Implementation Roadmap & Future Design

This document outlines the planned improvements, feature priorities, and strategic vision for jhelm.

1. Recommended Implementation Roadmap

The roadmap is divided into several phases focusing on compatibility, feature completeness, and architectural modernization.

1.1. Phase 1: Helm 4 Core Compatibility (2-3 weeks)

  1. Add missing template functions (mustToYaml, mustToJson, etc.) - ✅ COMPLETED

  2. Category-based function refactoring - ✅ COMPLETED

  3. Remove duplicate legacy functions - ✅ COMPLETED

  4. Implement Server-Side Apply in HelmKubeService

  5. Enhanced OCI registry support with digest verification

  6. Content-based chart caching

  7. Multi-document values file support

1.2. Phase 2: Feature Completeness (3-4 weeks)

  1. Dependency management system

  2. Hooks support (pre/post install/upgrade)

  3. Missing commands (get, show, dependency)

  4. JSON Schema validation - ✅ COMPLETED

  5. Improved resource status watching

1.3. Phase 3: Architecture & Quality (2-3 weeks)

  1. Remove Spring Boot from core modules (making them library-first)

  2. Async/reactive support - ✅ COMPLETED (virtual-thread AsyncKubeService)

  3. Metrics and observability

  4. Enhanced error recovery

  5. Better contextual error messages

1.4. Phase 4: Advanced Features (4-6 weeks)

  1. Plugin system architecture

  2. WebAssembly plugin support

  3. Post-renderers

  4. Chart signing/verification

  5. Chart testing framework

1.5. Phase 5: Polish & Performance (2-3 weeks)

  1. Template compilation cache - ✅ COMPLETED (LRU TemplateCache)

  2. CLI color output

  3. CPU/memory profiling

  4. Enhanced test coverage

  5. Documentation improvements

2. Compatibility Matrix

Feature Helm 3 Helm 4 jhelm Current Priority Status

Template Rendering

✅

✅

✅

-

Complete

Sprig Functions

✅

✅

✅ (100%)

P1

✅ Complete

Helm 4 must Functions*

❌

✅

✅

P1

✅ Complete

Server-Side Apply

❌

✅

❌

P1

Pending

Three-Way Merge

✅

❌

✅

P1

Complete

Plugin System

✅

✅ (new)

❌

P2

Pending

OCI Registries

✅

✅ (enhanced)

⚠️

P1

Partial

Chart Dependencies

✅

✅

❌

P2

Pending

Hooks

✅

✅

❌

P2

Pending

JSON Schema

❌

✅

✅

P2

✅ Complete

Content Caching

❌

✅

✅

P1

✅ Complete

Structured Logging

❌

✅

⚠️

P1

Partial

3. Spring Boot Integration Roadmap ⭐

3.1. Strategic Vision

Transform jhelm into an enterprise-grade Helm management platform powered by Spring Boot, offering:

  • Centralized Configuration: Spring Config Server integration for values management across environments.

  • REST API: Full-featured API for programmatic Helm operations.

  • Web UI: Modern web interface for chart management and deployments.

  • Multi-tenancy: Support for multiple teams, clusters, and environments.

  • Real-time Operations: WebSocket-based deployment status and logs.

  • Enterprise Features: Security, audit logging, RBAC, SSO integration.

3.2. Architecture Design

3.2.1. New Modules

Module Description

jhelm-server

Purpose: REST API and Web UI server.
Technology: Spring Boot 4, Spring Web/WebFlux, Spring Security.
Components: REST Controllers, WebSocket endpoints, Web UI integration, OpenAPI docs, Actuator metrics.

jhelm-config

Purpose: Configuration management and Spring Config integration.
Technology: Spring Cloud Config, Spring Profiles.
Components: ConfigurationProperties for Helm values, Profile-based config, Config Server client, Encryption support.

jhelm-security

Purpose: Authentication, authorization, and audit (Future).
Technology: Spring Security, OAuth2, JWT.
Components: RBAC for Helm operations, SSO/LDAP integration, API key management, Audit logging.

3.2.2. Enhanced Existing Modules

  • jhelm-core: Add @ConfigurationProperties, Spring Environment integration, Spring Events for deployment lifecycle, Spring Cache for template caching.

  • jhelm-kube: Reactive operations with Spring WebFlux, Spring Retry for resilience, Spring Cloud Kubernetes for discovery, Async deployment support.

  • jhelm-app: Read from Spring Config Server, support environment variables via Spring Boot.

  • jhelm-gotemplate: Remains lightweight, no Spring dependency (pure Java).