DIAL Helm configuration

Helm values select chart dependencies, configure Kubernetes resources, and supply runtime configuration to DIAL services. This reference maps value scopes and configuration sources for platform engineers familiar with Helm. The chart-specific pages describe the released defaults and link to each chart's complete parameter table and values file.

Value scopes

Installation	Scope	Reference
dial/dial	core, chat, themes, openai, bedrock, vertexai, and dial are dependency aliases. Values for a dependency go below its alias.	Platform chart
dial/dial-core	Core values at the root; bundled cache settings under valkey.	Core chart
dial/dial-extension	Workload values at the root.	Extension chart
dial/dial-admin	frontend, backend, manager, postgresql, and externalDatabase.	Admin chart

For example, standalone Core uses image.tag; Core inside the platform chart uses core.image.tag. Standalone extensions use env; Chat inside the platform chart uses chat.env.

Helm merges values files in command order; later files override earlier values. --set overrides file values. Quote environment variable values as strings because the templates pass them through Helm's tpl function. Use extraEnvVars for native Kubernetes valueFrom objects.

Runtime configuration sources

Value	What the template creates
env	Named entries under the container's env, with string values rendered through tpl.
secrets	A Kubernetes Secret loaded by the workload with envFrom. Values are encoded in the rendered resource.
extraEnvVars	Additional Kubernetes environment entries, including secretKeyRef or configMapKeyRef.
extraEnvVarsSecret	envFrom reference to an existing Secret.
extraEnvVarsCM	envFrom reference to an existing ConfigMap.
extraVolumes, extraVolumeMounts	Mounts for configuration files, certificates, or other data.

Apply the relevant alias prefix when using the platform or Admin chart. Component-specific settings remain in the service references: Core, Chat, Admin, and Deployment Manager.

Warning

Putting a value under secrets creates a Secret; it does not remove that value from the values supplied to Helm or its release history. Use existing Secret references when credentials are managed outside the Helm release. Rendered manifests can contain credentials; protect their output.

Global and shared settings

Core, Extension, and Admin expose global.imageRegistry, global.imagePullSecrets, global.storageClass, and global.compatibility.openshift.adaptSecurityContext. Local image, storage, and security settings still belong to the selected workload. nameOverride, fullnameOverride, and namespaceOverride adjust resource naming and namespace; changing names on an existing release needs an upgrade review.

commonLabels, commonAnnotations, and extraDeploy add shared metadata and additional Kubernetes manifests. The Extension reference describes the workload setting families also used by Core and Admin's frontend/manager aliases. Chart-specific defaults can override those shared defaults.

Inspect and render a pinned chart

helm show values dial/dial --version 8.1.0 > upstream-values.yaml
helm template dial dial/dial \
  --version 8.1.0 \
  --namespace dial \
  -f values.yaml > rendered.yaml

values.yaml supplies the environment's overrides; upstream-values.yaml is the reference for that exact chart version. Rendering checks templates and value wiring without installing the release. It does not validate live credentials, provider endpoints, storage, controller behavior, or application readiness.

After reviewing the rendered resources, the installation guides use a pinned release:

helm upgrade --install dial dial/dial \
  --version 8.1.0 \
  --namespace dial --create-namespace \
  -f values.yaml

For the complete provider setup, use Cloud deployment. For chart 8.0 migrations, read Platform chart 8.0.0 before upgrading from 7.x.