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Templates are reusable configurations that define how your software is deployed. They serve as the foundation for both products (with pricing) and direct installs (standalone deployments).

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What Are Templates?

Templates store source configurations that describe your application’s deployment. When you create a product, CNAP automatically creates a template from your Helm sources, then generates a versioned package that can be deployed to your clusters.
Templates are created automatically when you create a product or direct install. You don’t need to manage them separately - CNAP handles everything for you.

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How Templates Work

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Template Lifecycle

  1. Create - Template is created from Helm sources (automatically when creating a product)
  2. Package Generation - CNAP generates a versioned package from the template
  3. Deployment - Package is deployed to your clusters

Learn More

Understand how packages are automatically generated from templates

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Template Sources

Templates can include multiple types of sources:

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Helm Charts

  • Standard Helm charts from repositories (HTTP, OCI, or Git)
  • Examples: PostgreSQL, Redis, NGINX from Artifact Hub
  • Values are nested under the chart name or alias

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Custom Kubernetes Manifests

  • Raw Kubernetes resources (, , , custom CRDs)
  • Placed directly in the chart’s templates/ directory
  • Values merge at the root level

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Mixed Sources

  • Combine Helm charts and custom in a single template
  • All sources are composed into one unified Helm chart
  • Dependencies are automatically bundled

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Templates and Products

When you create a product:
  1. Template Creation - A template is automatically created from your Helm sources
  2. Package Generation - CNAP generates a versioned package (e.g., 0.1.0)
  3. Product Association - The product references the template and adds pricing
  4. Customer Deployment - When customers purchase, the package is deployed to your clusters
One template can power multiple products, or be deployed directly without pricing as a standalone install.

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Direct Installs

Templates can also be deployed directly without creating a product:
  • No Pricing - Deploy applications without Stripe integration
  • Internal Tools - Perfect for internal services, monitoring, or development tools
  • Same Package Generation - Still benefits from automatic package generation and versioning

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Why Templates Are Powerful

Templates solve the complexity of managing multiple deployment sources:

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One Template, Many Uses

  • Reusability - One template can power multiple products or direct installs
  • Consistency - Same configuration deployed the same way every time
  • Efficiency - Define once, deploy everywhere

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Automatic Package Generation

When you create a template, CNAP automatically:
  • Generates a Versioned Package - Creates a self-contained Helm package
  • Bundles Dependencies - All Helm charts and manifests combined into one package
  • Locks Versions - No “latest” references, everything is pinned
  • Validates - Runs helm lint to ensure package quality

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Self-Contained & Reliable

  • Works Offline - All dependencies bundled, no external fetches needed
  • Source Independent - Package works even if original sources become unavailable
  • Single Download - One package contains everything

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Standard & Portable

  • Standard Helm Format - Works with all Helm tools and workflows
  • Portable - Generated packages can be used outside CNAP
  • Tool Compatible - Use helm template, helm lint, and all Helm plugins

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Template Benefits

  • Reusability - One template can power multiple products or direct installs
  • Versioning - Automatic semantic versioning (e.g., 0.1.0, 0.1.1)
  • Self-Contained - All dependencies bundled in the generated package
  • Standard Helm - Works with all Helm tooling and GitOps workflows
  • Automatic Updates - Packages regenerate when templates are updated

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Template Structure

A template consists of:
  • Name - Display name for the template
  • Helm Sources - Array of Helm charts and/or custom manifests
  • Values - Configuration values for each source
  • Metadata - Additional information (GitHub workflow runs, Artifact Hub data, and more)

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When Templates Are Created

Templates are automatically created in these scenarios:
  1. Product Creation - When you create a product with Helm sources
  2. Product Update - When you update a product’s sources (template is updated)
  3. Direct Install - When you create a standalone install with Helm sources

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Package Generation

When a template is created or updated, CNAP automatically:
  1. Generates a standard Helm package structure
  2. Packages all dependencies into a single package
  3. Creates a versioned release following semantic versioning
  4. Stores the package for deployment

Package Generation Details

Learn how CNAP generates packages from templates

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Next Steps

Create a Product

Create your first product and see templates in action

Learn About Package Generation

Understand how packages are automatically generated

Application Sources

Learn about the different source types you can use

Package Versioning

Understand how versioning works for your packages