essential information.

Installed Chart Details

A history button appears next to each installed chart, which, when clicked, displays a dropdown of all previous releases of the current chart. A rollback icon appears next to each previous release name, that lets you automatically roll your chart back to that release and view a new, updated history.

History Display

3. In-File Editing

For local chart repositories, a file icon next to the install button allows engineers to navigate directly to the chart’s location in their file tree, enabling seamless code edits in their preferred editor.

4. Dashboard Launch

The Launch Dashboard feature opens the Kubernetes dashboard in the default browser, providing a comprehensive view of all deployed clusters.

5. Command-Line Integration

Built with Electron and React, Ahoy! works across all operating systems. It utilizes the Node.js child process module to seamlessly communicate with the command line, executing all Helm commands.

UPCOMING FEATURES

There are so many more features we want to incorporate into Ahoy! including:

• Change Tracking: An in-app file viewer to display changes between consecutive releases of installed charts, helping engineers track updates more effectively.
• Chart Repository Import: A search and import feature for downloading and installing chart repositories directly from ArtifactHub.
• Streamlined Upgrades: An integrated chart upgrade button to simplify the Helm upgrade process.
• Environment Monitoring: A real-time monitor to check Kubernetes status and Helm versions.

For a full list of features we plan to incorporate, take a look at our GitHub.

GET INVOLVED

Ready to get started? Download Ahoy! from GitHub or visit our website for installation instructions and resources. Stay updated by following Ahoy! on LinkedIn. We’re excited to build this tool with your feedback, so feel free to submit any issues or contribute to the open-source project.

Ahoy! Engineers and Co-Authors:

• Joe Bigelow: Github | LinkedIn
• Tobey Forsman: Github | LinkedIn
• Yoko Kawamoto: Github | LinkedIn
• Jin Oh: Github | LinkedIn

Ahoy! is a beta product developed in partnership with OSLabs.