---
title: "Deleting Helm Chart Default Values"
description: "Helm charts commonly provide default values in `values.yaml`, and many chart templates guard fields with truthy checks like `{{- if .Values.foo }}`.

The standard way to remove one of those defaults is to set the value to `null` — the equivalent of `helm install --set foo=null` on the Helm CLI. In this guide you'll see how to do that from every Pulumi language, including the `valueYamlFiles` approach required outside of TypeScript."
url: "https://www.pulumi.com/dev/tutorials/deleting-helm-chart-default-values/"
image: "https://www.pulumi.com/assets/og/dev/tutorials/deleting-helm-chart-default-values.png"
---

# Deleting Helm Chart Default Values

Helm charts commonly provide default values in `values.yaml`, and many chart templates guard fields with truthy checks like `{{- if .Values.foo }}`.

The standard way to remove one of those defaults is to set the value to `null` — the equivalent of `helm install --set foo=null` on the Helm CLI. In this guide you'll see how to do that from every Pulumi language, including the `valueYamlFiles` approach required outside of TypeScript.

## What you'll learn

- How to remove a Helm chart default value by setting it to null
- How to use `valueYamlFiles` to delete defaults from Python, Go, C#, Java, and YAML

## Prerequisites

- The [Pulumi CLI](https://www.pulumi.com/docs/install/)
- A [Pulumi Cloud account](https://app.pulumi.com/signup) and an [access token](https://www.pulumi.com/docs/administration/access-identity/access-tokens/)
- A Kubernetes cluster (for example, [kind](https://kind.sigs.k8s.io/))
- [helm](https://helm.sh/docs/intro/install/)

> **Note**
>
> Requires pulumi-kubernetes v4.30.0 or later. Earlier versions strip `null` values during Helm value merging, so the patterns below have no effect on those versions.

Helm charts commonly provide default values in `values.yaml`, and many chart templates guard fields with truthy checks like `{{- if .Values.foo }}`. The standard way to remove one of those defaults is to set the value to `null` — the equivalent of `helm install --set foo=null` on the Helm CLI.

## TypeScript: set the key to `null` in the inline `values` map

In TypeScript this is straightforward — set the key to `null` in the `values` map and it flows through to Helm:

```typescript
import * as k8s from "@pulumi/kubernetes";

const nginx = new k8s.helm.v3.Release("nginx", {
    chart: "nginx",
    repositoryOpts: {
        repo: "https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami",
    },
    values: {
        containerPorts: {
            http: null,
        },
    },
});
```

## Other SDKs: use `valueYamlFiles`

Inline `null` in the `values` map only works from TypeScript — other Pulumi SDKs strip null map values before they reach the provider. The `valueYamlFiles` path avoids this because the file content is shipped as a Pulumi [Asset](https://www.pulumi.com/docs/concepts/assets-archives/#assets) and parsed on the provider side. Put the explicit `null` in a yaml file and reference it:

```yaml
# overrides.yaml
containerPorts:
  http: null
```

**Python**

```python
import pulumi
from pulumi_kubernetes.helm.v3 import Release, ReleaseArgs, RepositoryOptsArgs

nginx = Release(
    "nginx",
    ReleaseArgs(
        chart="nginx",
        repository_opts=RepositoryOptsArgs(
            repo="https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami",
        ),
        value_yaml_files=[pulumi.FileAsset("./overrides.yaml")],
    ),
)
```

**Go**

```go
package main

import (
	helmv3 "github.com/pulumi/pulumi-kubernetes/sdk/v4/go/kubernetes/helm/v3"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := helmv3.NewRelease(ctx, "nginx", &helmv3.ReleaseArgs{
			Chart: pulumi.String("nginx"),
			RepositoryOpts: helmv3.RepositoryOptsArgs{
				Repo: pulumi.String("https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami"),
			},
			ValueYamlFiles: pulumi.AssetOrArchiveArray{
				pulumi.NewFileAsset("./overrides.yaml"),
			},
		})
		return err
	})
}
```

**C#**

```csharp
using Pulumi;
using Pulumi.Kubernetes.Helm.V3;
using Pulumi.Kubernetes.Types.Inputs.Helm.V3;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() =>
{
    new Release("nginx", new ReleaseArgs
    {
        Chart = "nginx",
        RepositoryOpts = new RepositoryOptsArgs
        {
            Repo = "https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami",
        },
        ValueYamlFiles = { new FileAsset("./overrides.yaml") },
    });
});
```

**Java**

```java
package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.asset.FileAsset;
import com.pulumi.kubernetes.helm.v3.Release;
import com.pulumi.kubernetes.helm.v3.ReleaseArgs;
import com.pulumi.kubernetes.helm.v3.inputs.RepositoryOptsArgs;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(ctx -> {
            new Release("nginx", ReleaseArgs.builder()
                    .chart("nginx")
                    .repositoryOpts(RepositoryOptsArgs.builder()
                            .repo("https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami")
                            .build())
                    .valueYamlFiles(new FileAsset("./overrides.yaml"))
                    .build());
        });
    }
}
```

**YAML**

```yaml
name: example
runtime: yaml
resources:
  nginx:
    type: kubernetes:helm.sh/v3:Release
    properties:
      chart: nginx
      repositoryOpts:
        repo: https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami
      valueYamlFiles:
        - fn::fileAsset: overrides.yaml
```

On the next `pulumi up`, the `http` default from the chart's `values.yaml` is dropped and the `containerPorts` block is rendered without it.

## Next steps

- [Install Helm Charts using the Release resource](https://www.pulumi.com/dev/tutorials/kubernetes-helm-part-one/)
- [Install Helm Charts using the Chart resource](https://www.pulumi.com/dev/tutorials/kubernetes-helm-part-two/)