The .autogenerated/ tree is local Docker/Tilt output. It is not a chart. Do not copy it into Helm.

TDK + Helm (they are not alternatives)

TDK CLI starts services on your laptop. Production deployment stays with Helm.

Laptop:  service.json  →  tdk up  →  Docker + Tilt + Traefik *.localhost
Cluster: same image    →  Helm / Flux / Argo  →  Deployment + Service + Ingress

TDK owns service scaffolding, local Dockerfile layering, Tilt, local proxy/Postgres, and selecting local stack subsets. Helm and your cluster tools own replicas, probes, ingress class, PVCs, node selectors, IRSA, and HPA. Keep bjw-s app-template, official or homegrown charts, Kustomize, Flux, and Argo in your production workflow.

These concepts have boundaries: appName resembles a release or controller identity; appType suggests but does not configure a cluster controller; port corresponds conceptually to a Service port; healthCheckPath may inform probes; dependsOn does not establish cluster ordering or chart hooks; Traefik *.localhost is not a production Ingress/Gateway; and local Postgres should be replaced or managed explicitly for production.

One backend, two paths

See the core TDK + Helm guide and its runnable backend plus handwritten app-template values. The example pins chart 5.2.1. Publish the same image through your existing build/CI workflow to a cluster-accessible registry. Values intentionally leave production ingress, persistence, sizing, security, identity, and scaling to the deployment owner.

Keep your Helm values by hand

There is no export command here. Use the versioned official app-template documentation and matching chart schema. The example is an educational starting point, not a supported production chart.