info:To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
---
# Helm API
This is the API documentation for [Helm](../../user/packages/helm_repository/index.md).
WARNING:
This API is used by the Helm-related package clients such as [Helm](https://helm.sh/)
and [`helm-push`](https://github.com/chartmuseum/helm-push/#readme),
and is generally not meant for manual consumption. This API is under development and is not ready
for production use due to limited functionality.
For instructions on how to upload and install Helm packages from the GitLab
Package Registry, see the [Helm registry documentation](../../user/packages/helm_repository/index.md).
NOTE:
These endpoints do not adhere to the standard API authentication methods.
See the [Helm registry documentation](../../user/packages/helm_repository/index.md)
for details on which headers and token types are supported.
## Enable the Helm API
The Helm API for GitLab is behind a feature flag that is disabled by default. GitLab
administrators with access to the GitLab Rails console can enable this API for your instance.
To enable it:
```ruby
Feature.enable(:helm_packages)
```
To disable it:
```ruby
Feature.disable(:helm_packages)
```
## Download a chart index
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/62757) in GitLab 14.1.
Download a chart index:
```plaintext
GET projects/:id/packages/helm/:channel/index.yaml
```
| Attribute | Type | Required | Description |
| --------- | ------ | -------- | ----------- |
| `id` | string | yes | The ID or full path of the project. |
info:To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
---
# Helm charts in the Package Registry **(FREE)**
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/18997) in GitLab 14.1.
WARNING:
The Helm package registry for GitLab is under development and isn't ready for production use due to
limited functionality.
Publish Helm packages in your project's Package Registry. Then install the
packages whenever you need to use them as a dependency.
For documentation of the specific API endpoints that Helm package manager
clients use, see the [Helm API documentation](../../../api/packages/helm.md).
## Enable the Helm repository feature
Helm repository support is still a work in progress. It's gated behind a feature flag that's
**disabled by default**. [GitLab administrators with access to the GitLab Rails console](../../../administration/feature_flags.md)
can opt to enable it.
To enable it:
```ruby
Feature.enable(:helm_packages)
```
To disable it:
```ruby
Feature.disable(:helm_packages)
```
## Build a Helm package
Creating a Helm package is documented [in the Helm documentation](https://helm.sh/docs/intro/using_helm/#creating-your-own-charts).
## Authenticate to the Helm repository
To authenticate to the Helm repository, you need either:
- A [personal access token](../../../api/index.md#personalproject-access-tokens).
- A [deploy token](../../project/deploy_tokens/index.md).
- A [CI/CD job token](../../../api/index.md#gitlab-cicd-job-token).
## Publish a package
Once built, a chart can be uploaded to the `stable` channel with `curl` or `helm-push`: