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How to convert a Helm chart to Docker Compose

For the record: you should probably just run Kubernetes. On Linux, k3s is one script. On macOS or Windows, Docker Desktop has an "Enable Kubernetes" checkbox. helm install and you're done.

But you're here, so one of these is true:

  • You don't want to learn Kubernetes. You want to add an app to your NAS or VPS the same way you added Plex or Immich — paste a compose file, click deploy, move on. I'm not saying I agree, but this is the reason this project exists.
  • You can't be root. Corporate policy says Podman rootless, no sudo, no systemd. k3s needs root. Compose is what you've got.
  • Your platform only speaks Compose. Your Synology, Unraid, or hosting panel has a "paste your compose.yml here" box and nothing else.

kubernetes2simple converts the chart for you. The Helm chart stays the source of truth, the Compose file is a generated artifact.

Two commands

curl -fsSL k2s.dekube.io/get | bash
docker compose up -d

The script detects what's in your directory — a helmfile, a Helm chart, or raw Kubernetes manifests — and does the right thing. It downloads helm and helmfile if you don't have them. Everything goes into .kubernetes2simple/. Your system stays clean.

If your helmfile uses environments, pass one:

./kubernetes2simple.sh --env dev

Things to check after conversion

Hostnames — Your app's domain names end up in the Caddy reverse proxy config. Make sure they resolve locally (*.localhost works on most systems, or add /etc/hosts entries).

Secrets — If a secret value wasn't found during conversion, env vars that reference it are skipped (with a warning). Add missing values in dekube.yaml under overrides:, not in compose.yml.

Volume paths — Persistent storage becomes bind mounts under ./data/. Customize in dekube.yaml — the script reads it but never overwrites it.

Re-running

The script is safe to re-run. compose.yml and Caddyfile are regenerated. dekube.yaml is preserved — your volume paths, excludes, and overrides survive.

# After chart changes, just re-run
./kubernetes2simple.sh --env dev
docker compose up -d

Want more control?

Want to understand what the script did with each part of your chart? How the conversion works breaks it down step by step.

kubernetes2simple decides everything for you. If you need to choose which extensions to load, exclude specific services, or embed the conversion in CI, helmfile2compose is the distribution for maintainers.

"The scribe who copied the great hymns into the lesser tongue believed himself a translator. He was, in truth, the first heretic — for to render the sacred in the mundane is to declare that the mundane was always sufficient."

— Necronomicon, On the Heresy of Helm Template (unverified)