mealie-k3s 🍳

A self-contained Helm chart to deploy the Mealie recipe manager on Kubernetes (k3s, k8s, microk8s) with a single command.

This chart bundles:

• Mealie: The application itself.
• PostgreSQL: A persistent database backend using the Bitnami/postgresql chart.
• MetalLB: Automatic LoadBalancer IP assignment for bare-metal clusters.

Prerequisites

1. A Kubernetes Cluster: This guide assumes you have a cluster running. For quick local setup, see the MicroK8s instructions below.
2. Helm: The Kubernetes package manager. Install Helm.
3. kubectl: The Kubernetes command-line tool, configured to access your cluster.

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Option A: Quick Cluster Setup (MicroK8s)

If you don't have a cluster, MicroK8s is a lightweight, easy-to-install option.

1. Install MicroK8s:

   sudo snap install microk8s --classic
   

2. Join User Group:

   sudo usermod -a -G microk8s $USER
   sudo chown -f -R $USER ~/.kube
   newgrp microk8s
   

3. Check Status:

   microk8s status --wait-ready
   

4. Enable Core Addons:

   microk8s enable dns storage
   

   • Note: Do NOT enable microk8s enable metallb. This chart deploys MetalLB via Helm, which is the preferred way, to manage it as part of the application stack.

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Option B: Existing k3s/k8s Cluster

If you have an existing cluster, just ensure kubectl is configured and you have Helm installed.

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🚀 Deployment

1. Clone This Repository:

   git clone [https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/mealie-k3s.git](https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/mealie-k3s.git)
   cd mealie-k3s
   

2. Add Helm Repositories: This adds the Bitnami and MetalLB chart repositories so Helm can find the dependencies.

   helm repo add bitnami [https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami](https://charts.bitnami.com/bitnami)
   helm repo add metallb [https://metallb.github.io/metallb](https://metallb.github.io/metallb)
   helm repo update
   

3. Build Chart Dependencies: This downloads the postgresql and metallb charts into the chart/charts directory.

   helm dependency build ./chart
   

4. ‼️ IMPORTANT: Configure values.yaml: Before you install, you must edit the configuration file:

   nano ./chart/values.yaml

   • MetalLB IP Range: Under metallb.configInline.address-pools.addresses, change the IP range ("192.168.1.240-192.168.1.250") to a free, static IP range on your local network. This range must not be part of your router's DHCP pool.
   • Passwords: Change the default passwords under postgresql.auth.

5. Install the Chart: This command deploys Mealie, PostgreSQL, and MetalLB into a new namespace called mealie.

   helm install mealie ./chart --namespace mealie --create-namespace
   

Accessing Mealie

1. Wait for Deployment: It may take 3-5 minutes for the database to initialize and the application to start. You can watch the pods:

   kubectl get pods -n mealie -w
   

2. Find Your IP Address: Once the pods are running, find the external IP assigned by MetalLB:

   kubectl get svc -n mealie
   

   Look for mealie-mealie-svc and copy the EXTERNAL-IP.

3. Log In: Open the EXTERNAL-IP in your browser. The default Mealie admin credentials are:

   • Email: [email protected]
   • Password: MyPassword

Uninstalling

To remove the deployment and all its data:

helm uninstall mealie -n mealie
kubectl delete namespace mealie

## LICENSE
GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE v3