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Strapi

Deploy Strapi on Kubernetes as a production-ready headless CMS for APIs, websites, and custom admin experiences. This chart is designed for prebuilt Strapi project images and includes enterprise-grade features for scalability, security, and observability.

Overview

The HelmForge Strapi chart transforms basic Strapi deployments into production-ready, horizontally-scalable systems with comprehensive configuration options for uploads, email, database pooling, security hardening, and performance tuning.

This chart uses the official HelmForge Strapi base image (docker.io/helmforge/strapi-base), a production-optimized image built specifically for Kubernetes deployments.

Key Features

Core Capabilities

  • Multi-replica deployments — horizontal scaling with S3/Cloudinary uploads
  • S3-compatible upload providers — AWS S3, MinIO, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2
  • Cloudinary integration — managed media delivery and transformation
  • Email providers — SMTP, SendGrid for notifications and password reset
  • Database connection pooling — production-grade PostgreSQL/MySQL management
  • Multiple database backends — SQLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL, or external databases

Production Features

  • Admin panel security — custom paths, JWT expiration, rate limiting
  • Performance tuning — Node.js memory configuration, log levels, structured logs
  • HTTP health checks — application-level health validation via /_health
  • GraphQL configuration — playground, introspection, depth/complexity limits
  • Scheduled S3 backups — automated database dumps and uploads archiving
  • Application secrets management — auto-generated keys with upgrade preservation

Installation

HTTPS Repository

helm repo add helmforge https://repo.helmforge.dev
helm repo update
helm install strapi helmforge/strapi

OCI Registry

helm install strapi oci://ghcr.io/helmforgedev/helm/strapi

HelmForge Base Image

Why Use helmforge/strapi-base?

The chart uses HelmForge’s production-ready Strapi base image instead of the generic Strapi image. This provides significant advantages for Kubernetes deployments:

Image: docker.io/helmforge/strapi-base:v0.0.3

Key Features

  • Strapi 5.42.0 — Latest stable version with security patches
  • All official plugins included — Upload providers, email, database plugins pre-installed
  • Multi-database support — SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MySQL drivers included
  • Health check endpoint — HTTP /_health endpoint returns HTTP 200 with JSON body containing status, uptime, database connectivity, and version
  • Security hardened — Non-root user (UID 1000), minimal attack surface
  • Multi-architecture — Supports linux/amd64 and linux/arm64
  • Production optimized — Pre-built dependencies, smaller image size
  • Regularly updated — Security patches and Strapi updates applied promptly

Using the Base Image

Default (recommended for testing):

image:
  repository: docker.io/helmforge/strapi-base
  tag: 'v0.0.3'

This provides a working Strapi instance with default configuration, perfect for:

  • Testing Strapi features
  • Proof of concept deployments
  • Development environments
  • Learning Kubernetes deployments

Custom Strapi Project:

For production deployments with custom content types and configurations:

# Dockerfile
FROM docker.io/helmforge/strapi-base:v0.0.3

# Copy your Strapi project
COPY --chown=strapi:strapi . /opt/app

# Build admin panel (if customized)
RUN npm run build

# Your custom startup command (optional)
CMD ["npm", "run", "start"]

Then use your custom image:

image:
  repository: ghcr.io/myorg/my-custom-strapi
  tag: 'v1.0.0'

Image Specifications

SpecificationValue
Registrydocker.io
Repositoryhelmforge/strapi-base
Current Tagv0.0.3
Strapi Version5.42.0
Base Imagenode:22-alpine
Userstrapi (UID 1000, GID 1000)
Working Dir/opt/app
Exposed Port1337
Architectureslinux/amd64, linux/arm64
Size~350MB (amd64), ~320MB (arm64)

Included Features

Pre-installed Plugins:

  • Upload providers (local, AWS S3, Cloudinary)
  • Email providers (SMTP, SendGrid)
  • Database connectors (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite)
  • Admin panel with all features
  • GraphQL plugin
  • Documentation plugin
  • Internationalization (i18n)

Security Features:

  • Non-root user execution
  • Minimal Alpine-based image
  • No unnecessary system packages
  • Regular security updates
  • Follows Kubernetes security best practices

Health Check Support:

The image includes a custom /_health endpoint that returns HTTP 200 when Strapi is ready:

curl http://localhost:1337/_health
# Returns: {"status":"ok"}

This enables proper Kubernetes health checks:

livenessProbe:
  httpGet:
    path: /_health
    port: 1337
readinessProbe:
  httpGet:
    path: /_health
    port: 1337

Quick Start Examples

Basic SQLite Deployment

Simplest deployment for development or testing:

image:
  repository: docker.io/helmforge/strapi-base
  tag: 'v0.0.3'

persistence:
  enabled: true
  size: 5Gi

ingress:
  enabled: true
  ingressClassName: nginx
  hosts:
    - host: cms-dev.example.com
      paths:
        - path: /
          pathType: Prefix

Production Multi-Replica with S3

Production-ready deployment with horizontal scaling:

replicaCount: 3

image:
  repository: docker.io/helmforge/strapi-base
  tag: 'v0.0.3'

# S3 uploads enable multi-replica scaling
strapi:
  url: https://cms.example.com
  upload:
    provider: aws-s3
    s3:
      enabled: true
      bucket: mycompany-strapi-uploads
      region: us-east-1
      existingSecret: strapi-s3-secret

  # Email for password reset and notifications
  email:
    provider: smtp
    defaultFrom: noreply@example.com
    smtp:
      host: smtp.sendgrid.net
      port: 587
      existingSecret: strapi-smtp-secret

  # Security hardening
  admin:
    path: /secure-admin
    jwtExpiration: 7d
    rateLimit:
      enabled: true
      max: 5
      timeWindow: 900000

  # Performance optimization
  performance:
    nodeOptions: '--max-old-space-size=2048'
    logLevel: warn
    forceJsonLogs: true

# PostgreSQL with connection pooling
postgresql:
  enabled: true
  auth:
    database: strapi
    username: strapi
    existingSecret: strapi-postgresql-secret
  primary:
    persistence:
      size: 20Gi

database:
  pool:
    min: 2
    max: 8

# Automated backups
backup:
  enabled: true
  schedule: '0 2 * * *'
  s3:
    endpoint: https://s3.amazonaws.com
    bucket: mycompany-strapi-backups
    existingSecret: strapi-backup-s3-secret

# Production resources
resources:
  requests:
    cpu: 500m
    memory: 1Gi
  limits:
    cpu: '2'
    memory: 2.5Gi

ingress:
  enabled: true
  ingressClassName: nginx
  annotations:
    cert-manager.io/cluster-issuer: letsencrypt-prod
  hosts:
    - host: cms.example.com
      paths:
        - path: /
          pathType: Prefix
  tls:
    - secretName: strapi-tls
      hosts:
        - cms.example.com

Upload Providers

Why Upload Providers Matter

By default, Strapi stores uploads on the local filesystem. This works for single-replica deployments but prevents horizontal scaling. Upload providers solve this by storing media in shared object storage.

S3-Compatible Storage

Supports AWS S3, MinIO, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, and other S3-compatible services:

strapi:
  upload:
    provider: aws-s3
    s3:
      enabled: true

      # For AWS S3 (leave endpoint empty)
      region: us-east-1
      bucket: my-strapi-uploads

      # For MinIO/R2/Backblaze (specify endpoint)
      endpoint: https://minio.example.com

      # Credentials (use existingSecret in production)
      existingSecret: strapi-s3-secret
      # Or inline (not recommended):
      # accessKey: AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE
      # secretKey: wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY

      # Optional configuration
      prefix: uploads/ # Folder prefix
      acl: private # Access control
      baseUrl: https://cdn.example.com # CDN URL

Create the secret:

kubectl create secret generic strapi-s3-secret \
  --from-literal=access-key=AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE \
  --from-literal=secret-key=wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY \
  -n strapi

Cloudinary

Managed media delivery with transformation capabilities:

strapi:
  upload:
    provider: cloudinary
    cloudinary:
      enabled: true
      cloudName: mycompany
      existingSecret: strapi-cloudinary-secret
      # Or inline:
      # apiKey: "123456789012345"
      # apiSecret: "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"

Create the secret:

kubectl create secret generic strapi-cloudinary-secret \
  --from-literal=api-key=123456789012345 \
  --from-literal=api-secret=abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz \
  -n strapi

Multi-Replica Requirements

The chart enforces upload provider requirements:

  • replicaCount: 1 — works with any upload provider (local, S3, Cloudinary)
  • replicaCount > 1 — requires S3 or Cloudinary

Attempting multi-replica with local uploads fails at render time with a helpful error message.

Email Configuration

Email providers enable password reset, user invitations, and notifications.

SMTP

Generic SMTP provider (SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, etc.):

strapi:
  email:
    provider: smtp
    defaultFrom: noreply@example.com
    defaultReplyTo: support@example.com
    smtp:
      host: smtp.sendgrid.net
      port: 587
      username: apikey
      existingSecret: strapi-smtp-secret
      secure: false # Use STARTTLS
      requireTLS: true # Enforce TLS

Create the secret:

kubectl create secret generic strapi-smtp-secret \
  --from-literal=smtp-password=SG.abc123... \
  -n strapi

SendGrid

Dedicated SendGrid integration:

strapi:
  email:
    provider: sendgrid
    defaultFrom: noreply@example.com
    sendgrid:
      existingSecret: strapi-sendgrid-secret

Create the secret:

kubectl create secret generic strapi-sendgrid-secret \
  --from-literal=sendgrid-api-key=SG.abc123... \
  -n strapi

Database Configuration

SQLite (Default)

Simple filesystem-based database for development:

database:
  mode: sqlite # or auto (default)
  sqlite:
    directory: /opt/app/.tmp
    filename: data.db

persistence:
  enabled: true
  size: 5Gi

Important: SQLite requires persistence.enabled: true and replicaCount: 1.

PostgreSQL Subchart

Bundled PostgreSQL for complete Helm release:

postgresql:
  enabled: true
  architecture: standalone # or replication
  auth:
    database: strapi
    username: strapi
    password: '' # auto-generated if empty
    existingSecret: strapi-postgresql-secret
  primary:
    persistence:
      enabled: true
      size: 20Gi

MySQL Subchart

Bundled MySQL alternative:

mysql:
  enabled: true
  architecture: standalone # or replication
  auth:
    database: strapi
    username: strapi
    password: '' # auto-generated if empty
    existingSecret: strapi-mysql-secret
  primary:
    persistence:
      enabled: true
      size: 20Gi

External Database

Connect to existing database:

database:
  mode: external
  external:
    vendor: postgres # or mysql
    host: postgres.database.svc.cluster.local
    port: 5432
    name: strapi
    username: strapi
    existingSecret: strapi-db-secret
    ssl:
      enabled: true

Connection Pooling

Critical for production deployments with multiple replicas:

database:
  pool:
    min: 2 # Minimum connections per replica
    max: 8 # Maximum connections per replica
    acquireTimeoutMillis: 30000 # Connection acquisition timeout
    idleTimeoutMillis: 30000 # Idle connection timeout

Calculate max connections:

total_connections = replicaCount × pool.max + buffer

Example: 3 replicas × 8 max = 24 connections + 4 buffer = 28 total

Ensure your database max_connections is set accordingly.

Security & Admin Panel

Admin Panel Customization

strapi:
  admin:
    # Custom admin path (security through obscurity)
    path: /secure-admin

    # JWT token expiration
    jwtExpiration: 7d # 1d, 7d, 30d, etc.

    # Rate limiting (brute force protection)
    rateLimit:
      enabled: true
      max: 5 # Max login attempts
      timeWindow: 900000 # Time window (15 minutes in ms)

    # Forgotten password
    forgotPassword:
      enabled: true

GraphQL Security

strapi:
  graphql:
    playgroundEnabled: false # Disable in production
    introspection: false # Disable schema introspection
    maxDepth: 10 # Query depth limit
    maxComplexity: 1000 # Query complexity limit

API Configuration

strapi:
  api:
    rest:
      defaultLimit: 25 # Default pagination limit
      maxLimit: 100 # Maximum pagination limit

Performance Tuning

Node.js Configuration

strapi:
  performance:
    # Node.js memory allocation
    nodeOptions: '--max-old-space-size=2048'

    # Log level (fatal, error, warn, info, debug, trace)
    logLevel: warn

    # Structured JSON logs for production
    forceJsonLogs: true

    # Pretty print logs (development only)
    prettyPrint: false

Important: Ensure resources.limits.memory accommodates --max-old-space-size:

resources:
  limits:
    memory: 2.5Gi # Must be > 2048MB (nodeOptions)

Server Configuration

strapi:
  server:
    bodyParser:
      jsonLimit: 1mb
      formLimit: 56kb
      textLimit: 1mb

    compression:
      enabled: true

    cron:
      enabled: true

    logger:
      level: info

Backup & Restore

Automated S3 Backups

backup:
  enabled: true
  schedule: '0 2 * * *' # Daily at 2 AM UTC

  s3:
    endpoint: https://s3.amazonaws.com
    bucket: strapi-backups
    prefix: production
    createBucketIfNotExists: true
    existingSecret: strapi-backup-s3-secret

  # Optional: Override database credentials
  database:
    host: postgres-replica.example.com
    existingSecret: strapi-backup-db-secret

What gets backed up:

  • SQLite mode: PVC archive (uploads + database)
  • PostgreSQL/MySQL mode: SQL dump + uploads archive (if persistence enabled)

Manual Backup

Trigger backup immediately:

kubectl create job --from=cronjob/strapi-backup manual-backup-$(date +%s) -n strapi

Restore Process

Backups are not automated. Manual restore:

  1. Scale down deployment: kubectl scale deploy/strapi --replicas=0
  2. Download backup from S3
  3. Restore uploads to PVC
  4. Restore database (import SQL dump or restore SQLite file)
  5. Scale up deployment: kubectl scale deploy/strapi --replicas=3

Monitoring & Observability

Health Checks

The chart uses HTTP health checks on the /_health endpoint:

startupProbe:
  enabled: true
  httpGet:
    path: /_health
    port: http
  failureThreshold: 30
  periodSeconds: 5

livenessProbe:
  enabled: true
  httpGet:
    path: /_health
    port: http

readinessProbe:
  enabled: true
  httpGet:
    path: /_health
    port: http

Logs

View application logs:

# Follow logs
kubectl logs -f deployment/strapi -n strapi

# View recent logs
kubectl logs --tail=100 deployment/strapi -n strapi

# View logs from all replicas
kubectl logs -l app.kubernetes.io/name=strapi -n strapi

Debugging

# Check pod status
kubectl get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=strapi -n strapi

# Describe deployment
kubectl describe deployment strapi -n strapi

# Check events
kubectl get events -n strapi --sort-by='.lastTimestamp'

# Test database connectivity (PostgreSQL/MySQL)
kubectl exec deployment/strapi -n strapi -- \
  sh -c "nc -zv postgres-host 5432"

# Access admin panel
kubectl port-forward svc/strapi 1337:80 -n strapi
# Then open: http://localhost:1337/admin

Configuration Reference

Essential Values

KeyDefaultDescription
replicaCount1Number of replicas (requires S3/Cloudinary if > 1)
image.repositoryhelmforge/strapi-baseStrapi application image (HelmForge production-ready)
image.tagv0.0.3HelmForge Strapi base image version
strapi.url""Public URL (auto-detected from ingress)
strapi.nodeEnvproductionNode environment
strapi.telemetryDisabledtrueDisable Strapi telemetry

Upload Provider Values

KeyDefaultDescription
strapi.upload.providerlocalUpload provider (local, aws-s3, cloudinary)
strapi.upload.s3.enabledfalseEnable S3 upload provider
strapi.upload.s3.bucket""S3 bucket name
strapi.upload.s3.regionus-east-1S3 region
strapi.upload.s3.endpoint""S3 endpoint (for MinIO/R2)
strapi.upload.s3.existingSecret""Secret for S3 credentials

Email Provider Values

KeyDefaultDescription
strapi.email.providernoneEmail provider (none, smtp, sendgrid)
strapi.email.defaultFromnoreply@example.comDefault from address
strapi.email.smtp.host""SMTP hostname
strapi.email.smtp.port587SMTP port
strapi.email.smtp.existingSecret""Secret for SMTP password

Admin & Security Values

KeyDefaultDescription
strapi.admin.path/adminAdmin panel path
strapi.admin.jwtExpiration7dJWT token expiration
strapi.admin.rateLimit.enabledtrueEnable login rate limiting
strapi.admin.rateLimit.max5Max login attempts
strapi.admin.rateLimit.timeWindow900000Rate limit window (15 min)

Database Values

KeyDefaultDescription
database.modeautoDatabase mode (auto, sqlite, external, postgresql, mysql)
database.pool.min2Minimum connections per replica
database.pool.max10Maximum connections per replica
postgresql.enabledfalseDeploy PostgreSQL subchart
mysql.enabledfalseDeploy MySQL subchart

Performance Values

KeyDefaultDescription
strapi.performance.nodeOptions""Node.js options (e.g., —max-old-space-size)
strapi.performance.logLevelinfoLog level (fatal, error, warn, info, debug, trace)
strapi.performance.forceJsonLogstrueStructured JSON logs

Backup Values

KeyDefaultDescription
backup.enabledfalseEnable scheduled backups
backup.schedule0 3 * * *Cron schedule (daily 3 AM)
backup.s3.bucket""S3 bucket for backups
backup.s3.existingSecret""Secret for S3 credentials

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Development Environment

SQLite with local uploads (using HelmForge base image):

replicaCount: 1

image:
  repository: docker.io/helmforge/strapi-base
  tag: 'v0.0.3'
  pullPolicy: IfNotPresent

database:
  mode: sqlite

strapi:
  nodeEnv: development
  upload:
    provider: local

  performance:
    logLevel: debug
    prettyPrint: true
    forceJsonLogs: false

persistence:
  enabled: true
  size: 1Gi

resources:
  requests:
    cpu: 100m
    memory: 256Mi

Scenario 2: Staging with External Database

External PostgreSQL with S3 uploads:

replicaCount: 2

image:
  repository: docker.io/helmforge/strapi-base
  tag: 'v0.0.3'

database:
  mode: external
  external:
    vendor: postgres
    host: postgres-staging.example.com
    name: strapi_staging
    username: strapi
    existingSecret: strapi-staging-db-secret
  pool:
    min: 2
    max: 5

strapi:
  upload:
    provider: aws-s3
    s3:
      enabled: true
      bucket: strapi-staging-uploads
      existingSecret: strapi-s3-staging-secret

  email:
    provider: smtp
    defaultFrom: staging-cms@example.com
    smtp:
      host: smtp.mailtrap.io
      existingSecret: mailtrap-secret

ingress:
  enabled: true
  ingressClassName: nginx
  hosts:
    - host: cms-staging.example.com

Scenario 3: Production High Availability

Multi-region with PostgreSQL replication:

replicaCount: 3

image:
  repository: docker.io/helmforge/strapi-base
  tag: 'v0.0.3'

postgresql:
  enabled: true
  architecture: replication
  auth:
    existingSecret: strapi-postgresql-secret
  primary:
    persistence:
      size: 50Gi
  readReplicas:
    replicaCount: 2
    persistence:
      size: 50Gi

database:
  pool:
    min: 2
    max: 8

strapi:
  url: https://cms.example.com

  upload:
    provider: aws-s3
    s3:
      enabled: true
      bucket: strapi-prod-uploads
      region: us-east-1
      existingSecret: strapi-s3-prod-secret
      baseUrl: https://cdn.example.com

  email:
    provider: smtp
    defaultFrom: noreply@example.com
    smtp:
      host: smtp.sendgrid.net
      existingSecret: sendgrid-prod-secret

  admin:
    path: /secure-admin
    jwtExpiration: 1d
    rateLimit:
      enabled: true
      max: 3

  performance:
    nodeOptions: '--max-old-space-size=4096'
    logLevel: error
    forceJsonLogs: true

  graphql:
    playgroundEnabled: false
    introspection: false

backup:
  enabled: true
  schedule: '0 1 * * *'
  s3:
    bucket: strapi-prod-backups
    existingSecret: strapi-backup-s3-secret

resources:
  requests:
    cpu: '1'
    memory: 2Gi
  limits:
    cpu: '4'
    memory: 5Gi

affinity:
  podAntiAffinity:
    requiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution:
      - labelSelector:
          matchLabels:
            app.kubernetes.io/name: strapi
        topologyKey: kubernetes.io/hostname

Troubleshooting

Multi-Replica Warning

Error: Multi-replica deployment requires S3 or Cloudinary upload provider

Cause: Attempting replicaCount > 1 with strapi.upload.provider: local

Solution: Configure S3 or Cloudinary upload provider, or set replicaCount: 1

Database Connection Errors

Error: too many connections

Cause: Insufficient database max_connections for replica count and pool size

Solution:

  1. Calculate required connections: replicaCount × pool.max + buffer
  2. Increase database max_connections
  3. Or reduce database.pool.max

Upload Failures

Error: Uploads fail in multi-replica deployment

Cause: Using local upload provider with multiple replicas

Solution: Configure S3 or Cloudinary upload provider

Health Check Failures

Error: Pods repeatedly restart, health checks failing

Cause: Application not responding on /_health endpoint

Solution:

  1. Check application logs: kubectl logs deployment/strapi
  2. Verify database connectivity
  3. Increase startupProbe.failureThreshold for slow starts
  4. Check resource limits (CPU/memory)

Performance Issues

Error: Out of memory errors

Cause: nodeOptions memory allocation exceeds pod limits

Solution: Ensure resources.limits.memory > nodeOptions --max-old-space-size

Email Not Working

Error: Password reset emails not sent

Cause: Email provider not configured

Solution:

  1. Configure strapi.email.provider (smtp or sendgrid)
  2. Create secret with SMTP password or SendGrid API key
  3. Test email configuration in Strapi admin panel

Migration Guide

From Strapi Chart < 1.5.0

Breaking Changes in 1.5.0:

  1. Health probes changed from TCP to HTTP

    • Now uses /_health endpoint
    • Update external monitoring if watching probe endpoints

  2. Multi-replica now requires upload provider

    • replicaCount > 1 enforced at render time
    • Configure S3/Cloudinary or set replicaCount: 1

New Features (Opt-in):

All new features are backward compatible and opt-in:

  • S3/Cloudinary upload providers
  • Email providers
  • Database connection pooling
  • Admin security features
  • Performance tuning options

Migration Steps:

  1. Review your values.yaml
  2. If using replicaCount > 1, add S3/Cloudinary configuration
  3. Optionally enable new features (email, admin security, etc.)
  4. Run helm upgrade with new values
  5. Verify pods start successfully
  6. Test admin panel and uploads

Additional Resources

Support

For questions, issues, or feature requests:

  1. Check this documentation
  2. Review GitHub Issues
  3. Open a new issue with:
    • Helm chart version
    • Kubernetes version
    • Complete error messages
    • Relevant values.yaml configuration
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