Compare Default vs Override Values for Multi-Environment

Multi-Environment Values Management

Helm charts typically have a values.yaml (defaults) and environment-specific override files like values-dev.yaml, values-staging.yaml, and values-prod.yaml. The comparison mode helps catch issues between these files.

Typical File Structure

my-chart/
  values.yaml              # Defaults
  values-dev.yaml          # Development overrides
  values-staging.yaml      # Staging overrides
  values-prod.yaml         # Production overrides

Example: Default vs Production Override

Default values.yaml:

replicaCount: 1
image:
  repository: my-app
  tag: "dev-latest"
resources:
  limits:
    cpu: 100m
    memory: 128Mi
  requests:
    cpu: 50m
    memory: 64Mi
autoscaling:
  enabled: false
nodeSelector: {}

values-prod.yaml (override):

replicaCount: 3
image:
  tag: "2.1.0"
resources:
  limits:
    cpu: "1"
    memory: 1Gi
  requests:
    cpu: 500m
    memory: 512Mi
autoscaling:
  enabled: true
  minReplicas: 3
  maxReplicas: 20
nodeselector:  # Typo! Should be nodeSelector
  env: production

What Comparison Detects

1. Misspelled keys: nodeselector is flagged as a likely typo of nodeSelector (Levenshtein distance = 1)
2. Type mismatches: If default has a number but override has a string for the same path
3. Unknown keys: Keys in the override that do not exist in defaults are flagged (could be intentional chart extensions or mistakes)
4. Override validation: The override values are also checked against Helm best practices

Best Practices

• Keep override files minimal — only include values that differ from defaults
• Use comments to document why each override exists
• Run the validator on each environment file before deployment
• Consider using helmfile or Argo CD for managing multi-environment values