A GUI for Helm, Because Sometimes You Just Want to See What's Deployed
If you've ever run helm list and gotten a wall of release names, then run helm history and gotten another wall, then tried to figure out which Kubernetes resources actually belong to which revision—you know the pain. Helm is powerful, but it's a command-line tool, and sometimes you just want to look at your cluster. Helm Dashboard is an open-source project that gives you a browser-based UI for exactly that.
What It Does
Helm Dashboard is a UI-driven way to work with Helm. It lets you view installed charts, browse their revision history, and see the Kubernetes resources that resulted from each chart. You can also perform actions like rolling back to a previous revision or upgrading to a newer version, with a manifest diff shown so you know what's changing before you commit.
The tool can be used locally or installed into a Kubernetes cluster. It doesn't require Helm or kubectl to be installed on your machine if you use the standalone binary. It also supports switching between multiple clusters, and it integrates with popular problem scanners. It's part of Komodor's broader effort to help Kubernetes users navigate and troubleshoot their clusters—though it's worth noting this is not an official Helm project.
Why It's Cool
The manifest diff is the killer feature. Rolling back a Helm release from the CLI is easy enough, but knowing what you're rolling back to requires mentally parsing YAML across revisions. Helm Dashboard shows you a clear diff, which turns a nerve-wracking operation into something you can actually reason about.
No Helm or kubectl required. The standalone binary (the recommended install method since version 1.0) bundles what it needs. That's a nice touch for anyone who wants to inspect a cluster from a machine that doesn't have the usual tooling set up—or for folks who just don't want to juggle terminal windows.
Multiple cluster support. If you work across dev, staging, and prod clusters, being able to switch between them in a single UI is a small thing that adds up over a workday.
Local or in-cluster. You can run it as a local web server that opens in a browser tab, or deploy it into your cluster. That flexibility means you can use it for quick local debugging or as a shared tool for your team.
Problem scanner integration. The README mentions integration with popular problem scanners, which suggests the tool is designed to surface issues rather than just display state. That's a meaningful difference from a plain read-only dashboard.
It's honest about what it isn't. The README explicitly states this is not an official Helm project. That kind of clarity is refreshing—you know exactly what you're getting and who's behind it.
How to Try It
The recommended way to get started is the standalone binary. Grab the release package for your platform from the releases page, unpack it, and run the dashboard binary. No Helm or kubectl needed.
If you'd rather use it as a Helm plugin, you'll need working helm and kubectl commands (Helm 3.4.0+). Install it with:
helm plugin install https://github.com/komodorio/helm-dashboard.git
Then start it:
helm dashboard
That launches a local web server and opens the UI in a new browser tab. The command hangs until you terminate it, either from the command line or the web UI. You can check available flags with helm dashboard --help.
By default, the web server is only available locally. You can change that with a HD_ prefixed flag (the README is truncated at this point, so check the full docs for the exact parameter).
To update the plugin later:
helm plugin update dashboard
And to remove it:
helm plugin uninstall dashboard
The full feature set is documented in the project's features overview page. The repo is at github.com/komodorio/helm-dashboard.
Final Thoughts
Helm Dashboard fills a gap that a lot of teams quietly work around—Helm's CLI is fine for automation, but it's not great for inspection. This tool doesn't try to replace Helm; it gives you a visual layer on top of it for the moments when you need to understand what's actually running. If you manage Helm releases across multiple clusters, or if you've ever hesitated before running helm rollback because you weren't sure what would change, this is worth a look. It's a focused tool that does a specific job well, and the no-dependencies standalone binary makes it easy to try without committing to anything.
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