2024

We’re thrilled to announce an all-new Support Policy led by our amazing support lead, @kqmaverick! You can ignore all previous announcements on scope and policies—no more “you need to be able to maintain your own cluster”! Check out the full policy here: Support Policy.

What’s New:

Comprehensive Support: Our support now covers both “technical support” for bug reports and code issues, as well as our free support service on Discord, thanks to our dedicated volunteer staff.
Docs Overhaul: We’ve streamlined our documentation, merging clustertool pages into general docs and reintroducing a project-wide system requirements page.
Content Cleanup: Outdated TrueNAS SCALE content has been removed to make our resources even more relevant for a Kubernetes future!

In addition, TrueCharts is now officially hosting community gameservers! Our first release is a Minecraft server, co-hosted in collaboration with Six-Shooter.

🚀 Upcoming Release: We’re excited to announce that ClusterTool v1.0.0 will be released in two weeks!

And don’t forget to vote in our Discord poll about your container plans! Join us on Discord to stay updated: Vote Here.

Thank you for being part of TrueCharts!

Exporting TrueCharts SCALE Apps and leaving TrueCharts

Oct 27, 2024

With the recent announcement that TrueNAS SCALE 24.10 “Electric Eel” will no longer support Kubernetes-based applications, we at TrueCharts understand that some of our users may be considering a move away from TrueCharts entirely. As TrueCharts has also ended support for TrueNAS SCALE Apps, we recognize the importance of offering pathways for users who want to adjust to this new direction.

For those looking to transition away from TrueCharts, whether by migrating to alternative options such as Docker Compose or using iX-Systems-made Apps, our latest subproject, ClusterTool, provides a powerful solution. ClusterTool has been developed to simplify the migration process, giving users the flexibility to transition smoothly to the setup that best suits their needs.

Even for users who aren’t looking to establish their own Kubernetes cluster, ClusterTool offers robust functionality to export TrueNAS SCALE App configurations. Users can easily convert their GUI-based App configurations into clean, readable YAML files. This export feature preserves existing configurations, providing a record that can be adapted for future deployments or alternative environments without re-entering every setting from scratch.

To help users get started, we’ve created a detailed guide outlining how to use ClusterTool for this purpose. Access the guide and learn how to seamlessly migrate or export your SCALE configurations here: TrueCharts Guide on Exporting SCALE Configurations.

Here you can Download the RC-Release of ClusterTool here: Download Link.

We remain committed to supporting our community, whether users are transitioning to different solutions or adapting their setups within the evolving TrueNAS SCALE environment.

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For users who prefer not to handle the maintenance and management of their self-hosted content, we highly recommend ElfHosted. Visit ElfHosted for a hassle-free, fully managed hosting solution tailored to your needs.

Clustertool Release Candidate

Oct 16, 2024

Alfi0812

ClusterTool Release Candidate Update

We are pleased to announce that ClusterTool has officially entered Release Candidate status. After extensive development and testing, the general configuration format is now considered stable, ensuring greater reliability and consistency moving forward.

In addition, we are excited to confirm that migration from TrueNAS Scale to your own Kubernetes cluster is now fully supported. This capability enables streamlined transitions, empowering users to harness the full potential of Kubernetes while maintaining their existing data and configurations.

At the bottom of this page (Talos Cluster Guide), you’ll find a helpful guide detailing how to create your talos cluster and migrate your SCALE Apps.

We appreciate your continued support as we move toward the final release and look forward to hearing your feedback during this phase.

Here you can Download the RC-Release: Download Link.

ClusterTool is Now Source-Available

We’re excited to announce that ClusterTool is now source-available! This means that the source code is open for review, collaboration, and contributions from the community. We believe this move will enhance transparency and drive innovation as we continue to improve the platform.

New Guides for CSI Installation and Longhorn Integration

We’re excited to announce that we now offer a selection of guides on how to install a Container Storage Interface (CSI) on Kubernetes. Additionally, Longhorn will be shipped by default with ClusterTool, simplifying your storage management and enhancing your Kubernetes experience. Check out the guides to get started!

Changes in Documentation Leadership

We’d like to announce that @bitpushr is stepping down from the role of Documentation Maintainer. We greatly appreciate his contributions and dedication to maintaining high-quality documentation during his tenure.

Moving forward, @alfi0812 will be taking over as the new Doc Maintainer. We’re excited to have him on board and look forward to the fresh insights and improvements he’ll bring to the role.

Future Prospect for Clustertool and our Helm Charts

At the release of Clustertool, we also hope to add code signing to the build process and a (signed) containerized version as well. So everyone can ensure themselves of it running trusted code!

We’re also working hard at adding all sorts of charts to support (Real-)debrid based streaming and downloading. such as: Comet, Riven, Zurg and much more

Guide to Creating a Talos Cluster with ClusterTool and Migrating Your SCALE Apps

Creating your Talos Cluster

Follow the linked Guides to find more details on how to create your own Talos Cluster using Clustertool.

VM Setup
Getting Started with Clustertool
clustertool init
Edit your config (talconfig.yaml and clusterenv.yaml)
clustertool genconfig
clustertool apply

Afterwards you are ready to migrate your SCALE Apps.

SCALE Apps Migration

To migrate all of your existing SCALE Apps to your Talos Cluster, be sure to read our TrueNAS SCALE Migration Guide

In short, you will need the following commands from ClusterTool:

To export all your SCALE Apps into a ClusterTool compatible format.

clustertool scaleexport

To turn the exported Apps into ClusterTool and Fluxcd compatible Helm-Release Files:

clustertool scalemigrate

And last, but certianly not least, to install the converted Helm-Release Files onto your cluster:

clustertool helmrelease install

Effortless Hosting with ElfHosted

TrueNAS Scale TrueCharts Frequently Asked Questions

Aug 22, 2024

Anthony Scaffidi

Support Team

Hey everyone. We wanted to answer some of the frequently asked questions about TrueNAS Scale TrueCharts application support.

What happened to TrueCharts apps on TrueNAS Scale?

Unfortunately, IX Systems decided that with the upcoming Electric Eel TrueNAS Scale update (24.10) to switch the application backend to Docker and remove Kubernetes. TrueCharts is and always has been a Helm Charts project. Previous versions of TrueNAS Scale were able to install our Helm Charts due to its Kubernetes support. With the upcoming removal of Kubernetes from TrueNAS Scale, our Helm Charts can no longer be installed using the native app system. To clarify, app installations have been disabled entirely to prevent users from setting up an app environment that will soon be outdated, see “What happened to the TrueNAS Scale TrueCharts application catalog?” below.

Why don’t you just continue making TrueNAS Scale apps?

We never made “TrueNAS Scale Apps”; we have always made Helm Charts that TrueNAS Scale supported up to Electric Eel, thanks to the Kubernetes backend. Our charts ecosystem is not possible on a Docker-based OS. Additionally, as part of this IX Systems transition to Docker, they will no longer support third party app catalogues. Starting with 24.10/Electric Eel only the catalog from iX Systems will be available and options like custom app.

Why was there no warning about this change?

IX Systems announced their intention to move to Docker shortly after the release of Dragonfish (24.04) on 29 May 2024. As soon as the announcement was made the TrueCharts team started working on a solution for all of our TrueNAS Scale users.

Could you not have had a solution ready earlier?

TrueCharts is not affiliated with IX Systems. We found out about the removal of Kubernetes support on 29 May 2024 the same as everyone else.

So, does this mean that TrueCharts is dead?

No, TrueCharts is not dead. We have always made Helm Charts and our Charts can be installed on any Helm-compatible OS, not just TrueNAS Scale. We continue to provide these Helm Charts as always and they can already be installed on a compatible OS.

How do I install TrueCharts now?

You are able to install any compatible OS and add the TrueCharts repository.

I want to keep using TrueNAS Scale as my OS. What can I do?

We are currently developing ClusterTool. Once completed it will help create and configure a Kubernetes cluster on a Talos VM for use with TrueCharts. We already have created guides for setting up a Talos VM on TrueNAS Scale. Once ClusterTool is completed it will assist with the migration of your currently installed TrueCharts apps on TrueNAS Scale to a Talos VM. Please watch the News for more information as ClusterTool development continues ahead of the TrueNAS Scale 24.10 update.

Will ClusterTool migrate my application data to Talos?

No. Talos will only migrate the actual application/chart itself, not the data associated with it. Data for applications/charts that you would like to be migrated to Talos also, must be backed up to S3/B2 storage prior to migration using VolSync as described here.

Why Talos?

Talos is a lightweight OS specifically designed for running a Kubernetes cluster.

What about HexOS?

HexOS is an internet based WebUI for TrueNAS Scale. It utilizes API calls to TrueNAS Scale and as such has the same limitations as TrueNAS Scale.

What about insert your choice OS?

Our Helm Charts can be installed on any OS that supports installing Helm Charts. You are not required to use Talos. ClusterTool is a separate project that is being created to help create a Kubernetes cluster and migrate existing TrueNAS Scale users.

What happened to the TrueNAS Scale TrueCharts application catalog?

It was decided to remove the TrueNAS Scale TrueCharts application catalog to prevent any new user from starting use of TrueCharts on TrueNAS Scale during this transition period.

Why am I not seeing updates for apps?

Once IX Systems decided to announce the depreciation of Kubernetes on TrueNAS Scale we needed to divert our developer time from maintaining the TrueNAS Scale application catalog to work on ClusterTool.

Why couldn’t you keep the TrueNAS Scale TrueCharts application catalog running and up to date until ClusterTool is ready or Electric Eel is released?

TrueNAS Scale support for TrueCharts was always developer intensive. At any given point in time, Scale compatibility required more than a third of total dev time on the project to maintain. We are not able to do both maintain the catalog and work on ClusterTool. We decided to immediately focus on ClusterTool so that is ready for release before TrueNAS Scale 24.10.

My app has an updated and I want to install it.

Almost all apps will continue to run without updates.

I cannot wait I need to update my apps.

If you do not want to wait for ClusterTool you have the following options:

Install a compatible OS and add the TrueCharts repository.
Switch your applications to those provided by IX Systems. They have promised their applications will migrate to the new Docker system.

ClusterTool Public Beta Release

Jul 25, 2024

Howdy everyone! I’m back to share some exciting progress updates with you all regarding ClusterTool development, a brief recap on some minor announcements from our part in recent weeks, updated docs and more.

This will be a packed news article from us, so let’s get into it!

ClusterTool Public Beta Update

Over the course of the last month and since our last update, ClusterTool has undergone much development effort. As we previously outlined in our TrueNAS SCALE migration path roadmap post, ClusterTool’s public Beta release will be mostly feature-complete, includes SCALE migration tooling (already implemented and awaiting testing) and will be suitable for users to migrate to semi-permanent Talos clusters from TrueNAS SCALE app environments, with Talos running in a Virtual Machine (atop SCALE itself).

ClusterTool has also seen the addition of FluxCD functionality, among others, and new builds are regularly being posted for testing here. We invite discussion and feedback in the #clustertool channel of our Discord, or you can simply follow the development of ClusterTool there.

Additionally, through collaborative efforts, we’re onboarding additional developers to work on ClusterTool directly throughout its Beta period. The more feedback we get from users, the better we can make the experience for all! We invite our users to test ClusterTool thoroughly throughout this phase and discuss or report any feedback/issues using threads in the above-mentioned Discord channel.

Docs Updates

In tandem with ClusterTool development, over the course of the last month we’ve been focused on docs for our users to read regarding Talos, ClusterTool, minimum and recommended system requirements, and more. Here are some links to these docs, though please note some of them are continuing to evolve as we gather feedback throughout this transitory phase.

Link to our new Helm-specific guides, including a quick-start guide for installing charts, guides for adding storage and backup/restore functionality to charts, example VPN setup instructions for your charts and more
Link to our all-new ClusterTool docs section which includes various sections on what ClusterTool is, what the various functions of it do and more
Link to our ClusterTool getting started guide
Link to our TrueNAS SCALE -> ClusterTool/Talos migration guide which includes instructions for prerequisite steps to be performed by users on TrueNAS SCALE prior to migrating to Talos via ClusterTool
Link to our Talos VM system requirements section, which leads into platform-specific, start-to-finish guides on how to setup a Talos VM for our users be it on SCALE, Proxmox, unRAID or other host platforms.

As always, we welcome feedback and additions to our docs which you can submit by opening a PR in this repo for review. Specifically, we welcome instructions for setting up a Talos VM on platforms other than the ones we’ve already written guides for.

Recent Project Recaps

In addition to the above, we’ve been posting announcements and project-related updates in the #announcements channel of our Discord. To recap and quickly get up to speed, you will want to read from this post onwards but to summarise:

iX-Systems has decided to move TrueNAS SCALE to a Docker-based apps backend, which is inherently incompatbile with our Helm-based project, beginning with Electric Eel later this year
We released VolSync Backup/Restore functionality for our charts to help facilitate cloud-based backup and restoration of data for TrueCharts users, if desired
We released a statement on our decision to deprecate our TrueNAS SCALE apps
Updates to chart-specific changelogs on our website now happen much faster
We clarified that TrueNAS SCALE users will not be required to be on DragonFish prior to migrating to our Talos VM solution for our charts going forward, as Cobia is suitable for migration
We have removed the TrueNAS SCALE apps catalogue from our project, and associated SCALE-specific code, tooling, etc. has been removed. While the TrueCharts SCALE apps catalogue can no longer be added to SCALE systems, an archived version of our TrueNAS SCALE apps catalogue is available here for historical purposes. Users with TrueCharts apps still installed in SCALE environments continue to have their apps function ahead of the upcoming migration to Talos, however these apps are strictly in an as-is state and no longer receive any updates or support
We clarified (after some recent confusion from a YouTube video) that the project is still alive, that users should continue to wait for ClusterTool to reach RC or final status before deciding whether to migrate to Talos using it, or switch to an alternative apps platform such as iX/TrueNAS “official” apps, Plain Docker or something else.

This serves as a summary of recent project-related news, and with the rest of this news post, should get you up to speed on the status of things in one go. As always, we very much appreciate you sticking with us through this transition period and we’re certain that our project will come out the other side continuing to lead and provide a first-class charts experience for our users.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we work to provide the best tools and services for our community. Stay tuned for more exciting updates in the months ahead!

ClusterTool Public Alpha Release and Updated Support Scope

Jul 5, 2024

We’re back to share some new updates with our users around ClusterTool, an updated support policy and further updates on the status of TrueNAS SCALE support.

ClusterTool Public Alpha Release

First up, we are excited to announce the public Alpha release of ClusterTool! This marks a significant step forward in our mission to provide powerful tools for bootstrapping and managing your own Kubernetes clusters on Talos, our platform of choice going forward.

Please note that KubeApps is not yet compatible with ClusterTool, and we currently do not offer any migration tooling to facilitate the transition of TrueNAS SCALE apps to Talos. This will come in a future release, per the timeline we previously outlined here.

You can find and download the latest releases of ClusterTool here. We also have a clustertool channel available on our Discord which users can use to discuss usage of the tool, and users can find our ClusterTool documentation here.

Updated Support Policy

We have updated our support policy in an effort to provide clearer, more defined guidelines for our users going forward. The updated policy includes information on our expectations around assumed/prior knowledge for users going forward, what’s not covered by TrueCharts support and more.

We would like to note that, in general, using our Charts with Kubernetes running on Talos will be a radically different experience compared to the prior experience afforded by TrueNAS SCALE. We are expecting some users that might have previously been comfortable running TrueCharts charts on SCALE, will not be comfortable with continuing to use TrueCharts on Talos.

In the future, we will post a news article outlining alternative options for TrueCharts users who do not wish to continue on Talos. These options may include

Migrating to iX/TrueNAS “official” apps
Migrating to unRAID
Migrating to a sandbox or “DIY Docker” setup
Options afforded by ElfHosted.

Going forward, we will assume users that wish to continue using TrueCharts on Talos have prior knowledge of the following:

How to use a shell, terminal or console
How to use basic shell commands to manage or perform actions on platforms such as Talos
How to use kubectl to get pods or services, describe issues, etc.
Basic knowledge of Talos including what “applying” does, what a “machineconfig” is and how “upgrades” work vs k8s-upgrade
Basic knowledge of Kubernetes including what a “pod” or “container” is
Others outlined below.

TrueCharts support will also not assist users with (including but not limited to) the below:

Network configuration
CloudFlare proxying
How to install or use kubectl or talosctl
Helm 101 (how to install, upgrade or edit a Helm Chart)
Configuring specific apps/software in TrueCharts Charts, e.g. Plex/Sonarr/etc. configuration.

For more information, please review the updated support policy here.

Discontinuation of Support for TrueCharts App Installs on TrueNAS SCALE

As part of our commitment to the path forward away from running TrueCharts apps on TrueNAS SCALE, we have discontinued support for new TrueCharts app installs on TrueNAS SCALE. TrueNAS SCALE is now a deprecated platform as far as TrueCharts apps are concerned, and this change is to ensure users are not left without support for new app installations.

Code related to the building of, development of, and other aspects of TrueNAS SCALE apps/charts support has been removed from the TrueCharts project backend.

To clarify: users can still install existing versions of TrueCharts apps/charts on TrueNAS SCALE, but they will not be eligible for support.

We advise users to await further migration updates as outlined in our roadmap linked above.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding as we work to provide the best tools and services for our community. Stay tuned for more exciting updates in the months ahead!

SCALE Migration Path Update

Jun 24, 2024

As previously announced, we will share more detailed information on the road forward for our SCALE users on July 1st. We are well into this work and can finally share some preliminary information ahead of the official announcement.

Introducing: Talos Linux

Our alternative will be based on Talos, an immutable and lightweight operating system designed to run Kubernetes efficiently. Talos is open-source, production-quality software supported by a reliable and honest company.

Contrary to some reports, Talos is not limited to deployment on virtual machines. It runs excellently on both virtual machines and bare-metal hardware.

Our guides will cover setting up virtual machines, as they are standardized enough for us to ensure accuracy. These guides are already online, validated, and ready to use! Just visit the docs, clustertool, and virtual-machines sections and get started.

Introducing: ClusterTool

While Talos is a robust system, its default interaction method is quite command-line heavy. We understand that our users may not want to dive into numerous custom CLI commands.

We are excited to introduce our Talos cluster maintenance utility: ClusterTool.

ClusterTool simplifies the setup of a functional Kubernetes cluster, whether single or multi-node, into a single command! Additionally, we are incorporating the Kubernetes Dashboard and KubeApps to provide a GUI for managing and installing applications, similar to the SCALE experience.

Thanks to integration with Talhelper, all Talos configuration is stored in just two files. Even the most critical configuration elements for your core-cluster components are just a single file edit away!

After setup, the complete cluster is truly yours. You can modify anything you like, including the core components we installed.

ClusterTool also supports SOPS encryption, allowing you to safely store your cluster data anywhere. Beyond all of this, we’ve even added advanced tools to upgrade and alter your entire Talos cluster with just a single command.

Migrating from TrueNAS SCALE

ClusterTool will eventually feature automated tooling to migrate all TrueCharts TrueNAS SCALE Apps directly into your new cluster, making the transition seamless. Our current goal is to ensure cluster deployment is rock-solid before introducing migration tooling. Once the ALPHA of ClusterTool is stable, we will prioritize developing reliable migration tools as quickly as possible.

ClusterTool: Roadmap

ClusterTool is not fully ready yet. Here is the official roadmap (please note that these dates may change without prior notice):

July 1st: v1.0.0-ALPHA-1
August 1st: v1.0.0-BETA-1
September 1st: v1.0.0-RC-1
October 1st: v1.0.0-RELEASE

ALPHA

Not feature-complete; some minor features may malfunction.
Only available for testing on throwaway clusters.
Will not contain any SCALE Migration Tooling.

BETA

Mostly feature-complete with no major changes expected.
Will include SCALE Migration tooling.
Suitable for permanent migration, but without guarantees.

Ready for deployment on smaller setups after internal testing.
No major changes requiring redeployment expected.
No guarantees, but support will be available where possible.

RELEASE

Ready for full deployment.

What to Expect on July 1st

Alongside releasing the ALPHA build of ClusterTool, we will provide a more in-depth explanation of our new tooling and its capabilities. Documentation for all ClusterTool features will be up-to-date and well-polished.

Additionally, there will be changes to our support scope, as we will need to be stricter about what is and isn’t supported on DIY clusters.

Hang tight and see you on July 1st! The TrueCharts Team

Deprecation of TrueNAS SCALE Apps

May 30, 2024

Like many of you, we’ve been made aware by the decision of iX-Systems to remove Kubernetes from TrueNAS SCALE Electric-Eel onwards. We’re very saddened by this news, as we had some awesome plans in store for all our users, including those on TrueNAS SCALE.

From integrations with popular Kubernetes tools, to our VPN addon and even our latest addition of integrated VolSync S3 backup support, the last few years we’ve spent hundreds of hours pushing the boundaries of what is possible with Helm charts and we will continue to do so.

While we fully agree that iX should offer the option to use docker-compose in addition to Kubernetes-based “custom-app”s, the way this sun-setting without deprecation has been handled, is not acceptable to us. It goes against every fiber of our being, as we prefer to collaborate on moving our loved platforms forward.

We view that both Kubernetes and Docker-Compose have a place, with that place not being mutually exclusive. Sadly enough, iX-Systems does not share that view. It’s a loss-loss situation, where SCALE users will have to trade the loss of TrueCharts with the option of copying-in their own compose files.

A situation that, from our point of view, isn’t, and has never been, needed. But it’s the cards we’ve been dealt.

Our way forward

As always, we’re committed 100% to our users and will help them find solutions.

Currently, we’re exploring multiple strategies by which you will be able to keep using our trusted TrueCharts Charts, even combined with your current TrueNAS SCALE Storage. We’ve learned a lot from our smooth DragonFish migration last month and we’re fully confident we can offer an experience that satisfies our users!

Our time-frame is to have an initial BETA for migration going before 01-07-2024, after which we want to polish and automate the process as much as possible based on user feedback.

Our goodbye

Our goodbyes for TrueCharts on SCALE Apps are bitter-sweet; while we have had a great time working with some people over at iX-Systems, we also don’t see eye-to-eye on many things.

We shall always stand with our users. Which means we also will focus on the way forward from now on, in which TrueNAS SCALE Apps will not be featured and we will instead focus on our other supported platforms and migration options.

We want to thank the TrueNAS community for their constant feedback during the years that TrueCharts as SCALE Apps lasted. We specifically want to thank Waqar Ahmed for the many hours spent polishing the original Apps system and Morgan Littlewood for his continued vision of what TrueNAS SCALE could be.

Enhanced Chart Backup and Restore Solutions

May 29, 2024

One time or recurring Coffee donations 🫶

Enhancing Backups and Restores for TrueCharts Users

Today, we are pleased to announce new solutions for backing up and restoring of TrueCharts CNPG and application/chart data. We hope you enjoy!

Introducing CloudNativePG Backup and Restore Support for TrueCharts

We are excited to announce that TrueCharts now supports CloudNativePG backup and restore functionalities with S3 storage providers such as MinIO hosts, BackBlaze, CloudFlare, Amazon (coming soon) and more. This new feature offers TrueCharts users a seamless and efficient way to manage their database backups directly to the cloud, or to a local MinIO host.

By leveraging solutions provided by S3 storage providers, TrueCharts users can now

Enhance data security by storing backups in secure, scalable and durable storage
Optimize storage costs by taking advantage of the inherently cost-effective and scalable nature of S3 storage
Ensure reliability by benefiting from the high availability and enhanced redundancy offers by S3 providers
Simplify backup management by easily automating backup scheduled and managing them from an apps’ TrueNAS SCALE GUI or other interface

With this addition, TrueCharts users can rest assured that their applications’ CNPG data is easily recovered as needed, minimizing the risk of data loss and downtime.

Simplifying PVC Backups with VolSync

In addition to the above CNPG enhancements, TrueCharts is proud to introduce VolSync’s automatic backup and restore capabilities for PVC storage. VolSync simplifies the process of managing PVC backups, ensuring that your data is safeguarded.

Key features of VolSync include

Automatic backups of a chart or apps’ PVC data
Effortless restoring of PVC containers to a prior state when an app is (re)installed
Management on a per-app basis from an apps’ TrueNAS SCALE GUI, Helm or other any interface

By integrating VolSync, TrueCharts users achieve a higher level of data resilience, making it easier than ever to safeguard or recover an application/charts’ data.

Expanding Backups and Restores on Helm

TrueCharts is a multi-platform project that builds Helm charts with multiple downstream targets, including TrueNAS SCALE among others. As such, we’ve also published the above CNPG and VolSync guides to the Helm platform section of our docs. This allows TrueCharts users running Helm directly to also integrate these new features.

Caveats

Currently, this new restore functionality isn’t yet functional on TrueNAS SCALE due to an upstream bug with OpenEBS. We’ve submitted a bug report and will update the docs page linked below once this is resolved. For users of our charts on other Helm platforms, this does not apply, so backup and restore functionality should work fine.

Documentation and Instructions

You can find our initial guides and documentation for how to take advantage of the above exciting new solutions for SCALE [here](/, and in the Helm section linked above. Please note that these pages will evolve and be updated in the near future, especially once functionality on SCALE is restored, and we welcome discussion in our Discord channel.

Closing Out

We’re committed to providing continual improvements and features to our users, thanks largely to those who have generously donated towards our project 💙. You allow TrueCharts to continue evolving.

If you find our documentation/guides helpful or want to join the ranks of the over 250 people helping buy us Coffee ☕ you can do this via our Open Collective page here:

Thank you for choosing TrueCharts. Happy charting!

TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish Release and Support

Apr 23, 2024

One time or recurring Coffee donations 🫶

Ahead of TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish hitting the open waters, TrueCharts is right alongside it with full support for the release. In this news post we’ll go over the improvements that can be expected from the update, the steps required for TrueCharts users to migrate their apps to this latest release and some things to keep in mind going forward.

This will be a relatively long but important post, so let’s get started!

TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish 🐟

DragonFish is the latest update to the iX-Systems TrueNAS SCALE platform, and brings a bevy of improvements and additions. These include new and reworked sections of the GUI, changes to ZFS ARC memory behavior that bring it inline with TrueNAS CORE, Linux kernel and GPU driver updates (including Intel ARC GPU support), improvements to SMB and NFS shares and more. Read more about the changes with DragonFish here.

TrueCharts and DragonFish: A Perfect Match 💞

Going forward, TrueCharts wants to confirm that DragonFish is the ONLY supported SCALE version by TrueCharts from its release onwards. This allows us to focus our efforts on ensuring compatibility, stability, and optimal performance for TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish users into the future. This means that there are a couple of things to note, depending on which version of TrueNAS SCALE you’re running.

TrueNAS SCALE Cobia Users

For existing TrueNAS SCALE users remaining on Cobia until such time they update, we understand that migration takes time. Whilst DragonFish is the future, you can select a special branch of TrueCharts in TrueNAS SCALE’s catalogue settings called legacy_23.10 (instead of main). This is, however, not covered by TrueCharts support from the release of DragonFish onwards.

Users Upgrading to TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish

As we have already outlined in [previous](/ [communications](/, DragonFish includes an important change to how TrueCharts apps function on the SCALE platform. This means that there are two ways you can proceed with using our apps on DragonFish. These are

Completely resetting the complete apps system by unsetting the Apps pool, removing the ix-applications dataset, and selecting the apps pool again, once your TrueNAS SCALE system is updated to DragonFish per our getting started [guide](/ for new users.
Following our [migration process](/ for Cobia to DragonFish, developed in collaboration with and using tools/processes provided by HeavyBullets. Whilst this process is a manual one and is REQUIRED to be performed in one session/attempt, as noted on the page, it has been designed to be as smooth as possible after much internal testing and development from HeavyBullets. Thanks Heavy! ❤️

Your existing apps won’t immediately stop working should you upgrade to DragonFish without following the above. However, TrueCharts apps newly installed onto DragonFish post-upgrade will NOT work without following the above steps. Upgrading to DragonFish using methods outside our above-described guides automatically results in you being outside our [support scope](/.

New TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish Users

New users joining the TrueCharts family will default to the DragonFish-supported main branch per our getting started [guide](/.

Updated TrueNAS SCALE Support Policy

To ensure transparency, we’ve updated our TrueNAS SCALE support [page](/ to highlight which SCALE features and versions are supported by TrueCharts and which ones aren’t. Make sure to check it out to understand the scope of support our volunteers can provide you.

Enhanced TrueNAS SCALE GUI Options for TrueCharts Apps

We’ve updated the TrueCharts apps/charts options in the SCALE GUI to provide additional links to supporting documentation. We’ve also streamlined naming across all supported TrueCharts deployment platforms for a cohesive and user-friendly experience regardless of what platform you want to run Kubernetes on. We won’t judge!

Closing Out

We’re committed to providing the best support and experience for our TrueCharts users on TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish. The TrueCharts team would also like to thank those who have generously donated towards our project for their continued support 💙. You keep TrueCharts thriving and allow us to continue providing resources such as our new and improved website to the community.

If you find our documentation/guides helpful or want to join the ranks of the over 250 people helping buy us Coffee ☕you can do this via our Open Collective page here:

Thank you for choosing TrueCharts, and here’s to a future filled with innovation and collaboration. Happy charting!

A New Dawn for TrueCharts: Now Powered by Starlight

Apr 21, 2024

One time or recurring Coffee donations 🫶

Howdy everyone! After much work, we are excited to announce that our website has undergone a significant transformation. We’ve rebuilt our entire website atop Starlight, a stellar web framework, to help our documentation shine ✨ brighter ✨ than ever before.

In this news post, we’ll dive into what Starlight is, why we chose it, and the benefits it brings to our website and, ultimately, to you, our valued users.

What is Starlight? 🌠

Starlight is a modern, high-performance web framework designed to simplify and accelerate websites. Developed by the hugely talented team over at Astro, Starlight offers a fresh approach to building documentation websites by leveraging the power of static site generation, inherently fast design and secure operation. Starlight will enable us to create more dynamic, interactive docs for our users without compromising on performance or the their experience.

With Starlight, we can focus on building the features and content that TrueCharts is known for.

Why Starlight? 💡

There’s a few key reasons we chose to use Starlight for the new website. These include

Performance 🚀

Thanks to Starlight’s static site generation capabilities, we pre-render our website pages at build time, resulting in lightning-fast load times for viewers and improved performance. This ensures that our visitors have a seamless browsing experience irrespective of their device or network conditions.

Faster Build Times ⏰

Updates and changes to our website and documentation can now be made available to viewers much faster than they were in the past. This allows us to rapidly update, improve or otherwise make changes to our docs as needed.

Scalability 🌐

Starlight allows our website to effortlessly accommodate increases in traffic to ensure we remain accessible and responsive for our viewers, even during peak visitor times or when major developments result in a need for our users to consult our documentation.

What’s Next for TrueCharts?

We’re thrilled with the improvements that Starlight has brought to our website to further enhance your browsing experience, and we’re committed to delivering a faster, more secure, and engaging docs experience. Right now, the TrueCharts team is focused on updating our documentation standards and finalizing support and documentation for the upcoming TrueNAS SCALE DragonFish release.

The TrueCharts team would also like to thank those who have generously donated towards our project for their continued support 💙. You keep TrueCharts thriving and allow us to continue providing resources such as our new and improved website to the community.

If you find some use from our new website experience or want to join the ranks of the over 250 people helping buy us Coffee ☕, you can do this via our Open Collective page here:

Happy charting!

Refreshed Train Names, Team Changes and DragonFish Support

Mar 16, 2024

We’re back with some thrilling announcements that promise to enhance your experience with our platform. From revamped train names to key team appointments and even experimental support for TrueNAS SCALE 24.04 DragonFish, there’s a lot to unpack. Let’s dive right in!

Train Name Refresh: Introducing Premium and System Trains

First off, we’re thrilled to introduce our revamped train names: Premium Train and System Train. Say goodbye to the old names; these new labels better align with the quality and breadth of resources you’ll find within. You’ll find both an automated script and a one-by-one version to deal with this name change for you, for both SCALE and Helm platforms, at the bottom of this article.

Enterprise out, Premium in

This change reflects the fact that this train no longer specifically targets enterprise customers, but in general stands for higher-quality charts.

Hello, Operator? No, this is System

This name change reflects this train no longer just containing operators, but now also includes additional important system charts.

Meet Our New Team Appointments

@bitpushr Assumes Role of Docs Maintainer: Join us in welcoming @bitpushr as our new Docs Maintainer, succeeding @JagrBombs (Steven). With their expertise and dedication, we’re confident our documentation will remain top-notch.
@kofeh Takes Charge as Support Coordinator: Say hello to @kofeh, our new Support Coordinator, succeeding @Xstar97TheNoob. With his stellar communication skills, he’s ready to ensure you receive the assistance you need.
@Xstar97TheNoob Transitions to Stable Train Maintainer: We’re proud to announce that @Xstar97TheNoob is now our Stable Train Maintainer, ensuring the stability and reliability of our platform.

Experimental Support for TrueNAS SCALE 24.04 DragonFish

In a bold move, we’ve added initial prototype support for TrueNAS SCALE 24.04 DragonFish. However, it’s crucial to note that this support is still highly experimental. As such, we do not offer staff support or guarantee data integrity for the BETA or TC versions of TrueNAS SCALE 24.04 DragonFish. You can read more on the steps required for running TrueNAS SCALE 24.04 Dragonfish [here](/.

Our Successful Bounty Program

We’re thrilled to share that our new bounty program has been incredibly successful! This initiative allows contributors to earn rewards for their valuable contributions to our project. If you’d like to learn more or get involved, check out our bounty program on Open Collective: TrueCharts Bounties.

A Note on Donations

While our bounty program has seen fantastic results, it’s important to note that bounties do not replace donations. Our project relies on the continued support of our loyal donors to thrive. If you’d like to contribute to our cause, consider making a donation via our Open Collective page: Donate to TrueCharts.

Conclusion

With these updates and additions, we’re committed to providing you with an unparalleled experience on our platform. As always, your feedback is invaluable to us. Reach out with any questions or suggestions, and stay tuned for more exciting developments!

Thank you for being part of the TrueCharts community.

Note: Automated Migration Script for train name changes

To ensure a seamless transition to the new train names, we’ve developed a script that automates the process across all relevant namespaces. Here’s the code! Please be aware we do not give guarantees and this script may need adapting to your environment and/or additional permissions.

Helm Platform - Automated Migration Script

save as nameupdate.sh and run chmod +x nameupdate.sh before running it

#!/bin/bash

# Loop through all namespaces prefixed by "ix-"
for ns in $(kubectl get namespaces -o jsonpath='{.items[*].metadata.name}' | grep '^ix-'); do
    # Check if the namespace has "catalog_train" label set to "enterprise" or "operators"
    catalog_train_label=$(kubectl get namespace "$ns" -o jsonpath='{.metadata.labels.catalog_train}')
    if [[ "$catalog_train_label" == "enterprise" ]]; then
        # Patch the namespace to change the "catalog_train" label to "premium"
        kubectl patch namespace "$ns" -p '{"metadata":{"labels":{"catalog_train":"premium"}}}'
        echo "Namespace $ns updated from enterprise to premium."
    elif [[ "$catalog_train_label" == "operators" ]]; then
        # Patch the namespace to change the "catalog_train" label to "system"
        kubectl patch namespace "$ns" -p '{"metadata":{"labels":{"catalog_train":"system"}}}'
        echo "Namespace $ns updated from operators to system."
    fi
done

SCALE Platform - Automated Bash Shell Migration Script

simply copy-paste this into the shell of your TrueNAS SCALE GUI

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/xstar97/scale-scripts/main/scripts/patchTCTrains.sh | bash --

SCALE Platform - Automated Migration Script

save as nameupdate.sh and run chmod +x nameupdate.sh before running it

#!/bin/bash

# Loop through all namespaces prefixed by "ix-"
for ns in $(k3s kubectl get ns --no-headers | grep "^ix-" | awk '{print $1}' ORS=' '); do
    # Check if the namespace has "catalog_train" label set to "enterprise" or "operators"
    catalog_train_label=$(k3s kubectl get namespace "$ns" -o jsonpath='{.metadata.labels.catalog_train}')
    if [[ "$catalog_train_label" == "enterprise" ]]; then
        # Patch the namespace to change the "catalog_train" label to "premium"
        k3s kubectl patch namespace "$ns" -p '{"metadata":{"labels":{"catalog_train":"premium"}}}'
        echo "Namespace $ns updated from enterprise to premium."
    elif [[ "$catalog_train_label" == "operators" ]]; then
        # Patch the namespace to change the "catalog_train" label to "system"
        k3s kubectl patch namespace "$ns" -p '{"metadata":{"labels":{"catalog_train":"system"}}}'
        echo "Namespace $ns updated from operators to system."
    fi
done

Manual Migration Script

Use this script to manually migrate your existing SCALE apps to the new trains. Replace blocky with the app name in question and premium with the new train-name.

k3s kubectl patch ns ix-blocky -p '{"metadata":{"labels":{"catalog_train":"premium"}}}'

🎉 Introducing: TrueCharts Bounties! 🎉

Mar 2, 2024

We’re thrilled to announce a significant update that we believe will make contributing to TrueCharts even more rewarding and engaging for all of you.

Introducing TrueCharts Bounties! We’re revolutionizing the way you can support TrueCharts development and be directly involved in shaping its future.

While our traditional chart-order system served us well, we’ve listened to your feedback and are now transitioning to a dynamic and transparent bounty system. With TrueCharts Bounties, you now have the opportunity to directly influence the development of our charts and contribute to our collective mission in a more impactful way.

What does this mean for you?

🔍 Greater Flexibility: You can now place bounties on GitHub issues or submit chart requests, both of which will be seamlessly integrated into our development pipeline.

💰 Earn Rewards: By placing bounties, you not only support the development of the charts you care about but also have the chance to earn rewards for your contributions.

🛠️ Empowered Collaboration: TrueCharts Bounties foster a collaborative environment where community members can actively participate in shaping the future of TrueCharts.

We want to emphasize the vital role of donations in sustaining TrueCharts. 💖 Your generous support is the lifeblood that keeps our project thriving and enables us to continue providing valuable resources to the community. 💪

To get started with TrueCharts Bounties, visit: TrueCharts Bounties

To make a donation, please visit: Donate to TrueCharts

Whether you’re a seasoned developer, a passionate user, or someone with a great idea, we welcome you to join us in this new chapter of TrueCharts development.

Thank you for your continued support and dedication. Together, we’ll continue to make TrueCharts the best it can be.

Happy charting!

The TrueCharts Team

Embrace KubeApps, Rancher, and FluxCD! 🚀

Feb 28, 2024

Exciting news! TrueCharts is taking a leap forward by officially adding support for KubeApps, Rancher, and FluxCD to our deployment options. This expansion complements our existing support for Normal “Native” Helm Charts and TrueNAS SCALE Apps, offering you a broader range of choices for seamless application deployment.

A Quick Recap of the Tiers

Tier 1: Normal “Native” Helm Charts Our versatile foundation! While not the origin, this tier serves as the baseline for Helm Chart functionality. All features work smoothly, and our team, particularly the developers, are well-versed in Helm.

Tier 2: Welcoming KubeApps and FluxCD In this tier, we introduce KubeApps, Rancher, and FluxCD – like the cool cousins of Helm Charts. They come with optional GUI elements, and we’re currently configuring KubeApps and Rancher via YAML through the web GUI, with plans for UI enhancements in 2024.

Tier 3: TrueNAS SCALE Apps and Rancher The third tier introduces TrueNAS SCALE Apps, where a bit more abstraction comes into play. While we strive for the best, 100% stability isn’t guaranteed due to the added layers. Expect some limitations, like fewer features, no direct YAML edits, and a few more bugs.

Not Supported (yet): ArgoCD Currently we’ve one planned future addition: ArgoCD. But due to technical issues from ArgoCD, we cannot yet support it and it will not work reliably yet with TrueCharts Helm Charts either.

Behind the Expansion

This expansion is about offering you more choices while maintaining the excellence you expect from TrueCharts. It’s about enriching your deployment experience with flexibility and reliability.

There is more

But there is more, in addition to supporting KubeApps on Normal Kubernetes, we’ve also released KubeApps as a TrueNAS App. Allowing you to install everything in both Bitnami and TrueCharts Repositories, straight onto your TrueNAS Kubernetes system, using KubeApps!

What’s on the Horizon?

The journey doesn’t stop here! Throughout 2024, we’re delving deeper into KubeApps, Rancher, and FluxCD. Additionally, we’re committed to providing more comprehensive documentation for every Helm Chart and supported platform. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue growing together. 🌐✨

Exciting Licensing Changes

Feb 21, 2024

We’ve made some important updates regarding the licensing of our Chart Repository and associated Helm-charts. After careful consideration, we have made decisions that we believe will better align with the needs of our OpenSource user base and contribute to the continued growth of the TrueCharts ecosystem.

Transition to AGPL Licensing

One of the primary changes involves transitioning the licensing of the majority of our Chart Repository from BSD-3 to AGPL. This shift reflects our commitment to fostering open collaboration and ensuring that derivative works are also open-source. We believe that this move will contribute to a more vibrant and participatory community around TrueCharts.

Open-Sourcing Charts Under AGPL

In addition to the change in repository licensing, we are excited to announce that many of the charts, previously licensed under the Business-Software-License, are now open-sourced under AGPL as well. This decision is in line with our dedication to open-source principles and providing the community with greater access and freedom.

Commercial Licensing Options

Recognizing the diverse needs of our users, especially our commercial friends, we are introducing a commercial licensing option. This AGPL-less license is designed for use in or with a single cluster. This commercial license comes with a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that includes guaranteed response times, ensuring a reliable and responsive experience for our valued commercial users.

How to Explore Commercial Licensing

If you are interested in exploring our commercial licensing option, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Our team will be happy to discuss your specific requirements and work with you to find a solution that fits your needs.

We believe that these changes will contribute to the continued success and sustainability of TrueCharts. As we evolve, we are more-than-ever committed to open communication and transparency. We value the continued support greatly and look forward to a future of collaboration and innovation within the TrueCharts community.

Thank you all for being part of the TrueCharts journey!

The future of SCALE Apps

Feb 12, 2024