Helm and Kustomize for Cluster Components

Bootstrapping a cluster means installing a dozen components before you run your first workload. cert-manager, metrics-server, ingress-nginx, a CNI plugin, a storage provisioner. None of them ship as a single YAML file you can apply with kubectl. They ship as Helm charts bundling CRDs, RBAC, Deployments, Services, and webhook configurations that must be created in the right order.

The CKA exam tests fluency with both Helm and Kustomize in the Cluster Architecture domain, worth 25% of the exam. The tasks are practical: install a chart with the right namespace and values, upgrade it to a new version, apply a Kustomize overlay. No chart authoring, no Go templating. This article covers what you actually need to know.