Helm Unittest

Helm unittest is a Helm plugin that unit-tests Helm Chart templates with YAML-defined suites instead of spinning up a cluster. It renders charts with helm template, then asserts on manifests (values, snapshots, document counts, and custom matchers). If you maintain charts in Kubernetes, adopt this alongside Unit Testing for application code, it catches template regressions before CI deploys.

Blurb

Unit tests for Helm charts in YAML to keep your charts consistent and robust.

Summary

Chart authors encode scenarios as test files under tests/ (or similar): set values, render templates, and compare output to expected YAML or snapshots. This is far faster and more deterministic than only testing in a live cluster, and it documents expected behavior for reviewers.

Details

• Workflow: install the plugin (helm plugin install https://github.com/helm-unittest/helm-unittest); run helm unittest in the chart directory in CI.
• Assertions: document presence, equals, match regex, snapshot files, and suite-level setup/teardown for values files.
• Fit: essential when you ship Helm Chart artifacts to customers or run many value permutations (dev/stage/prod).
• Limits: tests template output, not cluster behavior, pair with integration tests for admission, CRDs, and hooks.
• Note: superseded the earlier quintush/helm-unittest fork; use the helm-unittest org repository.