+page.markdoc

---
layout: article
title: Kubernetes deployment
description: Deploy Appwrite on Kubernetes using the HelmForge community Helm chart.
---

Deploy Appwrite on Kubernetes using a community-maintained [Helm chart](https://artifacthub.io/packages/helm/helmforge/appwrite). This chart uses the official `appwrite/appwrite` container image — no custom or repackaged containers.

{% info title="Community resource" %}
This Helm chart is maintained by [HelmForge](https://helmforge.dev), not by the Appwrite team. For issues related to the chart, open an issue on the [chart repository](https://github.com/helmforgedev/charts).
{% /info %}

# Prerequisites {% #prerequisites %}

Before starting, ensure you have:

- A running Kubernetes cluster (v1.26+)
- [Helm](https://helm.sh/docs/intro/install/) v3 installed
- `kubectl` configured to access your cluster

# Installation {% #installation %}

{% section #add-repo step=1 title="Add the Helm repository" %}

```bash
helm repo add helmforge https://repo.helmforge.dev
helm repo update
```

{% /section %}

{% section #install-chart step=2 title="Install Appwrite" %}

Using the Helm repository:

```bash
helm install appwrite helmforge/appwrite
```

Or directly from the OCI registry (skips step 1):

```bash
helm install appwrite oci://ghcr.io/helmforgedev/helm/appwrite
```

This installs Appwrite with bundled MariaDB and Redis subcharts. All core services are deployed as separate pods, including the API, Console, Realtime, background workers, and schedulers.

{% /section %}

{% section #verify step=3 title="Verify the deployment" %}

Check that all pods are running:

```bash
kubectl get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/instance=appwrite
```

Once all pods show `Running` status, access the Appwrite Console through the configured ingress or by port-forwarding:

```bash
kubectl port-forward svc/appwrite-appwrite-console 3000:80
```

Navigate to `http://localhost:3000` to complete the initial setup wizard.

{% /section %}

# Configuration {% #configuration %}

Create a `values.yaml` file to customize the deployment:

```yaml
domain: appwrite.example.com

ingress:
  enabled: true
  ingressClassName: nginx
```

Install with your custom values:

```bash
helm upgrade --install appwrite helmforge/appwrite -f values.yaml
```

{% info title="Secrets management" %}
Avoid storing sensitive values like SMTP passwords directly in `values.yaml`. Instead, use `helm install --set` sourced from your CI/CD secret store, or use a Kubernetes secrets management tool.
{% /info %}

# Architecture {% #architecture %}

The chart deploys Appwrite as multiple Kubernetes resources:

- **API, Console, Realtime** — separate Deployments with path-based ingress routing
- **12 background workers** and **3 schedulers** — configurable resource limits
- **MariaDB and Redis** — bundled as subcharts, or connect to external instances
- **Persistent volumes** — for uploads, cache, certificates, functions, builds, and sites

# External databases {% #external-databases %}

To use external MariaDB and Redis instances instead of the bundled subcharts:

```yaml
mariadb:
  enabled: false

redis:
  enabled: false

externalMariadb:
  host: your-mariadb-host
  port: 3306
  database: appwrite
  username: appwrite
  password: your-password

externalRedis:
  host: your-redis-host
  port: 6379
```

# Next steps {% #next-steps %}

After successful deployment:

- [Configure services](/docs/advanced/self-hosting/configuration/environment-variables) - Set up environment variables and services
- [Production optimization](/docs/advanced/self-hosting/production) - Prepare for production workloads
- [Chart documentation](https://helmforge.dev/docs/charts/appwrite) - Full values reference and architecture details