README.md

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# Manual Helm Deployment

This directory contains Helm charts for manually deploying Dynamo inference graphs to Kubernetes.
This approach allows you to install Dynamo directly using a DynamoGraphDeploymentCRD values file, which is useful for quick deployments or testing specific configurations.

### Prerequisites

- Helm 3.0+
- Kubernetes 1.16+
- ETCD v3.5+ (without auth)
- NATS v2.10+ (with jetstream enabled)
- Grove v0.1.0+ (optional if deploying using Grove)

### Basic Installation

Here is how you would install a VLLM inference backend example.

```bash
helm upgrade --install dynamo-graph ./deploy/helm/chart -n dynamo-cloud -f ./examples/backends/vllm/deploy/agg.yaml
```

### Installation using Grove

Same example as above, but using Grove PodCliqueSet resources.

```bash
helm upgrade --install dynamo-graph ./deploy/helm/chart -n dynamo-cloud -f ./examples/backends/vllm/deploy/agg.yaml --set deploymentType=grove
```

### Customizable Properties

You can override the default configuration by setting the following properties:

```bash
helm upgrade --install dynamo-graph ./deploy/helm/chart -n dynamo-cloud \
  -f ./examples/backends/vllm/deploy/agg.yaml \
  --set "imagePullSecrets[0].name=docker-secret-1" \
  --set etcdAddr="my-etcd-service:2379" \
  --set natsAddr="nats://my-nats-service:4222"
```

#### Available Properties

| Property | Description | Example |
|----------|-------------|---------|
| `imagePullSecrets` | Array of image pull secrets for accessing private registries | `imagePullSecrets[0].name=docker-secret-1` |
| `etcdAddr` | Address of the etcd service | `dynamo-platform-etcd:2379` |
| `natsAddr` | Address of the NATS messaging service | `nats://dynamo-platform-nats:4222` |
| `deploymentType` | Type of deployment to use. Can be `basic` or `grove`. If not specified, `basic` is used. | `deploymentType=grove` |

## Feature Support Comparison

The following table shows which deployment features are supported by the **Helm chart installation** versus the **Operator path**:

| Feature | Helm Chart | Operator | Description |
|---------|------------|----------|-------------|
| **Singlenode** (k8sDeployments) | ✅ Supported | ✅ Supported | Single-node deployments using standard Kubernetes Deployments |
| **Singlenode** (Grove PodCliqueSet) | ✅ Supported | ✅ Supported | Single-node deployments using Grove PodCliqueSet resources |
| **Multinode** (Grove PodCliqueSet and LWS) | ❌ Not Supported | ✅ Supported | Multi-node deployments requiring Grove PodCliqueSet and LeaderWorkerSet (LWS) |

**Key Differences:**
- **Helm Chart**: Best for simple single-node deployments and quick testing. Supports both basic Kubernetes deployments and Grove PodCliqueSet resources.
- **Operator**: Required for advanced multi-node deployments. Provides full feature support including complex distributed inference configurations.