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Learn how to install KEDA (Kubernetes Event-driven Autoscaling) using its official Helm chart. This guide walks through prerequisites, Helm commands, and a detailed overview of the Kubernetes objects deployed by KEDA for seamless auto-scaling.

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Prerequisites

  • A running Kubernetes cluster (v1.16+)
  • Helm v3+ installed and configured
  • Access to the KEDA Helm repository
Ensure you have kubectl access and the correct context set before proceeding.

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Add and Install the KEDA Helm Chart

Run the following commands to add the KEDA chart repository, update it, and install KEDA into the keda namespace: 
# Add the KEDA Helm repo
helm repo add kedacore https://kedacore.github.io/charts

# Update local Helm repo information
helm repo update

# Install KEDA into namespace "keda"
helm install keda kedacore/keda \
  --namespace keda \
  --create-namespace
If you already have a keda namespace or a previous installation, use helm upgrade --install to avoid conflicts.

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What the Helm Chart Deploys

When you deploy KEDA with Helm, the following Kubernetes resources are created to enable event-driven autoscaling:
Component TypeResource Name(s)Purpose
Custom Resource DefinitionsScaledObject, ScaledJob, TriggerAuthentication,
ClusterTriggerAuthentication, EventSource		Extend the API to define KEDA-specific scaling objects.
APIServiceexternal.metrics.k8s.ioExposes external metrics for Horizontal Pod Autoscalers (HPAs).
ServiceAccountkeda-operator, keda-metrics-adapter, keda-webhookIdentifies KEDA processes running in the cluster.
ClusterRoles & RoleBindingskeda-operator-role, keda-metrics-role,
keda-webhook-role and bindings		Grants KEDA permissions at cluster and namespace scope.
Deploymentskeda-operator, keda-metrics-adapter, keda-webhookRuns the core controller, metrics server, and admission webhook.
The image outlines KEDA components, including Custom Resource Definitions, API Service, Cluster Roles, Deployments, and Service Accounts, each with a brief description of their functions.

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RoleBindings vs. ClusterRoleBindings

KEDA sculpts its permissions with both namespaced and cluster-wide bindings:
  • RoleBinding
    Binds a Role or ClusterRole to the KEDA ServiceAccount within a specific namespace.
  • ClusterRoleBinding
    Binds a ClusterRole to the KEDA ServiceAccount across the entire cluster.
The image is a diagram illustrating the components of KEDA, including Custom Resource Definitions, API Service, Cluster Roles, Deployments, Service Accounts, and Role Bindings, each with a brief description of their functions.

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Detailed Breakdown of Deployed CRDs

After installation, you can inspect the following KEDA Custom Resource Definitions:
  • ScaledObject
    Defines how to scale a Deployment or StatefulSet based on external triggers.
  • ScaledJob
    Similar to ScaledObject but for Kubernetes Jobs.
  • TriggerAuthentication
    Stores authentication details for external metric sources.
  • ClusterTriggerAuthentication
    Cluster-scoped version of TriggerAuthentication.
  • EventSource
    Defines custom event sources for autoscaling.

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Summary of Installed Objects

  1. CRDs for KEDA’s custom scale definitions
  2. ServiceAccounts for operator, metrics-adapter, and webhook
  3. ClusterRoles & RoleBindings (cluster- and namespace-scoped)
  4. Deployments
    • KEDA Operator
    • External Metrics Adapter
    • Admission Webhook
  5. APIService at external.metrics.k8s.io
With these resources in place, KEDA is ready to drive event-based autoscaling in your Kubernetes cluster. Continue to the hands-on lab to validate each component and start creating ScaledObjects!

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Practice Lab